He鈥檚 also been exploring ideas with associate provost to promote interfaith engagement at the EMU Lancaster site.

He just won鈥檛 be driving nearly 470 miles round-trip from his home in Akron, Pennsylvania, to Harrisonburg, Virginia each week. And there will be a first grandchild in Washington D.C. to spend time with [his daughter is lawyer ’01.]

Associate director becomes interim director鈥攖he center鈥檚 third leader since its inception in 2008.

The center鈥檚 activities have included the funding of scholars to teach undergraduate and graduate comparative religion, religion and language courses; hosting of a popular annual lecture or film series; support of the annual for area youth; and participation in local interfaith work.

Additionally, CIE helped raise funds to bring Iranian scholars to the Summer Peacebuilding Institute and helped connect the EMU academic community to a series of Mennonite-Shi鈥檃 dialogues.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a real need for this kind of work today,鈥� Martin said, adding that he hopes the center continues to build on local connections to interfaith organizations and denominations of all faiths.

Another vision for the future, he shared, is permanent faculty who could teach Islamic religion and history, and faculty to support an interfaith minor.

Interfaith experience

Martin led the center through a period of stabilization and growth, taking over from first-year director Gerald Shenk, after his wife, Sara, became president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

Martin came to EMU from the American Friends Service Committee and a position as the Quaker International Affairs Representative for Iran, building connections between Iranian institutions and the United States, and providing resources for public education and advocacy regarding Iran in United States.

Prior to that appointment, he worked for 18 years with Mennonite Central Committee as director of programs for Central and Southern Asia, as well as the Middle East. Early in his career, he worked at the International Irrigation Management Institute in Sri Lanka.

Each of these previous positions, including extensive travel and a year of studying about Islam at a seminary, exposed him to other religions and to interfaith dialogue.

Foundation for growth

The center, begun in 2008 as a feasibility study by and , grew out of decades of Mennonites鈥� practical experience working across deep religious divides around the world.

The organization鈥檚 first name, 鈥淎braham鈥檚 Tent: A Center for Interfaith Engagement,鈥� highlights the three world religions that worship one God 鈥� Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Martin鈥檚 first task when he assumed the directorship was securing funding鈥攖he center is still funded entirely by foundation grants and private donations.

A three-year grant from the Henry Luce Foundation helped bring an interfaith contingent of scholars from fall 2012 through spring 2015. , both professors from Tehran, Iran, were joined for a semester by Niles Goldstein, community rabbi and rabbinic scholar for two large Reform Jewish synagogues in Chicago. co-taught a 鈥淐omparative Monotheisms鈥� course to two dozen undergraduates, graduate students, seminarians and members of the community.

Additionally, Martin was active in securing funding through the William and Mary Greve Foundation for , all graduate students from the women鈥檚 seminary in Qom, Iran, to attend the Summer Peacebuilding Institute.

Public events have always been a key offering of the center. In spring 2014, 2015 and 2016, visiting Jewish scholar Bob Bersson, an emeritus professor at James Madison University, has offered a .

Important goals

Martin said the organization will be on firm footing in the coming months, with plans for future events and for organizational strengthening to ensure sustainability. CIE鈥檚 niche is an important one, he said, within a university community which values global engagement and peacebuilding.

Nussbaum聽has been working to strength CIE ties with local interfaith groups, while聽Rebekah “Bex”聽Simmerman, a recent graduate of the . Simmerman has been leading a local research focus on interfaith and intra-faith networking to address risks of religiously motivated violence, Martin said.

EMU will also welcome a Fulbright scholar from Indonesia next year. Martin says the presence of a female and Sunni scholar from the world鈥檚 largest Muslim country will provide a valuable perspective to the campus community.

鈥淚 see all of those efforts continuing,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淚 greatly affirm EMU for having the vision and courage to initiate CIE. In our pluralistic world, it is so important for our students and community to learn about other religions and to learn to know scholars from other faith traditions.鈥�

In a recent interview on campus, Dogos told the following story as an example of the kind of work he does: In December 2012, in the rural Chadian town of Mongo, a group of religious leaders met for an interfaith peacebuilding workshop sponsored each year by the Coalition of Evangelical Churches in Chad (known by its French acronym, EEMET). Among the roughly 30 leaders who attended 鈥� equally representing Muslims, Catholics and Protestants, Chad鈥檚 three main religious groups 鈥� were an imam and a pastor who both adhered to particularly strict, fundamentalist interpretations of their respective faiths.

As the recently hired coordinator of EEMET鈥檚 Ethics, Peace and Justice program, Dogos was responsible for the event鈥檚 logistics. In order to address potential friction between the imam and the pastor head-on, he made them roommates during the week-long workshop. On their first night together, an animated theological debate kept the two up late.

The next morning, when the imam rose early to pray, the pastor one-upped him by spending extra time with his devotions. The morning after that, the imam, determined to demonstrate his own devoutness, read the Koran until the very moment the day鈥檚 schedule began.

Later that week, the caterers were late preparing the evening meal Dogos had arranged for the participants. The imam and the pastor got too hungry to wait, and Dogos noticed them walking off to town to get something to eat together. The roommate decision had paid off. Somehow, some way, the two had bridged the gulf between their sharply divergent worldviews with mutual respect.

They still, Dogos says, maintain their improbable friendship.

Other work is impossible without peace

Dogos was in high school in N鈥橠jamena, Chad鈥檚 capital, in 1980 when Hiss猫ne Habr茅鈥檚 forces were fighting against the military of the former president.

“There were three options then,” he says in “You could take up arms and fight. You could go into the villages and work in the fields, because the war was really in the city. Or you could leave Chad. I went to Ivory Coast in June 1982. It was there that I decided I would not do anything else but to serve God.”

Dogos, who speaks Arabic and has close ties to the Muslim community, says that peace is the “foundation” and the “base” for other work. “We have to understand that we cannot do any other work without peace.”

鈥淲e are living in a post-war context in Chad, but the threat of inter-ethnic violence, terrorist activity and wars from bordering nations continue to cast a dark shadow on our current fragile peace,鈥� he wrote in his SPI application packet.

