Tag Archives: extremism

After the election- a recommitment

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The purpose of Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (SiVIC) is to build interreligious harmony and understanding so as to promote a just and compassionate society in Silicon Valley.

In light of that purpose, we have been concerned over the past months with campaign rhetoric and candidate statements that seemed intended to inflame differences between Americans of differing backgrounds, religions, ethnicity, social and economic status. These have particularly singled out Muslims and immigrant people as targets for suspicion and hostility, but have also disrespected women and given rise to increased acts of antisemitism and violence.

Following the election, guided by our code of conduct, we recommit ourselves to the never-ending task of strengthening connections between diverse people, nurturing respect and understanding across boundaries that might seek to separate us from each other, and defending freedom of religious belief and practice for all.

Religious and Political Extremism – Creating an Effective Response

Interfaith Center at the Presidio –AHIMSA-Berkeley and Pacifica Institute present

Religious and Political Extremism –
Creating an Effective Response

Exploring the extremist phenomenon with a distinguished interfaith panel with a view toward developing positive, workable solutions

Panel:

  • Fatih Ates – Pacifica Institute 
    Pacifica recently presented “Combating the Cancer of Extremism” in Sunnyvale
  • Rabbi-Cantor Elana Rosen-Brown
    Congregation Rodef Sholom, San Rafael
    Recently participated in “Faith, Fear, and Fact” in Marin
  • Rod Cardoza – Abrahamic Alliance International
    The San Jose- based Alliance creates opportunities to bridge the divide among Jews, Christians and Muslims
  • Ravit Baer – Israeli Deputy Consul General, San Francisco
  • Elizabeth Padilla – Brahma Kumaris
    Music and Attitudinal Healint

Moderator – Rev. Gerry Caprio
Interfaith Center at the Presidio and AHIMSA-Berkeley

Download a flyer

ING Panel : Combating the Cancer of Extremism

Register at Eventbrite

Panelists:

Eli Taub: After a long career at Kaiser Permanente as a pediatrician, Eli retired and is now an active member in many Jewish organizations. He served on the Santa Clara County’s Human Relations Commission and has helped plan the County Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony. Eli attended the University of Michigan and received his M.D. at the University of Chicago. He and his wife have two grown children and three granddaughters. Eli represents the Jewish religion.

Henry Millstein: Henry holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies, with a focus on Jewish-Christian relations, from UC Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union,  and has taught humanities and history of religion at Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and the Graduate Theological Union. He worked for 16 years in language and cultural preservation with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon, where he participated in their traditional religious life. His interfaith experience also includes involvement with Jewish and Buddhist communities. Henry represents the Christian religion.

Maha ElGenaidi: Maha is the founder of ING and author of training handbooks on outreach for American Muslims as well as training seminars for public institutions on developing cultural competency with the American Muslim community. She has an M.A. in religious studies from Stanford University and received her bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the American University in Cairo. Maha has been recognized with numerous awards, including the “Civil Rights Leadership Award” from the California Association of Human Relations Organizations and “Citizen of the Year Award” from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Maha represents the Muslim religion.

Technology in the Hands of Haters: Fueling Extremism in a Wired World

“Propaganda is a truly terrible weapon in the hands of an expert.” -Adolf Hitler, 1924

While digital tools are fostering unprecedented global conversation, extremists are using them to foment hate, recruit followers, and incite violence. Join us for a discussion about the tension between free speech and incendiary propaganda. What responsibility do technology companies, governments, and individuals have to shape the reach of social media to keep our world safe?

Panelists

  • Anne Kornblut, Director of Strategic Communications, Facebook, and former senior editor, The Washington Post
  • Steven Luckert, Senior Program Curator, US Holocaust Memorial Museum .
  • Beth van Schaak, Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor in Human Rights (2014-15), Stanford Law School, and Senior Adviser in the Office of Global Criminal Justice, US Department of State

This program is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
RSVP at ushmm.org/events/tech-paloalto.

Help us keep Holocaust memory alive for a changing world. Learn more at ushmm.org/campaign.

Extremism and a Need for Dialogue

Stanford Cultural Interactions Club would like to invite you to our Dialogue and Friendship Dinner at Stanford. Through this event, they aim to enhance intercultural understanding and dialogue within the Stanford community by bringing individuals from diverse backgrounds together including students, faculty, staff, administrators, businessmen, religious and community leaders.

Theme: Extremism and a Need for Dialogue

Keynote Speaker: Prof. John Esposito,
Professor of Religion and International Affairs and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. He is Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. He has more than 45 books and monographs. Esposito’s books and articles have been translated into more than 35 languages.

Peace & Dialogue Awards
As part of the program we are giving Peace & Dialogue Award and Campus Achievement Award to inspiring community leaders who have made a significant contributions to multicultural understanding and dialogue in Bay Area and beyond.

Mediterranean Food & Music
The dinner will have a good selection of Mediterranean food accompanied with intercultural music.

Admission:  $20 per guest, $15 for students.
Please register through Eventbrite with your meal choice by April 23, 2015.

Sponsors: ASSU, GSC, the Billie Achilles fund, the Bechtel International Center, Markaz, Black Student Union, Haas Center, CLGSA

About Stanford Cultural Interactions Club (SCIC)
SCIC is a registered student organization at Stanford University. You can find more information about our activities at our webpage: www.culturalinteractions.org. Our mission is to serve societal peace and friendship on campus and within the Stanford community by striving to spread values such as cross-cultural understanding, tolerance, respect, and dialogue.

Speaking Out against Extremism

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Ameena Jandali and Osgur Koca

Ameena Jandali and Ozgur Koca at Pacifica Institute

Ameena Jandali has been helping people understand what Islam is for a long time and, after all these years, she is concerned that she still needed to explain how Islam is a religion of peace.

She is the co-founder and curriculum director of Islamic Networks Group, a group which has educated students, governmental agencies, religious congregations, hospital staff and more about Islam since 1993. Jandali was one of the panelists at “Muslim Voices Against Extremism,’ an event sponsored by the Pacifica Institute in Sunnyvale, an Affiliate Organization of SiVIC (Silicon Valley Interreligious Council).

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Muslims Speak Out Against Extremism

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Muslim Voices Against Extremism:
Pacifica Institute Speaker Series

Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 6:45 pm
Pacifica Institute-Silicon Valley Branch
1257 Tasman Dr., Unit B, Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Keynote Speakers:

  • Ameena Jandali, content director and founding member of Islamic Networks Group (ING), a non-profit organization with affiliates around the country that counter prejudice and discrimination against American Muslims by teaching about their traditions and contributions in the context of America’s history and cultural diversity, while building relations between American Muslims and other groups.
  • Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, full-time faculty member specializing in Islamic Law, Theology, and Hadith Science at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, CA.
  • Ozgur Koca Assistant Professor of Muslim studies and spent ten years of his life teaching physics, mathematics and astronomy in different countries. His studies focus on Islamic Philosophy-Theology, Spirituality, Science and Religion Discussion, Environmental Ethics, lnterreligious Discourse, and Contemporary Islamic Movements and Ideologies.

FREE Admission; RSVP Required at http://pacificasv.org/rsvp. Sponsored by Pacifica Institute, ING and SiVIC. Download a flyer: Muslim Voices Against Extremism.