International Day of Peace Vigil 2008 in Pakistan
21 September 2008
End Time Message Church, Sargodha
Report (PDF illustrated, 5 pages)
View slideshow (external link)
Karnataka 2008 intervention
On 7th October 2008, leadership of IARF’s India chapter met with the Chief Minister of the state of Karnataka, where anti-Christian riots have claimed lives as in better-reported Orissa.
SACC Karnataka 2008 intervention (PDF)
International Day of Peace Vigil 2008, Mysore
20th September 2008
Teresian College, Mysore
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Swami Nityasthanandaji, president of Sri Ramakrishna Ashram delivered an inaugural address stressing peace in the world as starting from the home first. It also comes from understanding other religions and their principles. No religion and its books speaks of violence. Today’s youth should work hard to mix with those of other religions.
Mr. Tanveer Sait, M.L.A., stated that Islam preaches peace, and whatever is happening in the world today is being done by sadists and people who do not believe in the principles of their religion. Islam says killing a person is like killing the entire Humanity. He added that if we want peace, we should change ourselves, and the whole society changes and we attain peace.
Students were given importance during the programme: The Qur’an, Bible and Bhagavad Geetha were exhibited, with readings conveying the peace message by students of the respective religions. Exactly at 12 noon candles were lit and one minute of silence was marked, for the Day of Peace and those who lost their lives during the recent bomb blasts in Bangalore, Ahmadabad & Delhi.
Inter-religious cultural performances took place between the speeches.
Fourth SACC Member Group Workshop 2008
23—24 August 2008
Member groups from various parts of Indiaparticipated in the Fourth IARF Member Group & India Chapter Leaders Workshop & Interfaith Seminar, presided over by IARF president Thomas Mathew.
11 Member Groups & India Chapter leaders presented their annual reports of the previous year. They also discussed their involvement in interfaith activities and the problems faced in the respective areas. Members came up with lots of suggestions to solve intra- and inter-religious issues with the support of SACC in their respective states.
Report on Fourth SACC member group workshop 2008 (PDF illustrated, 5 pages)
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IARF Belfast Conference July, 2008
24-27 July 2008
IARF Europe & Middle East members gathered for a conference in Belfast, N. Ireland, sponsored by the ELPN (European Liberal Protestant Network) and the IARF.
EME Conference Belfast 2008 – Report by Jeff Teagle (PDF illustrated, 9 pages)
Belfast 2008 – report by Rev. Dick Boekem (PDF, 4 pages)
4th SACC Member Group Workshop, 2008
4th IARF-SACC Member groups’ & Chapter leaders’ 2-day Workshop & Interfaith seminar
Mysore, 23-24 August 2008
Please see the report here (PDF)
Natalie Gulbrandsen Day, May 8
Thursday, May 8th
@ Meadville Lombard Theological School
A celebration of the life of Natalie Gulbrandsen, dd 1991, former moderator of the UUA and a leader in so many peace and justice issues.
Friends of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists and the International Association for Religious Freedom, U.S. Chapter, will honor Natalie.
The 12th IARF India Chapter conference, 2007
Held in the southern tip city of India, Kanyakumari, on 14-16 December 2007.
The conference was inaugurated by the Honorable Law Minister of India (State) K. Venkitapathy, and the valedictory function led by the Honorable High Court Judge P. Jyothi Mani.
Around 250 delegates from different parts of India and many dignitaries – bishops, Hindu monks, Muslim imams & IARF International President Rev. Abhi Janamanchi – attended various programs over the three days.
The 12th IARF India Chapter conference
Boston Dialogue Foundation Program
“Muhammad: Prophet of Islam“
Sunday evening, April 1st, 2007
IARF US Chapter Board members attended a special program in Boston hosted by the Boston Dialogue Foundation, the MIT Rumi Club, the Fountain, and the Graduate Rumi Club of NorthEastern University.
We were treated to a delicious dinner and great conversation with our table mates, who were arranged in an “interfaith” mix.
A video honoring Rumi, then speakers and music rounded out the evening. An enriching time together.
The International Association of Liberal Religious Women
Our member group the IALRW is one of the oldest international women’s organizations in the world.
It was convened in Berlin in 1910 and since that time has provided a link between liberal religious women throughout the world. It serves to promote friendship and cooperation between like-minded women and is a channel of communication for those striving for a liberal religious life. Members accept that each may belong to a different faith group, yet all share common values of striving for peace, justice and harmony, in the heart of the family, the community and the world.
Social Action
The Association promotes equality for women and economic and social justice. It sponsors an on-going social action project for women in India, offering training in literacy and vocational skills to enable disadvantaged women to become self-sufficient. It also supports other women’s projects on a one-time basis. It promotes the inclusion of women’s roles in religion on the agenda of special events in the UN calendar and other national and international gatherings.
Conferences
There are international conferences every three or four years and national and regional conferences in intervening years. Recent international conferences have been held in Taiwan, Hungary, Canada, South Korea, and India.
Interfaith Cooperation
As a member group of the International Association for Religious Freedom, the Association participates fully in its activities and promotes consideration of women’s issues in its agenda. Membership Membership is open to women from liberal faith communities throughout the world who seek to share their ideas, their experiences and concerns, offering support to each other in the search for spiritual enrichment and identity. The IALRW represents such diverse religious traditions as Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Unitarians and Universalists, and the liberal wings of other faith groups. Individual annual membership fees are the equivalent of US $15.
Other Related Women’s Groups: The Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation