Michigan State University Honors
the InterFaith Leadership Council
for Collaboration on Bias Busters Guides
Michigan State University recently awarded the InterFaith Leadership Council and Professor Joe Grimm, MSU School of Journalism, its 2022 Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Teaching. This award recognizes the publishing partnership between the InterFaith Leadership Council and Professor Grimm in the creation of Bias Busters Cultural Competence Guides—a series of books about religious and ethnic minority groups in the U.S.
Professor Grimm began the Bias Buster series in 2013 as a tool to engage the community and future journalists with America’s diverse religious and ethnic cultures. Members of the InterFaith Leadership Council have suggested topics, reviewed drafts and used the guides as reference sources.
To date, 7,000 guides have been sold on Amazon and elsewhere. (See photo of one book in the series at upper right.) Professor Grimm is a member of the InterFaith Leadership Council’s podcast committee that produces the Faith & Works podcasts.
“We share the belief that good journalism can and should increase cross-cultural competence, engagement, and understanding as a foundation block of a healthy society. This partnership between the InterFaith Leadership Council and Michigan State University is an ongoing and evolving example of how major institutions must live their values through collaboration to create stronger communities,” said Raman Singh, executive director. Singh has assisted with a Bias Buster guide about the Sikh Community.
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Considering Important Values for Community Building
Kateri Boucher, a pastoral intern at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Detroit, shares her views on several important values in community building as part of the InterFaith Leadership Council's Community Values Project. This brief interview is available on Youtube.
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World Sabbath Will Be an Interfaith Experience of Music and Prayer
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World Sabbath 2022, a worship celebration on behalf of a just and peaceful community, will be presented at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 27 via Zoom. A free program of the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit, World Sabbath’s mission is to teach the region’s diverse residents that everyone-- regardless of their faith tradition--shares the calling to build a better community..
“World Sabbath 2020 will offer an experience that radiates peace and hope to inspire all people,” said Rick Joseph, World Sabbath chairperson. “World Sabbath celebrates and emphasizes the roles that children and young people have in our religious traditions. We are committed to uplifting the transformational power that is inherent in the religious experience and manifest it through robust, joyful worship.”
Since its start in 2000, World Sabbath has traditionally been held in a local house of worship but will be a virtual celebration presented via Zoom, hosted by the Baha’i Community of Metro Detroit this year. Prayers, music and dance of the Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, Islam, Jewish, and Sikh traditions will be featured.
Interfaith leader Gail Katz (pictured above) will be honored with this year’s World Sabbath Peacemaker Award. The program will include an interactive interfaith panel featuring Azar Alizadeh and Paula Drewek (Baha’i), Gail Katz (Judaism), Raman Singh (Sikh), Imam Arif Huskic (Islam), Narayanaswamy Sankagri (Hindu), and Rev. Dr. Charles Packer, Rev. John McKenzie and Dr. Jacqueline Nelson (Christianity), moderated by Joseph. Register online for World Sabbath 2022 at bit.ly/sabbath2022 or attend through Facebook at bit.ly/FBsabbath.
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The Meaning of Ramadan
Asim Khan, board member and treasurer of the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit has graciously provided this explanation of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, which will be commemorated from the evening of April 2, 2022 until the evening of May 2, 2022.
Ramadan, the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar, is the month when Muslims, the followers of Islam, fast all day from dawn till sunset. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. The other four pillars include Proclamation or Shahada, Salah or 5 daily Prayers, Zakah or 2.5% annual charity on all your savings, and Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime for all those who are physically and financially able. The primary objective of fasting is to attain “God Consciousness” (Taqwa) /self-discipline as ordered in the Islamic Holy Book, the Quran - “O ye who believe, Fasting is prescribed on to you as it was prescribed on to people before you (basically referring to Jews and Christians) so that you may attain piety.” (2:183).
Ramadan is an opportunity to cultivate good habits and leave the bad ones. It is an annual training to fulfill the character-building needed for the rest of the year. The condition of hunger gets highlighted for each fasting person leading to care and concern for the poor and hungry, helping inspire positive attitudes towards those who are less fortunate, giving charity and refraining from vain talk, wasting food and drink.
The significance of Ramadan is that it is the month in which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) and is a special month of fasting, repentance, increased prayer and giving charity. In this month, the reward of any good deed is at least 70 times more than during the normal time. Fasting is an act of worship that is done only for God and God Himself said that He will reward it many times. Heaven is said to have 8 doors and one of the doors is for the fasting person through which he/she will be allowed to enter.
Special evening prayers called “Taraweeh” or Night Prayers are offered at all mosques apart from the daily 5 prayers. Families try to attend these special prayers as much as possible. Every day, the fast is broken at sunset with a family feast at the house and special dinners at the mosque for the whole community on weekends. Muslims invite their relatives, friends, neighbors and co-workers to come and break the fast with them.
Another significant aspect of Ramadan is the night of “Lailatul-Qadr” or Night of Power. This is the night in which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) via the Arch-Angel Gabriel. On this night, there is a special reward for one night of prayers equivalent to 1000 months of praying.
The month of Ramadan ends with a festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr--a day of celebration and gratitude. Families start the day off with an early morning prayer at the mosque and spend the rest of the day visiting relatives and friends. It is comparable to either a Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering when parents host all their kids and their families. Everyone wears new clothes and gifts are exchanged. Special care is given to the needs of the children and a special donation is made to charity before the morning Eid prayer. The standard way to greet each other on the day of Eid is by saying “Eid Mubarak” or “May you have a Blessed Eid.”
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DION Plans Fundraiser on April 24
The Detroit Interfaith Outreach Network will hold a theatrical fundraiser on Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m. at Wayne State University’s Hilberry Theater. The musical comedy “Head Over Heels” will be presented. Tickets ($25) are available by calling (248) 543-4255. Payment is due by March 23. DION was founded by Rabbi Dorit Edut, InterFaith Leadership Council board member. For more information, visit: https://www.detroitinterfaithcouncil.com/events-calendar/
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InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit | P.O. Box 252271, West Bloomfield, MI 48325
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