Islam: Scholarship and Practice in the United States
February 23 - March 4, 2008
WorldBoston nominee Janet Penn travels to Jordan, Egypt on AMIDEAST exchange program
WorldBoston is pleased to announce the participation of Janet Penn, founder and executive director of Interfaith Action Inc. of Sharon, Mass., in Islam: Scholarship and Practice in the United States, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and AMIDEAST.
Ms. Penn will meet Muslim and Christian leaders in the capitals of Jordan and Egypt during her Feb. 23-March 4 visit, to engage in a variety of interfaith workshops and seminars about the place of religion in American and Middle Eastern life. She is blogging about her experiences on Interfaith Action’s Web site.
Ms Penn’s visit is part of a multi-year exchange program. In February/March 2007, WorldBoston served as a host organization for Islam: Scholarship and Practice in the United States. Nine Muslim scholars and clerics from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria and their escort, Fr. Nabil Haddad of the Jordan Interfaith Coexistence Research Center traveled to several American cities for meetings, discussions, tours, and events.
February 27 - March 7, 2007
The Islam: Scholarship and Practice in the United States program is a two-year, multi-phased project, comprised of two three-week U.S.-based programs for Muslim clerics and scholars from the Middle East, and one reciprocal exchange program to the region for American clerics and scholars. The program will culminate in May 2007 with American clerics and scholars traveling to Egypt, Syria and finally to Jordan where they will participate in a two-day seminar focused on the theme of “Islamic Scholarship and Practice in the 21st Century.” The project, funded by the United States Department of State is a collaborative effort between the Department of State, AMIDEAST, the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center and WorldBoston.
In February, nine Muslim scholars and clerics from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria and their escort, Fr. Nabil Haddad of the Jordan Interfaith Coexistence Research Center, will travel to Washington, D.C.; Boston, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In Boston, WorldBoston will arrange meetings, discussions, tours, and events to achieve the following program goals:
Participants
| Names | Country | Profession |
| Ahmed Ahmed Mohamed OSHIBA | Egypt | Director of Preaching in Alexandria, Ministry of Awqaf, Alexandria Governorate |
| Mahmoud Abdalla Mohamed ABDALLA | Egypt | Imam and Teacher, Ministry of Awqaf, Cairo Governorate |
| Hassan Mohamed Atef Ahmed HASSAN | Egypt | Imam and Teacher, Ministry of Awqaf, Matrouh Governorate |
| Abou El-Anwar Mohamed Moustafa EL-SAYED | Egypt | Imam and Teacher, Ministry of Awqaf, Sharkia Governorate |
| Wa’el Mohammad Abdallah ARABIYAT | Jordan | Assistant Professor and Dean of Faculty of Shari’a (Islamic Law), University of Jordan |
| Ahmad Abed Hussein ALAWAISHEH | Jordan | Director, Islamic Cultural Center and Assistant Professor, Faculty of Shari’a (Islamic Law), University of Jordan |
| Hani Suleiman Mohammad ALTEIMAT | Jordan |
Professor, Islamic Fiqh and
Fundamentals, Mu’tah University Deputy Dean of Shari’a (Islamic Law) Department, Mu’tah University |
| Mohamad SULAIMAN | Syria | Director of Graduate Studies, A. Kuftaro Islamic Foundation, Professor, A. Kuftaro Islamic Foundation, Preacher, Ali Ben Abi Talab Mosque |
ACTIVITIES
During the group's stay in Boston they will have a series of visits, mini-seminars and community meetings at:
Harvard University
The Public Conversations Project
Archdiocese of Boston
Islamic Center of Boston
Charlestown High School
Sharon Interfaith Youth Leadership Program
Boston Dialogue Foundation