New York imam added to Notre Dame Forum panel

Author: Dennis Brown

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Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder and chief executive officer of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) and imam ofNew York Citys largest mosque, has been added as a panelist for the Notre Dame Forum next Thursday (Sept. 22).

A previously announced panelist, Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, is unable to attend due to government obligations inJordan.

The inaugural Notre Dame Forum will begin at2 p.m.in theJoyceCenterarena and is the academic centerpiece of the inauguration of the Universitys new president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

TitledWhy God? Understanding Religion and Enacting Faith in a Plural World,the forum will feature three other world leaders in addition to Imam Feisal – Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rogríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., of Honduras; Naomi Chazan, professor of political science and African studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a former member of Israels parliament, the Knesset, and a three-decade participant in the Israeli-Palestine peace process; and John C. Danforth, former U.S. senator and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Retired NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw will serve as the moderator.

Imam Feisal leads Masjid Al-Farah, a mosque inManhattan. He has dedicated his life to building bridges between Muslims and the West and is a leader in the effort to build religious pluralism and integrate Islam into modern American society. He founded ASMA in 1997 as the first American organization committed to bringing Muslims and non-Muslims together through programs in culture, art, academia and current affairs.

Imam Feisal has been a tireless advocate for an ecumenical solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is the architect of the Cordoba Initiative, an interreligious blueprint for improving relations between America and the Muslim world and pursuing Middle East peace.

Initiated by Father Jenkins, the Notre Dame Forum will be an annual event in which the University will bring world leaders to campus to share their experiences and advice with Notre Dame students who are preparing to enter the public debate and shape professional life.

Video streaming for inauguration events

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