Interfaith Encounters

Suprateem Ghosh is an IT Auditor by profession and a musician by heart along with a spiritual seeker who has been involved in few interfaith conversations in Dallas. He was raised in India where he completed his education and was exposed to multiple faiths and believes. His introduction to Advaita (non-dual) Vedanta was at an early age due to his parents. He also got his spiritual initiation at Ramakrishna Math Belur during his high school.

Zahra N. Jamal is Associate Director at Rice University's Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance, and a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Consultant. An award-winning former faculty member at Harvard and MIT, Dr. Jamal was founding director of the Civil Islam Initiative at University of Chicago, founding director of the Central Asia and International Development Initiative at Michigan State, and Associate Director at The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding’s Center for the Study of American Muslims. Her fieldwork covers voluntarism, migrant labor, gender-equity, and food security in Muslim societies. Dr. Jamal consults on gender, race, and religion for the UN, State Department, Department of Justice, Aspen Institute, Aga Khan Development Network, and private corporations. She has published with Duke University Press, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and The Hill, and appeared on BBC World News. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard, double B.A. in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and in Slavic Studies from Rice, and is a Certified Diversity Professional.

Rev. Jack Amick, Director of Global Migration, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). He directs UMCOR’s Global Migration portfolio and represents the global migration work of the General Board of Global Ministries. In his coordination of Global Migration work, Amick serves on the United Methodist Immigration Task Force, on advisory committees for Church World Service, the board of NJFON, the ACT Alliance Migration and Displacement Reference Group, and maintains relations with several migration/refugee organizations. He has been serving at UMCOR for over seven years, 4 years of which involved the direction of disaster response programs. Amick served as pastor at local United Methodist Churches for seven years. Prior to being ordained as a United Methodist elder, Amick served two years with the Refugee Admissions Office of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the U.S. Department of State and two years as Vice-Consul for Economic Affairs at the US Consulate in Mumbai, India. As Desk Officer for Eastern Europe at the Peace Corps, Amick designed crisis responses to flooding in Central Europe and post-war recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1985, he volunteered for one year as director of Christian education for the seven Methodist Churches in the Caribbean nation of Grenada. He has led the response to disasters in different contexts, including managing disaster damage assessments and family services with the American Red Cross. Amick spent one year working with homeless individuals in the suburbs of Washington, DC. He has been part of UMVIM teams that responded to needs in Grenada and Liberia as well as in the United States. Amick has a Bachelor of Arts in International Service and Economics from The American University in Washington, DC, a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, and a Master of Divinity from the Boston University School of Theology. Amick enjoys the outdoors, playing bagpipes, and writing liturgical prayers and poetry. He is the father of two young adults and the husband of Rev. Susan Amick, United Methodist Deacon, who serves as Chaplain with Wesley Woods Senior Living in Atlanta.

A Houston native dedicated to the causes of diversity and women’s empowerment, Manpreet K. Singh is a supervising attorney that has tried over 50 cases. Currently a Chapter representative for the American Board of Trial Attorneys, she also is serving as a director and trustee with the Sikh Coalition. Recognized in 2018 & 2013 as a recipient for the Diversity First Award. And in 2011 by the Houston Young Lawyers Association, Manpreet has also been a very active member of a variety of Houston and South Asian community organizations. She has completed the Harvard Leadership Program and the American Bar Association Leadership Academy.In 2009, Manpreet testified in front of the Texas Board of Education to include Sikhism (the world’s fifth largest religion) in school textbooks, which was then implemented by the Board for 6th and 10th grade levels. Manpreet continues to support this achievement by teaching many of these classes throughout Houston schools. She also conducts outreach sessions for Interfaith Ministries, for law enforcement, and for the Boniuk Center, where she is also served on the Board. Manpreet also completed the FBI citizen’s diversity academy. Nationally, Manpreet travels to Washington, DC annually to lobby for passage of the Safe Schools Act to ensure the safety and inclusion of all children in their schools, to advocate for increased diversity and inclusiveness in the US Army, and to have the FBI track hate crimes against the Sikh community, which was accomplished in 2013. Locally Manpreet testified before Houston City Counsel in support of the Equal Rights Ordinance and was able to bring the Sikh Project displaying portraits of Sikhs across America, in the City Hall Rotunda for six weeks.Manpreet has also frequently appeared in media to educate about diversity, including being interviewed by several news affiliates and writing op/ed pieces in print media about the effects of the 2012 shooting at the Wisconsin Sikh Gurdwara (place of worship).In her free time, Manpreet enjoys traveling with her husband, reading, shopping and dancing in public to embarrass her two soccer stars.

Bishop Kelly is a native of Iowa and grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He studied for the priesthood in Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas here in Irving and was ordained to the priesthood in 1982. He served in several parishes in the Dallas area since then and has served as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas since 2016. He has lived in Irving since 2008. Bishop Kelly has been involved with:Dallas Area InterfaithCatholic Charities of DallasThe Diocesan Immigration Taskforceand is on the Board of Trustees at University of Dallas

Marv Knox is the coordinator of Fellowship Southwest, an ecumenical network affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Fellowship Southwest covers Arizona, New Mexico, Northern Mexico, Oklahoma, Southern California and Texas. It expands racial, ethnic and ecumenical relationships, and it builds partnerships to serve the most vulnerable people in the region.Previously, Marv was editor of the Baptist Standard, Texas Baptists’ news organization, almost two decades, and a journalist almost four decades. Marv was born in Fort Worth and grew up in the Texas Panhandle. He’s a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Joanna, have two daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren. Marv and Joanna are active members of Valley Ranch Baptist Church in Coppell, Texas.

Debra Boudreaux is a senior volunteer with the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. She has more than 31 years of experience working on major projects related to charity, medical care, education, and humanitarian aid. Debra was previously the CEO of Tzu Chi Medical Foundation. She leads Buddhist and Catholic interfaith dialogues and serves as a member of the UN Multi-Faith Advisory Council. She serves as the Board Secretary for Global NGO Executive Committee within the UN DGC NGO venue. She also serves as Board of Trustees of Parliament of the World's Religions.Debra has visited Thailand Refugee Center, Turkey Refugee School, Malaysia Refugee Health Clinic and TJ Refugee Shelter. She has engaged with Climate Urgency and Climate Refugees, Internal Displacement Population crisis both domestic and International.Debra graduated from University of Columbia Missouri. She engages in COVID-19 PPE distribution and Vaccination as well experiencing the medical racism at this pandemic crisis.Debra Boudreaux patterns her daily life under the teaching of Venerable Master Shih Cheng Yen, Respect, gratitude and love to all sentient beings whenever and wherever we can.

Anwar Khan President of Islamic Relief USA. He has more than twenty five years of experience working in the field of humanitarian and development assistance. Mr. Khan has extensive experience in the field: he has traveled to five continents visiting more than 20 countries that have been affected by human conflict or natural disaster zones. Before becoming President, Anwar held a variety of leadership roles at Islamic Relief USA, directing Islamic Relief USA’s program efforts; managing its fundraising offices and operations; overseeing its fund development work; and leading the organization as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Khan is the longest serving staff members in the organization.Mr. Khan has also served on several boards such as Interaction, and was an advisor for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA), and the U.S. State Department’s Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group. Currently, he serves on the board of World Food Program USA, Joint Learning Initiative and the Alliance to End Hunger. He is also on the advisory Council with the City of Alexandria Police and the Advisory Council for Muslim Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University.

Julie Rayman, Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs of the American Jewish Committee helps us understand how Jews relate through their history to migrants and immigrants, and what this means today. Since January 2012, Julie Rayman, Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs, has served as the lead legislative advocate for AJC’s policy priorities. On behalf of AJC, she has supported the launch of congressional caucuses such as the Bipartisan Taskforce for Antisemitism, the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations, and the Congressional Hellenic-Israel Alliance. Regularly on Capitol Hill to advocate for AJC priority legislation, she has helped position AJC as a thought and policy leader in combating global antisemitism and hate, promoting Israel’s place in the world, promoting pluralism, and advocating for strong, principled American global leadership. In addition to spearheading AJC’s outreach on Capitol Hill, Rayman also fulfills a variety of senior political liaison responsibilities for AJC, engaging with candidates and elected officials, crafting and promulgating policy position papers and Party platform suggestions, and spearheading AJC’s events on the sidelines of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Before coming to AJC, she was senior advisor to Congressman Heath Shuler, covering foreign policy, human rights, defense, and homeland security. Rayman holds a B.A. from American University as well as a Master’s from the National Defense University in Strategic Security Studies, with a concentration in counterterrorism. She also holds an M.A. from Georgetown University in Religious Studies.

Dr Hunt explores how religious freedom must be understood in the context of the US Constitution and it lofty goals for American society.

Dr. Hunt addresses the way in which the realm of religious freedom has expanded while the separation of religion and the state has diminished. What that means is increased tension and politicization that may serve neither religion nor society.

“For nearly 75 years, Americans United has consistently shown up in the public square ready to protect America’s constitutional guarantee of church-state separation that ensures religious freedom for all of us,” said Dr. Dent. “For me, this is especially important when we recall the dark and complicated history of a nation that has often overlooked the human rights of racial and religious minorities. I am excited to build relationships with AU’s longtime friends and to develop new interfaith partnerships in support of advocating for social justice, human dignity and freedom for all.”

Dr. Marci Hamilton, author, professor, and lawyer, has argued key religious freedom cases before the Supreme Court. In this interview she explains both why religious liberty is critical, and how a culture of religious liberty unconcerned with the public good and individual harm undermines our society.

Joel Schwitzer, regional director of the North Texas American Jewish Committee draws on his long experience with Jewish organizations to deepen our understanding of how religious freedom for one depends on religious freedom for all. And how dialogue is crucial.

Dr. Long examines the right to religious freedom as a right that originates with God and should be acknowledged by the state as a fundamental human right.

Dr. Mirza discusses human rights in the international framework of laws, with special attention to more specific regional laws such as Islamic Shari'a in dominantly Muslim countries.

Dr. Rick Halperin, head of the SMU Human Rights program talks about how education in the fundamental right of religious freedom is necessary if we are to protect the rights of all.

Dr. Grant helps us understand religious freedom in light of the experience of African Americans, who have found their religious identity, and freedom of expression, suppressed and under assault.

Dr. Patel reminds us that religious freedom also requires granting different religious groups full dignity in the public sphere.

Rachel Bresner of the ADL guides us in understanding the constitutional law surrounding the first amendment, and the shield of religious freedom should never be used to justify the sword of discrimination.

Rev. Rachel Baughman of Oaklawn UMC tells us how her congregation's freedom to minister according to the teaching of Jesus is hindered by city ordinances and a not-in-my-back-yard mentality among their neighbors.

See https://firstliberty.org for more information on Mr. Shackleford's organization and its perspectives on religious freedom.

See http://religiousfreedomandbusiness.org for more information.

Bishop McKee is a native of Fort Worth, Texas. He was ordained as a United Methodist elder in 1979 and has served a variety of churches. He has also been a delegate to three Jurisdictional Conferences and two General Conferences.In 2012, Rev. McKee was elected to the episcopacy by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference and assigned to serve as the resident bishop of the Dallas Area.

Mr. Krishnamurth is a past trustee of the The DFW Hindu Temple and has been involved in Temple related activities from before the formal founding of the temple.The Hindu Temple Society was founded in Jun 1982. Ever since, Mr. Krishnamurthy has been associated with the Hindu Temple in Irving essentially in religious matters. He was the Chairman of the Religious committee when the temple installed the Deities in the temple during 1990-92 period. He served as a trustee of the Temple for ten years during the period 2004 to 2014 and in 2005 he was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.In 2002, he founded NAADHOPAASANAA which is a cultural arm of the religious services in the temple, much like the choir singing groups in the churches. It consists of performances of classical religious music and dances inside the Temple and is in its nineteenth year. The dances and music are for the enjoyment of God in our temple. This is considered one of the essential services in a Hindu Temple. Every year, over three hundred artists, mostly from the DFW area, are engaged in about fifteen to twenty, three-hour programs of Naadhopaasanaa.