The story like the one about the imam and the pastor is one example among many, another victory for the cause of understanding in an ethnically and religiously diverse country that鈥檚 surrounded by wars and violence in neighboring ones.

鈥楪od put us in this same country鈥�

Prior to joining EEMET, Dogos spent 12 years as missions director for his denomination, Assembl茅es Evang茅liques au Tchad. Dogos, who has master鈥檚 degrees in communications as well as missiology, has also been a pastor in Chad and C么te D鈥橧voire. One of the assets he brings to his peacebuilding work now is the network of contacts he developed among religious leaders. He also has a deep, personal familiarity with the theology, mindset and beliefs of Chad鈥檚 Islamic community.

鈥淕od put us in this same country. Our children attend the same schools, our women go to the same shops, we share the same offices,鈥� says Dogos. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very important to live in peace.鈥�

鈥淭he deep healing and interfaith collaboration鈥� sparked by Dogos鈥� work was an inspiration to fellow SPI participant , assistant director of EMU鈥檚 .

鈥淰ictor鈥檚 faith shines through him and the sincerity of that faith spills out onto everyone he meets,鈥� said Nussbaum, who is also a student in the graduate program at the . 鈥淗e not only has a deep faith in his Creator, but also that people can eventually see humanity in the other. He has a passion for wholeness and healing, and it is contagious, in the best possible way.”

Then, again, this is a Christian university that says it is 鈥渓ike no other.鈥�

The week was intended to encourage both interfaith dialogue and intercultural awareness, said , EMU鈥檚 director of and .

Events included a lecture on Muslim prayer practices, a 叠补丑谩鈥櫭� devotional, worship services conducted in the Orthodox, Mennonite, and Methodist traditions, a lecture on Jewish faith practices on death and dying, an interactive faith talkback, and an international food festival.

The week opened Friday, Sept. 12, with the Islam-themed talk, sponsored by . 鈥淩eligions are the most important part of our cultures,鈥� said , at the beginning of his hour-long lecture about the history of Islam, basic Islamic beliefs, and what the ritual Islamic prayer practice (Salat) looks and sounds like.

Lectures, prayers, incense, music

Monday morning, a mostly different group of EMU community members gathered into a tight circle in the EMU Discipleship Center. The facilitator, senior Julie Huffer, welcomed the group and briefly explained how the 叠补丑谩鈥櫭� devotional would run. Several participants were given yellow strips of paper containing portions of a single scriptural passage. Like Akrami, Huffer took time to explain the basic history and beliefs of 叠补丑谩鈥櫭璼 before moving into the main part of her program, which included hearing the words on the yellow strips, experiencing silence and prayer, and listening to music from a 叠补丑谩鈥櫭� artist, before breaking for refreshments.

Rabbi Joe Blair鈥檚 explanation of Jewish practices on death and dying was both interesting and educational on Monday afternoon. 鈥淚 learned that the Jewish tradition has a specific process of honoring the souls that have passed and honoring the family that has lost them,鈥� said Huffer. 鈥淚t was interesting because I didn鈥檛 know that in Judaism they have such a specific process.鈥�

Held in Martin Chapel, both the Mennonite and Methodist worship services 鈥� Tuesday and Thursday, respectively 鈥� were sponsored by the , which is accredited by both denominations. They both included hymns, a short message on church history, and what a typical service looks like.

The thurible emitted a faint waft of incense as the priest swung it back and forth in front of the makeshift altar he was blessing in Lehman Auditorium on Wednesday. Although he later explained that his church, , was affiliated with a 鈥渟imple鈥� branch of Orthodox Christianity, the beautiful icons, heavy, ornately embroidered priest-robes, and formal blessing ceremony seemed mysterious and involved to eyes used to 鈥減lain鈥� Mennonite worship practices.

Eye-opening for students

鈥淚t was eye-opening and refreshing to participate and experience another faith tradition,鈥� said senior Philip Yoder, raised Mennonite. 鈥淚 never realized they codified their faith tradition in the 10th century, and they have been worshiping the same way ever since. Even though the practices were old, they infused the service with heartfelt prayers for the students and professors at EMU, and that was pretty cool.鈥�

On Thursday evening, around 50 people gathered in to view the Faces of EMU Exhibit and participate in an 鈥渋nteractive faith talk-back.鈥� The evening included playing get-acquainted games, circulating through the exhibit, chatting, writing impressions on a large sheet of newsprint, and watching a short movie about the two largest minority groups on campus, Hindus and Muslims (from the series on the YouTube channel SoulPancake).

Senior Jordan Luther said 鈥渋t was neat鈥� to move beyond the Christian majority on campus and have his eyes opened to the religious minorities in the EMU community.

Popular food festival

By far, the most-attended event of the week was Friday鈥檚 International Food Fest and Games. This is perhaps to be expected since the time of the event did not conflict with classes or most work-study schedules, and the email reminder sent out by Lepley encouraged people to 鈥渂ring your taste buds鈥� to partake of enticingly described international foods.

Over 30 vendors prepared food that represented cultures in Saudi Arabia, Korea, Nepal, Kenya and Italy, among others. Students, faculty, staff and other community members intermingled together over what could be described as 鈥渁 diverse fellowship of believers鈥� or 鈥渋nterfaith communion.鈥� With the Food Fest, the organizers of International Education Week showcased the different faith traditions present at EMU in a common space where everyone could laugh, break bread and celebrate their diversity.

The week was organized in conjunction with EMU鈥檚 International Student Organization, led by junior聽聽of Somali origin and senior Sun Ju Lee of South Korea; the , led by Carmen Witmer; the , represented by ; Cross Cultural Programs, represented by , and , led by

鈥淲e do lots of exercises, many projects, in this class,鈥� said Sabereh Ahmadi Movaghar, referring to 鈥�鈥� taught as a seven-day intensive by , PhD, and Roxann 鈥淩oxy鈥� Allen Kioko 鈥�04, MA 鈥�07.

Movaghar holds two master鈥檚 degrees 鈥� one in Shi鈥檃 Islam studies and the other in Islamic jurisprudence 鈥� which took a total of four years to earn. 鈥淚 love studying; I am hungry to know,鈥� she said by way of explaining her hope of continuing through a PhD and then teaching. For this reason, she has been an alert observer of the teaching methods employed in her current class at SPI and her previous one, 鈥�,鈥� taught by , a Mennonite scholar and pastor.

Movaghar also praises 鈥渢he very good friends I have made here, who I鈥檝e invited to come to Iran,鈥� as well as the opportunity to learn more about conflicts in the world, along with post-conflict reconciliation processes, especially those occurring in Africa.

Movaghar is one of nine women from Qom, Iran, who are taking classes at EMU鈥檚 annual Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI). Their home institution, Jamiat al-Zahra, is the world鈥檚 largest Islamic seminary for women, with 5,000 Iranian students, 1,000 international students and 10,000 enrolled in distance learning. The nine students at SPI are all linked to the postgraduate section of the seminary鈥檚 international department.

聽鈥淭hese women are excellent, diligent students,鈥� said executive director of EMU鈥檚 . 鈥淭hey are devoutly religious as well as delightful 鈥� with great personalities, warm laughs, and deep insights. The friendships being built are priceless.鈥�

The group is led by , an internationally known scholar of Islam and dean of postgraduate students at Jamiat al-Zahra. Shomali has designated the women鈥檚 English-language instructor, who wishes to be known as 鈥淶ainab,鈥� as the coordinator for the women when he is not present.

Reflecting on her methods of teaching English at the Iranian seminary, Zainab cited the 鈥減ractical strategies used at SPI鈥� as a key take-away from her two SPI classes. She said she also appreciates the 鈥渞ich experiences鈥� enabled by having highly diverse classmates from different parts of the world. The atmosphere at SPI is 鈥渨arm, open, and friendly,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone is respectful of everyone鈥檚 beliefs.鈥�

Zainab is often mistaken as one who comes from outside the United States, given her fully covered appearance in loose black clothing, except for her face. Actually, though, she is an American of Lebanese heritage, who completed most of her foundational education in public schools in Michigan. She holds a bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree in English from the University of Michigan, plus a teaching certificate.

In addition to directing the English as a Second Language program at Jamiat al-Zahra 鈥� in which about 45 women are enrolled each year 鈥� Zainab is completing a PhD. For her dissertation, she is working on a textbook that will use religiously and culturally appropriate text as the basis for teaching English to non-native speakers within the Shi鈥檃 Islamic tradition.

In her first SPI class, 鈥�鈥� taught by Dr. , Zainab joined participants from 10 other countries to explore the social, psychological, neurobiological, physical, and spiritual processes of moving from violence to healing and transforming trauma. 鈥淚鈥檝e studied sociology before, but never with a focus on the psychosocial aspects of trauma,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd rarely in a class as filled with activities. 鈥� Al was a great professor.鈥� 窜补颈苍补产鈥檚 second class was 鈥�鈥� taught by , PhD, and , MA 鈥�09.

Movaghar and Zainab were part of two earlier educational trips to another Mennonite institution, Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. In the summer of 2011, they took a one-week course on Christian understandings of peace and justice, followed by 鈥淚ntroduction to Christianity鈥� in June 2012.

These women are the latest in a chain of Muslim-Mennonite interactions that goes back to 1991, when responded to a devastating earthquake in Iran. Educational exchanges followed that first contact.

Relations have grown to be highly collaborative. For instance, Shomali was a guest instructor in 鈥淔aith-based Peacebuilding,鈥� which focused on identifying sources of conflict and resources for peacebuilding found in several faith communities and traditions, along with interfaith engagement.

During a break between SPI sessions, Shomali and most of the women went to Washington D.C., where they visited the , met with some Muslim women lawyers at the office of the , and had a meeting at organized by CJP graduate Rasoul Naqavi. They also visited the Capitol Hill offices of Mennonite Central Committee.

, director of the at EMU, has visited Iran more than two dozen times since 1991 and will be returning to Iran later this month for the 6th Mennonite-Shi鈥檃 dialogue. In addition to Martin, the EMU delegation includes Christian Early, a professor of philosophy and theology, and several students.

On an earlier two-day trip, they visited MCC’s headquarters in Akron, Pennsylvania, met with an Amish bishop, and attended a service and Sunday school class at in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Shomali told an EMU reporter that he hoped for better relations between the people of Iran and people of the United States and noted聽similarities between Quranic and Christian teachings about the importance of peace. 鈥淕od says about the Quran in the Quran itself that God guides with the Qur鈥檃n those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace (5:15).鈥� There are 鈥渓ots of things we can learn from each other,鈥� he added. Iranians are rational people and 鈥渨hen you are rational, you tend to dialogue with people of other faiths and other cultures.鈥�

Shomali welcomed more exchanges of Americans and Iranians from a variety of fields, including artists and professionals.聽He said that to reduce mutual misperceptions and encourage peace,聽鈥淣othing can replace face-to-face encounters. Our first Imam, Imam Ali, is quoted as saying: 鈥楶eople become hostile towards what they don鈥檛 know.鈥欌��

Byler, who is executive director of EMU鈥檚 Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), last visited Iran in 2009, before Iran severely restricted visas for visitors from the United States and Canada for an extended period.

With the 2013 election of president Hassan Rouhani and subsequent diplomatic talks between Iran and the West, Iran鈥檚 doors have opened again.

Daryl Byler 鈥�79, MA 鈥�85 (religion), was among a 10-member group in Iran from Feb. 19 to Feb. 25, 2014, sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). The delegation spent a whirlwind six days in Iran on a tightly managed schedule of workshops, meetings with religious and academic officials, and visits to sites of cultural and religious significance with the purpose of exploring 鈥渋f this is indeed a new time in which MCC work in a country often perceived as the enemy can and should be reinvigorated or even expanded,鈥� said an MCC press release.

Before becoming executive director of CJP, Byler and his wife Cindy Lehman Byler represented MCC in Palestine and Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan from 2007 to 2013.

