Bringing Unity Between a Myriad of Faiths
Samantha Jones
Issue date: 3/16/10 Section: News
Benedictine University is a melting pot of different faiths known for its diversity and wide variety of religious backgrounds. With such a range of faith groups, cliques may arise and students with similar beliefs may bond and possibly miss out on the opportunity to learn from others who have different backgrounds.
Mohammed Ahmed and Dina Elgowainy, Arthur J. Schmitt Scholars, have been asked to plan a night to further bring unity between the myriad of faiths on campus. The interfaith dinner will be held on Sunday, March 21, from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. and will help members of the university identify common values and goals, form new bonds and find efficient ways to serve the community together.
"We are embarking on a leadership project seeking the interaction among different faith groups on campus to promote tolerance and understanding," said Ahmed, co-creator of the event.
"The purpose of this event is to initiate discussion between different groups of faith so that we may establish a greater understanding of each other. We sincerely hope to increase tolerance by decreasing ignorance on campus," added Ahmed.
"This would be accomplished by initiating dialogue which would help break barriers along with promoting awareness and understanding. At the end of the dinner, we would also hope to establish the importance of the duties of each faith which includes giving and helping local community needs."
To help achieve these goals, every table will have an opportunity to engage in discussions. Each faith will also have a main speaker present for the evening acting as a representative from their faith. The speaker will give a short speech and answer any questions that the guests may have.
During the dinner, participants will learn about a community project that will promote a humanitarian cause as well. A sign-up sheet will be available for all willing attendees to make a difference through the community service event.
According to Ahmed and Elgowainy, they have decided to sponsor this dinner due to the experiences they have had over the past few years at BU, as they have witnessed an increase in student enrollment and in the diversity of the student body. Yet, as the campus has expanded, misconceptions have also grown and Ahmed and Elgowainy believe that there are more cliques on campus due to these misconceptions. Ahmed and Elgowainy are working to address the growing need they see to eliminate stereotypes and encourage integration on campus.
All those interested in the free interfaith dinner should RSVP to Joan Henehan by email at jhenehan@ben.edu as soon as possible as space is limited. Additional questions should be directed to Ahmed at mohammed.ahmed@gmail.com.
Mohammed Ahmed and Dina Elgowainy, Arthur J. Schmitt Scholars, have been asked to plan a night to further bring unity between the myriad of faiths on campus. The interfaith dinner will be held on Sunday, March 21, from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. and will help members of the university identify common values and goals, form new bonds and find efficient ways to serve the community together.
"We are embarking on a leadership project seeking the interaction among different faith groups on campus to promote tolerance and understanding," said Ahmed, co-creator of the event.
"The purpose of this event is to initiate discussion between different groups of faith so that we may establish a greater understanding of each other. We sincerely hope to increase tolerance by decreasing ignorance on campus," added Ahmed.
"This would be accomplished by initiating dialogue which would help break barriers along with promoting awareness and understanding. At the end of the dinner, we would also hope to establish the importance of the duties of each faith which includes giving and helping local community needs."
To help achieve these goals, every table will have an opportunity to engage in discussions. Each faith will also have a main speaker present for the evening acting as a representative from their faith. The speaker will give a short speech and answer any questions that the guests may have.
During the dinner, participants will learn about a community project that will promote a humanitarian cause as well. A sign-up sheet will be available for all willing attendees to make a difference through the community service event.
According to Ahmed and Elgowainy, they have decided to sponsor this dinner due to the experiences they have had over the past few years at BU, as they have witnessed an increase in student enrollment and in the diversity of the student body. Yet, as the campus has expanded, misconceptions have also grown and Ahmed and Elgowainy believe that there are more cliques on campus due to these misconceptions. Ahmed and Elgowainy are working to address the growing need they see to eliminate stereotypes and encourage integration on campus.
All those interested in the free interfaith dinner should RSVP to Joan Henehan by email at jhenehan@ben.edu as soon as possible as space is limited. Additional questions should be directed to Ahmed at mohammed.ahmed@gmail.com.
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