Mark Romney is currently serving as the Stake President of the Dallas Texas Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prior to being called as Stake President in February 2016 he served from 2006 as the Second Counselor and then the First Counselor in the Dallas Stake Presidency. Among other Church positions held are Bishop, High Councilor, Ward Young Men’s President and Scoutmaster. As a youth he earned the Eagle Scout award and in 2017 was honored to receive Scouting’s Silver Beaver Award from the Circle 10 Council in Dallas. From 1972-74 he served a full-time mission for the Church in Brazil South Mission, later the Brazil Porto Alegre Mission which then comprised the states of Rio Grande do Sul and the southern half of Santa Catarina, Brazil. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish although his Portugues is very rusty and most likely will sound like Portañol.Mr Romney is the owner of the Texas law firm, Romney Law Firm, where he is actively engaged in international transactions law with an emphasis on Latin American issues an representation of Latin American clients in the United States

Dr. Reid is a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and coordinator of the clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. He is a long time member of the International Buddhist Progress society in Richardson, where he teaches dharma. He offers the following recommendations for online guidance in Buddhist Meditation.Lama Surya Das http://www.surya.org/Sharon Salzburg https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/Roshi Joan Halifax https://www.upaya.org/

Rev. Dr. Michael Waters is the founding pastor of the Abundant Life African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dallas, Texas. Known as a pastor, professor, award-winning author, activist, and social commentator, his words of hope and empowerment inspire national and international audiences.He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees with honors from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.He is also the author of the national award-winning books Freestyle: Reflections on Faith, Family, Justice, and Pop Culture and Stakes Is High: Race, Faith, and Hope for America, winner of the prestigious National Wilbur Award in Non-fiction. His forthcoming books include For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World and Liberty’s Civil Rights Road Trip, the former in partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

In this episode Rabbi Bentzi Epstein of the Dallas Area Torah Association discusses the response to, and effect of COVID 19 in the Jewish, and particularly the Orthodox Jewish Community.

Our guest today is Harbhajan Singh Virdee. He is a member of the Sikh Community and has been residing in the North Texas area for over 30 years. He is a founding member and President of Gurdwara Nishkam Seva (Sikh Temple) in Irving. He has been representing the community on various interfaith groups such as Faith Forward Dallas and the Interfaith Council of the Thanks-Giving Foundation. Harbhajan has organized many charitable projects such as supporting food banks and activities to raise funds for cancer research.

Pravrajika Brahmaprana joined the Sarada Convent at the Vedanta Society of Southern California, in 1973 and has been an ordained sannyasini since 1984. She has been a Vedanta representative on several interfaith councils in America, including the Hindu-Catholic Dialogue sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Snowmass InterSpiritual Dialogue, founded by Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O.; a guest lecturer at schools, colleges, and universities in America and India; and has participated in interfaith and scholastic seminars in America and abroad.Brahmaprana has compiled and edited several books on Vedanta, including The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 9; Vivekacudamani of Sri Sankaracarya, translated by Swami Turiyananda; With the Swamis in America and India, and A Light to the West: the Life and Teachings of Swami Prabhavananda. She has also written numerous articles on the philosophy and practice of Vedanta for journals and anthologies in America and abroad. Brahmaprana is currently the resident minister of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of North Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

In addition to his work in Islamic Relief Mr Azeez offers us the following as a follow up of his interview:Interfaith Solidarity in the midst of Global Pandemic. With the Passover, Easter and Ramadan around the corner The leaders of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, & the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) come together at the outset of their respective holy days in solidarity and in hope.https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=QDcoth4I9kA