With only a few days in Iran on this trip, every opportunity to connect and to share with Iranians in face-to-face contacts was potentially precious, beneficial, and rejuvenating to MCC鈥檚 goals of promoting 鈥渦nderstanding, friendship, and interfaith connections between the people of Iran, Canada, and the U.S.鈥�

The MCC-Iran relationship has been growing and changing since MCC first reached out to Iran after a devastating earthquake in 1990, offering relief supplies in partnership with the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Two more relief efforts followed in 2004 and 2012, as MCC鈥檚 outreach has focused and strengthened into 鈥減eacebuilding through shared knowledge,鈥� according to an MCC press release.

This work continues in spite of the dissolution of formal diplomatic relations with Iran by both the United States, since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and Canada, which closed its Tehran embassy and expelled Iranian diplomats from its borders in 2012.

MCC has facilitated and supported many student exchanges, sending American and Canadian students to study in Iran, and Iranian students for advanced studies in Canada and the United States. Ten Iranian students have attended the Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI) on EMU鈥檚 main campus, and two have gone on to earn their master鈥檚 degrees in conflict transformation.

Ten female students from Jami鈥檃t al-Zahra are expected to come to SPI this summer. They will be escorted by Dr. Mohammad Shomali, director of the International Institute for Islamic Studies (IIIS) and also director of international affairs at Jami鈥檃t al-Zahra, the world鈥檚 largest women鈥檚 seminary for Shi鈥檃 Islam. Shomali鈥檚 wife, Mahnaz Heidarpour, will also accompany the group.

During the trip, the delegation visited with three of the 10 Iranian SPI alumni, all of whom are in prominent roles: Mohsen Ghanbari Alanagh (SPI 鈥�11), president of Al-Mustafa Open University; Mohsen Danesh Pajouh (鈥�12), completing his PhD in philosophy of religion; and Seyed Mostafa Daryabari (鈥�13), deputy of education at the International Institute for Islamic Studies.

For Byler, reconnecting with SPI alumni in his new role as CJP director was a special experience, as each of these attendees said they had been deeply affected by the peacebuilding concepts shared at SPI and appreciated exploring the application of these concepts and dialogue in Iran.

Byler says MCC鈥檚 return visit to Iran is a 鈥渉opeful sign鈥� that the deep foundations of interfaith dialogue and friendship can continue to grow.

Though EMU has regularly hosted students and visiting professors from Iran, the last EMU visitor to Iran was President Loren Swartzendruber, who was part of an MCC-led delegation in October 2008.

鈥� Lauren Jefferson

Her experience reflects the new ways and new places that education takes place these days for EMU students, including , , grant-funded research and practicums, and being part of a cohort at a site to which EMU faculty come for classes.

Enns, from Winnipeg, Canada, lived in the nation鈥檚 capital at . While taking two courses at the center, she worked at , an interfaith coalition that seeks to end anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S. As an intern with the organization, she used her experience as co-editor of , EMU鈥檚 student newspaper, to produce a bi-weekly newsletter, compile fact sheets, and otherwise pitch in on the group鈥檚 various initiatives.

An internship through EMU鈥檚 Washington center is more than just a taste of real-world work and an opportunity to develop contacts, ideas, and credentials for life after college. It鈥檚 also a launching point for deeper examination of the relationship between faith, values, and career.

鈥淗ow do we as Mennonites engage the state, and how much do we build our alternative systems?鈥� asked Enns, whose great-grandparents were part of the mass migration of Mennonites from Russia to North America during the turbulent years after the Bolshevik Revolution.

What relationship, exactly, should a person of faith hold toward advocacy in a secular environment, she wonders. Doesn鈥檛 faith like hers, one that prescribes action on behalf of 鈥渢he least among us,鈥� require this sort of entanglement with the wider world? But does this very entanglement with the wider world undermine the foundations of her faith?

Enns doesn鈥檛 have answers to her questions yet, but she knows she would like to continue doing faith-based advocacy after she graduates this spring. In fact, her plans at this point are to join .

During her four-year career at EMU, Enns took advantage of other non-traditional ways of learning.

Soon after she arrived on campus as a first-year student, she took an optional field trip with her Restorative Justice and Trauma class to a penitentiary, where she participated in three days of a Quaker-developed 鈥淎lternatives to Violence Program鈥� with inmates.

In her sophomore year, Enns satisfied EMU鈥檚 cross-cultural requirement by creating her own semester-long study experience in the African nation of Chad, where her parents were serving with .

For 10 weeks between her junior and senior years, Enns was part of a offered at EMU that gives college students a chance to be an intern, mentored by a pastor, in a congregational聽 setting. Her assignment was at .

EMU offers a variety of other new ways and places for students to pursue their education.

More and more graduate students are taking their courses online, usually studying from their homes. The was the first unit at EMU to offer distance learning, and now most of EMU鈥檚 also offer courses online.

Nurses who are studying for a master鈥檚 degree in nursing leadership and management don鈥檛 have to come to campus very often (or to .).聽 The program is designed for working nurses who need to maintain family commitments and remain on the job. Jeanette Nisly 鈥�96, for example, is and raising two children with her Guatemalan husband.

Sometimes the students are surprised to see that online learning actually offers more interaction with class members and professors than a traditional classroom. A faculty advisor provides ongoing support for students and helps with logistics, technology questions, and other issues. Students also receive support from staff, graduate writing tutors, and library staff.

Other non-traditional learning opportunities at EMU:

• , which offers a mix of study through the annual Summer Peacebuilding Institute at EMU and experiences in the students鈥� home countries. The first group, in 2012, included 12 women from Africa and the South Pacific. They were selected from more than 100 applications. Funds for the program are provided by USAID and the German development organization, EED/Bread for the World.

• . The latest example, announced in February, is a $20,000 grant from the United Service Foundation that will send eight undergraduates to foreign locations (Colombia and Iran in 2013), supervised by an EMU-linked mentor. The grants are for peacebuilding and development majors, who are required to complete off-campus practicums.

• . Many of the students enrolled in EMU鈥檚 programs run from Lancaster, Pa., don鈥檛 actually go to classes at the center鈥檚 facility in a business park. Students in the pastoral studies program, for example, attend classes this spring at Lancaster Mennonite Conference offices or sites in Philadelphia, Hatfield, and Morgantown. The three-year program, called , is for new pastors or prospective pastors.

