Religious Perspectives on Peacemaking: An Interfaith Panel Discussion March 15, 2007

Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice is organizing this panel discussion to invite members of different faith communities to refelct on:

1. What does your spiritual tradition teach you about peace and peacemaking?

2. How does that relate to current events, particularly the war in Iraq.

It’s free and open to the public, for more information call 734-663-1870, or email [email protected].

We have four excellent speakers for this panel:

Dr. Soraya Orady is currently the president and co-founder of the Islamic Education and Resources Network “ILearn”. She has been giving numerous presentations and public speeches about Islam and Muslim culture to a wide range of audiences during the last 15 years. Dr. Orady also has a long record of volunteer work and has held important community development and outreach positions within the Muslim Community of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. She has held several faculty teaching, research, and consulting positions in four countries and is currently the owner and manager of an international business. Dr. Orady is married and has a son who is an engineer and a daughter who is a physician.

Rabbi Nathan Martin is Assistant Direcotor of the University of Michigan Hillel and a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, PA.

Jeanne Adwani describes herself as an ‘Elementalist.’ She explains, “I honor and extend my spiritual practice to the interactions, symbology,and stories of earth, fire, air and water. Nature based, steeped in the metaphysical arts/sciences, I stir that pot with my understanding of ’spirit.’ I observe the wonder of nature, the cosmos, Gods n’ goddesses, and the incredible ’stories’ that the elements weave in my life.”

Jim Balmer is the President of Dawn, Inc., which operates the Dawn Farm treatment and support facilities for individuals with drug and alcohol problems. Jim has has been in the human services field for 34 years and has consulted extensively in the United States, as well as Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines the former Soviet nation of Kazakhstan. Jim is a Roman Catholic convert and is a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Ann Arbor. He continues to maintain his involvement in the national Seamless Garment Movement, a coalition of Christians who oppose violence in all forms.

Official Website: http://www.icpj.net/2007/02/21/religious-perspectives-on-peacemaking-an-interfaith-panel-discussion/