MAS/ICNA 8th Annual Convention

Mark and several friends were able to take part in the Muslim American Society’s 8th Annual Convention in Chicago this past weekend.  Watch Mark’s talk on the panel at his YouTube channel!

A panel of friends and fellow peacemakers was the focus for Saturday’s afternoon session hosted by Dr. Abdel Azim Elsiddig, including words from Dean Koldenhoven, former Mayor of Palos Heights, IL; Pastor Bill Devlin of Manhattan Bible Church; Jeff Burns, Founder of Peace on Earth Initiatives; Dr. Rick Love, Consultant for Christian-Muslim Relations at Vineyard USA and Founder of Peace Catalyst Intl.; Carl Medearis, author of “Muslims, Christians and Jesus”; Hal Runkel, author of “ScreamFree Parenting,” Rick Jackson, Colorado Springs businessman, developer and peacemaker in Sudan; and Jay Moses, Presbyterian Church USA and Muslim-Christian Coordinator at Wheaton College.

The speakers each shared from their life and journey as peacemakers and encouraged listeners to rise to the challenge of building bridges across the faith divide. Featuring such diverse stories and experiences all at once allowed a picture of God working in each one by means of the various and unique paths that each individual has taken in their life.

Speakers were also invited to attend a dinner that evening where others shared from their work, including Islamic Relief, a worldwide leader in alleviating poverty.  Mark was invited as the keynote speaker and offered encouragement and examples of the common ground that can be found between Muslims and Christians, but also issued a challenge that we must move beyond niceties and cultivate an openness and willingness to discuss and wrestle with areas of difference.

Many thanks for the generous hospitality of the Muslim American Society’s staff and organizers for hosting this delegation, especially to Dr. Elsiddig who has personally befriended each panel speaker, and to Convention Chairman, Mr. Hussein Ata.

I was invited to participate as a delegate to Saudi King Abdullah’s Geneva Interfaith Dialogue last week. We noted that the conference is mainly being covered by media in the Middle East thanks to Nathan Cowan’s request on Facebook for Christian response as well. I am happy to offer my perspective on the event.

It is important to realize that King Abdullah holding an interfaith conference is a huge breakthrough for spiritual reconciliation. Saudi Arabia is the home of Wahhabism, which has created an insulated, isolated and non-communicative atmosphere for Saudi culture for years! Please remember that seventeen of the nineteen 9/11 terrorists were Saudis and Bin Laden himself is Saudi as well.

Considering that history and context, this repeated effort to arrange major interfaith conferences on the international level signifies a huge opening and shows they are engaging on a new level. The king is reaching out to the world to help counteract extremism in his own country.

The formal dialogue itself was not revolutionary, but it is a beginning and allows for new relationships to begin forming. We were asking for divine appointments while at the conference and definitely received them! We had remarkable meetings with leaders from Oxford in England, Spain, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, several other Middle East countries and with top Saudi officials as well. We were able to meet Dr. Al-Turki, of the Muslim World League, who expressed interest in Saudi scholars reviewing the ideas and approach shared in A Deadly Misunderstanding. Meetings that allow such organic connections to take place in a global intersection of faith must certainly continue, and not diminish.

For a few other reportings on the conference, please see these sources:

WCC Leaders Stress Importance of Honesty in Interfaith Encounters

Editorial: Interfaith dialogue

Mark is a featured guest on Common Threads, a show focusing on religion & spirituality.  It is a coproduction of WGVU Radio and The Interfaith Dialogue Association.