• Taking trauma courses all over the world. In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, established a program to help community leaders deal with the trauma of disasters and conflict. Called , the program has trained more than 7,000 people worldwide. The training seminars take place at EMU, across the United States, and all over the world in places like Lebanon, Haiti, and Mexico.

Amir Akrami, from the Iranian Institute of Philosophy in Tehran, is teaching two courses during the spring semester 2013 鈥� 鈥淚ntroduction to Islam鈥� and 鈥淚ssues in Islam.鈥� During the fall semester he taught a non-credit mini-course on Islam that attracted over 20 regular students. During the year he is also invited frequently to guest-lecture in other classes, and he spoke at EMU鈥檚 first Interfaith Forum of the 2012-13 school year.

The visiting scholar series, initiated by EMU鈥檚 three-year-old Center for Interfaith Engagement, is funded by a $355,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. The center focuses on the three monotheistic religions that started in the Middle East and which honor Abraham. The three are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

鈥淲e decided to start the visiting scholar program with a Muslim professor,鈥� said Ed Martin, PhD, director of the Center for Interfaith Engagement, 鈥渆specially in this time of an expanding Muslim population in the U.S. and a great deal of Islamophobia.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that our [majority Christian] students learn about other faiths, such as Islam, and be comfortable relating to people of other faiths, particularly Muslims,鈥� he added.

EMU selected Akrami from an application pool of 16 Muslim scholars. He was a regular participant in the internationally respected Building Bridges Seminars in London, Bosnia, Washington, Singapore and Rome. The seminars are based at Georgetown University in Washington.

Akrami holds a master鈥檚 degree in religions and mysticism from Tehran University in Iran and a PhD in the philosophy of religion from McGill University in Montreal. He finished his doctoral thesis at the Iranian Institute of Philosophy. Adrami also was a visiting scholar at the University of Birmingham in England and taught at the Al-Mahdi Institute in Birmingham.

What are Americans鈥� most common questions about Islam? 鈥淎fter the 9/11 attacks, they wondered whether Islam is an inherently violent religion,鈥� said Akram. 鈥淭he answer is 鈥榥o.鈥欌�� Other questions have to do with the status of Jesus in Islam and 鈥� especially from Catholics 鈥� the place of Mary.

On the reason for misunderstanding, even hatred, between Christians, Jews and Muslims, Akrami observed: 鈥淧eople are afraid of the dark 鈥� what they don鈥檛 know. But when you shed light on the dark areas, often through education, attitudes change.鈥�

Another way to reduce hostility, Akrami said, is for people in the three religions to simply get to know each other.

One of Akrami鈥檚 students during the fall semester, assistant professor Linda Gnagey, was impressed with the diversity of the class 鈥� EMU students and faculty, community members, those with and without personal experience with Muslims.

鈥淒r. Akrami differentiated between Islam the historical religion and Islam as a code of conduct,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his helped me to recognize the many beliefs, behaviors and attitudes that Christians and Muslims share.鈥�

Akrami was joined in December by his wife, who is also a Muslim scholar. He has a 22-year-old daughter in Iran and an 18-year-old son in Canada.

“The Mennonite community’s dedication to peace is a significant contributor to the practice of 鈥榮criptural reasoning,鈥�” said Ochs, a religious studies professor at the University of Virginia (UVa). 聽“Some of our central leaders and participants are from EMU.鈥�

Two dozen people attended the two-day event at EMU. UVa hosted the first three days of the seven-day training tour while George Mason University hosted the final stop.

Founded in 1995 by Ochs and David Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University, scriptural-reasoning groups are scattered throughout the world, including universities in Canada, South Africa, and the Middle East.

Sessions involve Jews, Christians and Muslims reading passages from the Torah, Bible and Quran that are addressing a single theme, such as fire and forgiveness. This week’s theme, music, saw participants looking at the symbolic nature of music and how passages portray a musical quality, especially when they move us to action.

“It can become more than a theme,” said Ed Martin, director of EMU鈥檚 Center for Interfaith Engagement. “It can become a communal experience, sharing the whole creation of music.”

Ochs agreed, adding, “You hear and study the passages and discover an inspirational significance.”

There is no “how-to” manual for scriptural reasoning, said Ochs, rather experiences by the participants are discussed in connection with passages read aloud. In addition, grammatical constructions, tone and narrative structure are used to deepen the conversation. Sessions can also dive into controversial and sensitive topics addressed by scripture, such as Jews as 鈥渃hosen people鈥� and the resurrection of Jesus.

“We believe where the practice of scriptural reasoning takes place is part of the experience, and sharing this environment of Mennonite influence and ways of faithful peace and patience celebrates that,” Ochs said, a Judaic scholar who began doing scriptural reasoning with EMU scholars about six years ago. “The significance of training here completes the circle.”

More information on scriptural reasoning

The UVa Library hosts the and that provide guidance on scriptural reasoning. , chair of at EMU, is on the editorial board for the journal.

The grant will be dispersed in increments of $119,000 in 2012 and $118,000 in 2013 and 2014. It will allow the at EMU to host visiting scholars in Islam or Judaism as resources in the classroom and across campus. , director of CIE, said the grant will enable students to deepen their understanding of other faiths by learning from scholars that adhere to them.

“In today鈥檚 world, we believe engaging with and learning from people of other faiths is essential for creating a more knowledgeable and peaceful society,” said , provost at EMU. “The support of the Henry Luce Foundation is deeply appreciated and will strengthen our efforts significantly.”

The full three-year CIE program budget to which the Luce grant is providing support includes salary and benefits for the CIE director, associate director, a Mennonite scholar, a second visiting scholar, and travel to conferences, said Martin. In addition, the visiting scholars funded by the grant will be available to , and .

“The CIE hopes that participants in the program will be able to analyze the role of religion in conflicts and how faith traditions can be helpful in promoting peace,” said Martin. “Participants will be encouraged to envision and design programs for communities of different faiths to cooperate in meeting human needs, particularly in times of disaster.”

The is dedicated to encouraging the development of religious leaders through theological education, and fostering scholarship that links the academy to religious communities and other audiences. A key priority is support for new models of theological education to prepare leaders for service in a religiously plural world.

Richard Cizik, a prominent Christian evangelical lobbyist in Washington, D.C.,, conceived of an extended series of interactions in an environment where all would feel comfortable. He asked EMU, a Christian university known for its international peace work, to host the multi-day exchange on its main campus, two hours west of Washington D.C.

EMU President Loren Swartzendruber stands beside (l to r) Ambassador Mekouar, Richard Cizik, and Michael Kirtley.

Richard Cizik, a prominent Christian evangelical lobbyist in Washington, D.C.

Aziz Mekouar, Moroccan ambassador to the United States

Rev. Karen Thomas Smith, chaplain at , a private English-language institution in Ifrane, Morocco, and Noureddine Sefiani, former Moroccan ambassador to Russia and other nations

Driss Alaoui- Mdaghri, a prominent civil society leader who has held four different cabinet positions in the government of Morocco

Lisa Schirch, executive director of the 3D Security Initiative and EMU professor of peacebuilding

Rick Love, president of Peace Catalyst International and a consultant to Vineyard USA

Michael Kirtley, president of the Friendship Caravan and founding member of The Casablanca Institute

(Photos courtesy Steven D. Martin)

Cizik is former vice president for governmental affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals. In 2010, he launched the , one of the sponsors of the meeting. He also co-chairs The Casablanca Institute, the other sponsoring organization, with Driss Alaoui-Mdaghri, a prominent civil society leader in Morocco.

鈥淲ith the fall of the Soviet Union, there has been an effort to make Muslims here and abroad into the new 鈥榚vil empire,鈥欌�� said Cizik after the meeting. 鈥淭his is not only a huge mistake on the strategic level 鈥� playing right into the hands of terrorists 鈥� but a violation of biblical ethics.

鈥淓vangelicals must have serious religious dialogue with Muslims here and abroad and reach out with Jesus鈥� love in acts of compassion and service,鈥� he added. Cizik called Morocco 鈥渁n excellent partner in this exchange,鈥� crediting it for a 鈥渓ong history of religious tolerance, interfaith outreach, and friendship with America.鈥�

The by-invitation-only meeting drew a contingent from Morocco, which included:

• Driss Alaoui- Mdaghri, who has held four different cabinet positions in the government of Morocco
• Noureddine Sefiani, former Moroccan ambassador to Russia and other nations
• Larbi Belarbi, one of Morocco鈥檚 most successful businessmen
• Karen Thomas Smith, chaplain at , a private English-language institution in Ifrane, Morocco.

The Moroccan ambassador to the United States, Aziz Mekouar, traveled from his base in Washington D.C. to participate.

The U.S. component of the gathering included:

• Eric Patterson, assistant director of the at Georgetown University
• Rob Schenck, president of
• Rick Love, president of and a consultant to Vineyard USA
• Steven D. Martin, executive director of the New Evangelical Partnership
• Michael Kirtley, president of the Friendship Caravan and a founding member of The Casablanca Institute.

The group was rounded out by a retired U.S. diplomat with extensive experience in the Muslim world, leaders from the , a public health expert of Iranian background, several experts from different universities, two Christians who have created media productions on Muslim-Christian relations, and a half-dozen representatives of EMU, including its president and provost.

The group began by viewing a documentary, 鈥淐ountdown to Zero,鈥� on the threat to the world posed by the continued existence of massive amounts of nuclear arms around the world. The viewers quickly established that they shared a common interest in promoting nuclear disarmament, reducing the threat of terrorism and thus the possibility of nuclear-armed terrorists, and working for greater harmony in the interests of mutual security.

From this common ground, the group moved into a series of discussions 鈥� carefully facilitated by a Muslim woman and a Christian man, both based in the United States and both selected by EMU 鈥� that uncovered some sensitive subject matters, including different understandings of the meaning of religious freedom.

Despite the touchy subject matter, an atmosphere of respect and cordiality was maintained throughout the days of interactions and presentations, leavened by shared meals, coffee breaks, and touring of Thomas Jefferson鈥檚 Monticello. Afterwards Alaoui-Mdaghri said, 鈥淚t is always a pleasure to find people who are open-minded in spite of many pre-conceived ideas about the other. We all strived not to impose our ideas, but rather to offer them as food for thought. I believe many of the problems between Christians and Muslims are more artificial than real, and suffer from lack of discussion about them.鈥�

During an early session, Eric Patterson cited the findings of a 32-member Chicago Council task force (co-chaired by Cizik), as reported in Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy (2010). He noted that 鈥渞eligion is often used by extremists as a catalyst for conflict and a means of escalating tensions鈥� and that insensitivity to this reality had caused bloodshed in many areas of the world.

While acknowledging the need for sensitivity in cross-religious interactions, Patterson asked that Morocco also recognize that many Christians view talking passionately about their faith as a being part and parcel of certain universal human rights, including the right to practice freedom of speech.

In response, Noureddine Sefiani moved beyond the focus on religious actors by presenting a paper advocating for greater consultation with a wide array of civil society leaders before foreign policy decisions are made.

Through presentations on their history, economy, and politics, the Moroccans stressed that their society was based upon hundreds of years of largely harmonious relations among Muslims, Jews and Christians. They pointed out that the King of Morocco had refused demands to hand Moroccan Jews over to the Nazis during World War II and sent more than 300,000 Moroccans to fight alongside the allies. The Moroccan presenters reached back far into history to note that Morocco was the first to recognize the United States as a sovereign nation in 1777, followed in 1786 by a treaty of peace and friendship. It is the longest unbroken treaty of its kind in U.S. history.

Their overall message was that they did not want this friendship jeopardized 鈥� and their own society made unstable and less religiously tolerant 鈥� through misunderstandings created by those who don鈥檛 understand this history of friendship and who treat Moroccan laws and values with disrespect.

The Moroccan participants emphasized that Morocco鈥檚 laws reflect the sensitivities of its citizens and are passed by their representatives in Parliament. They stressed that the Moroccan people view Christian proselytizing as being disrespectful, especially if it is done deceptively in a covert manner after the proselytizer has entered Morocco under other pretenses, such as starting a business or obtaining an education.

A Christian minister who lives and works openly in Morocco made an impassioned appeal that the covert missionary model needs to be abandoned in favor of alternative models for Christian ministry in Muslim societies.

The purpose of the three-day encounter at EMU was not to arrive at agreement among all present, but rather to permit all involved to understand each other鈥檚 viewpoint better. Cizik said more meetings and events will be organized. Reflecting on the exchanges later, Cizik noted that The Casablanca Institute could be an ideal forum for facilitating this kind of exchange.

Cizik said he approached 草莓社区 (EMU) about hosting the encounter because he was aware that EMU housed the world-recognized Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and had earned respect from both Muslims and Christians for its 鈥渢heology of presence.鈥�

In addition, one of EMU鈥檚 graduates 鈥� a former Fulbright student who holds a master鈥檚 degree in conflict transformation 鈥� is now a counselor in the Moroccan embassy in Washington D.C. and was able to affirm the cross-religious respectfulness of EMU.

The Casablanca Institute was launched in 2010 with a vision to be a think tank based simultaneously in Casablanca, Morocco, and in Washington, D.C. Its stated mission is to promote interfaith dialogue and action among various groups in the United States and Morocco, expanding to other nations in the future.

The event was co-hosted by two EMU programs, the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, directed by Lynn Roth, and Abraham’s Tent, a Center for Interfaith Engagement, directed by Ed Martin.

Bertha Beachy, a long-time worker in Africa and the Middle East with and , will speak at an Abraham’s Tent forum 4 p.m. Tuesday, October 12 on “Why and How We Should Carry on Dialogue With Muslims.”

Her presentation will be held in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at EMU (see campus map). Light refreshments will be served starting at 3:30 p.m.

Beachy’s passion for relating to Muslims, promoting women’s issues and working for peace and justice have taken her to many different places and assignments throughout her years of service to the church.

After earning a degree in elementary education and English from EMC (now EMU), she moved to Somalia in 1958 to teach English and learn the ways and language of the Somali people.

She interspersed her service with educational opportunities in literacy, linguistics, Islamic studies and the Arabic language.

Now a resident of Greencroft Retirement Community in Goshen, Ind., Beachy continues to embrace opportunities to learn and serve, including a stint with a to Iraq and a peace and learning tour to Iran with MCC.

She continues to relate to many Muslim friends and is a strong proponent of interfaith dialogue.

Abraham’s Tent at EMU is a center that plans and sponsors a variety of opportunities and programs for interfaith engagement.

Admission to the program is free.

Dr. Muhammad A. Legenhausen speaks and interacts with his audience during an Abraham’s Tent forum at EMU. Photo by Jon Styer

Dr. Legenhausen, who teaches at the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute in Qom, Iran, told his audience that while peace is central to Islam, peace studies are often taught in the jurisprudence context and through the lens of resisting acts which cause harm.

“Individual peace studies courses are taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level, peace studies as a university-focused program has not yet been adopted [in Iran], he said. At the request of the Iranian Ministry of Higher Education, Legenhausen has written a peace studies program curriculum which he hopes to see launched in the coming years.

An advocate of religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue, Legenhausen has written a book, Islam and Religious Pluralism, and serves on the advisory board of the Society for Religious Studies in Qom as well as on the Abraham’s Tent Advisory Council.

For more than a decade Legenhausen has met with numerous Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) learning tours and delegations to Iran and has given high praise for the work towards building interfaith relationships Mennonites have undertaken in Iran.

“Mennonites have tremendous spiritual capital in Iran through these personal exchanges which began in 1996,” he said, recounting a comment an Iranian university student made to an MCC worker: “You people are so nice! How come you aren’t Muslims?” The MCCer replied, “We are here to study Islam to that we can be better Christians.”

“Building personal relationships is key to breaking down barriers of misunderstanding between Christians and Muslims,” said Gretchen Maust, associate director of Abraham’s Tent. The forums EMU’s newly-launched interfaith center is sponsoring “provide an excellent venue for honest conversation with leading interfaith advocates,” she noted.

Originally from New York, Legenhausen holds a PhD in Philosophy from Rice University, where he first became acquainted with Muslims. He converted to Islam in 1983 and has been studying Islam and teaching philosophy of religion and ethics in Iran for 20 years.

As one of the final activities during Interfaith Peace Camp week, children created and flew kites that included each camper’s personal “message of peace.” Photo by Lindsey Kolb

Two years after it started as a brief pilot program, an interdenominational summer camp continues to grow dramatically.

The Interfaith Peace Camp at EMU now lasts a week and has 44 children attending, more than twice as many youngsters as the inaugural camp in 2008.

“We have a waiting list,” said Vesna Hart, co-chair of the camp’s planning committee. “What we do is pretty unique.”

What the peace camp does is join kids from different religions and nationalities for five days of art, drama, music and recreation. Through such activities, and the consumption of new ethnic foods, participants also build friendships with children from other cultures.

The camp, which ran Monday through Friday, June 28-July 2 at EMU, featured stories and lessons that help first through sixth graders grasp three religions known as the Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

Accordingly, the camp featured field trips to Beth El Synagogue, the Islamic Association of Shenandoah Valley (IASV) Mosque and Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Jeremy Bacheller from Staunton, Va., talks with a group of children during “Lunch with a Peacemaker” on the last day of Interfaith Peace Camp. Photos by Jon Styer

Hart and other adults created the peace camp in 2008 to teach youth intercultural goodwill: the three-day mini-camp drew 22 children. Three congregations – Beth El, IASV and Park View Mennonite Church hosted visits.

Steady Growth

Last year EMU’s Center for Interfaith Engagement, Abraham’s Tent, partnered with the camp’s founders. Gretchen H. Maust, associate director of Abraham’s Tent, served as camp administrator.

She noted that word of mouth promoted the peace camp so successively that there was a waiting list. Some participants are out-of-towners who, visiting Harrisonburg for the summer, learned about the camp and decided to attend: several people came from Augusta County while one child hailed from North Carolina.

Others came even farther. Adam Baibeche arrived with his father, Abder, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Abder teaches college-level French.

Adam, 7, who speaks French, Spanish and English, said he “wasn’t sure I’d like” the camp but soon changed his mind. “I enjoyed weaving and art class, and making friends,” said Adam, attending the camp for the first time.

The Baibeche family reflects the camp’s human mosaic. Abder Baibeche grew up in Algeria in a Muslim home and his wife, Andrea, comes from a Mennonite family in Harrisonburg.

Others at the camp have attended before. Israa Alhassani arrived with daughter Jenna Altaii, 9, for the second year. Alhassani, a Muslim who teaches Arabic at James Madison University, leads the camp’s art classes.

“For me, the camp celebrates diversity,” Alhassani said. “At her school, my daughter didn’t want to be different. Since attending this camp, she’s proud to be different.” While she likes the fun and friendship the peace camp offers, Jenna’s interest runs deeper.

“I like seeing new ideas,” she said, adding that exposure to other types of thinking “can help you in the future.”

Symbolic Bridge

One art project of the camp symbolized the theme for this year’s event: “Building Bridges, Building Peace.” Children spent several days constructing a model bridge.

Once finished, the children painted their hands and stamped handprints along the railing.

Children used the bridge as a tool to learn how to take steps to understand each other’s disagreements and to move closer together to find a mutual solution.

Maria Bowman, 2009 EMU grad, helps children construct bridges to remind them of the importance of collaborating with each other for creative solutions to conflict. Photo by Lindsey Kolb

Hart said, “This camp plants seeds of understanding and tolerance in the children. It also involves teens who help with the camp, and many adults who all work together to make the camp a meaningful learning experience.”

Children at the 2009 Interfaith Peace Camp enjoyed learning to knot comforters as part of a service project.

Hosted by EMU’s new Center for Interfaith Engagement, Abraham’s Tent, campers will focus on building friendships and understanding across the Abrahamic faith traditions.

The ‘Abrahamic faiths’

The "Abrahamic faiths," Judaism, Christianity and Islam, all claim the Old Testament figure Abraham as a major patriarch in their monotheistic religions which all worship the same God.

Participating groups

Members from The Islamic Association of Shenandoah Valley (IASV), Beth El Congregation, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Valley Friends Meeting, Park View Mennonite Church and Shalom Mennonite Congregation, with administrative support from Abraham’s Tent, are organizing and sponsoring the camp for rising first- through sixth-graders from the Valley.

During a group gathering time, the children fashioned trees from pipe cleaners which became part of an on-going project throughout the week.

Interfaith Peace Camp was first launched as a three-day pilot program in 2008. Children, parents and community members, gave such overwhelmingly positive feedback that last year’s camp was expanded from three to five days and involved more faith communities in the planning, according to Vesna Hart, co-chair of the peace camp planning committee.

Tools that transform conflict

This year’s camp curriculum will pair stories and lessons from the three Abrahamic faith communities with practical conflict transformation skills, Hart said.

"With so much misinformation surrounding all three of the Abrahamic faiths, it’s important to teach tools that will help to dispel common myths without damaging new relationships that emerge from interfaith opportunities," she added.

Zeinab Hassouna of the IASV noted that by teaching children skills to handle interfaith conflict, this will encourage parents, other family members and friends to be more openly engaged on topics that might tend to be sensitive.

Exploring other cultures

Camp activities will utilize large and small group work including recreational, artistic, dramatic and musical activities. Other opportunities to promote interfaith understanding and peacebuilding will come through sharing of cultural foods and open time for exploration and inquiry.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of Interfaith Peace Camp week, field trips are scheduled to Beth El synagogue, the IASV mosque and to Trinity Presbyterian Church. Campers and family members will gather Thursday evening for a potluck to celebrate interfaith peacemaking and share their experiences.

More info

For more information or to schedule an interview with a planning committee member, contact Gretchen Maust at 540-432-4674 or gretchen.maust@emu.edu or Vesna Hart at vesna.hart@gmail.com

The highly engaging Drs. Akrami, Rasoulipour and Mousavian emphasized the eager willingness of many Iranians to promote interfaith dialogue among ‘people of the book’ who share a common heritage as Children of Abraham. Their visit to the EMU campus was jointly sponsored by Abraham’s Tent and Mennonite Central Committee. (Photo by Jim Bishop)

Jointly sponsored by Abraham’s Tent and Mennonite Central Committee, the visit included meetings with top school administrators, personnel from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and an afternoon forum on the topic, “Why Faith-based Peacebuilding is Important.”

Importance of interfaith dialogue

An active proponent of interfaith dialog, Dr. Rasoulipour works closely with the Center for Interreligious Dialogue in Tehran where he formerly served as director. In recent years he has been instrumental in arranging MCC learning tours to Iran.

Two Iranian colleagues, Dr. Seyed Mousavian and Dr. Amir Akrami, both professors of philosophy and religion in Iran, were able to join Dr. Rasoulipour for the EMU meetings.

The late afternoon forum drew an unexpectedly large group of about 100 persons.

East Coast learning tour

Ed Martin, formerly of MCC, helped to organize an East Coast tour for the three interfaith dialogue proponents. Their visit included meetings in Charlottesville, Washington, DC., and Cambridge, Mass.

Dr. Rasoulipour has spent the past year as a visiting professor at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind., and returned to his teaching post in Tehran on June 5.

Prior to the forum, Dr. Rasoulipour talks with Robert Lee, retired Mennonite Mission Network missionary who worked with his wife, Nancy, for many years in Japan. (Photo by Jim Bishop)

“We feel highly honored by Dr. Rasoulipour’s visit and his willingness to not only lecture on this important topic but to share his personal commitment to interfaith dialogue,” said Gretchen H. Maust, associate director of Abraham’s Tent.

“It’s important for us to know that the Iranian people long to build relationships and welcome opportunities to debate our differences so we can grow in respectful understanding of each other,” she added.

Learn more

• Abraham’s Tent: A Center for Interfaith Engagement at EMU
• Center for Justice and Peacebuilding
• Undergraduate peacebuilding and development studies