This file contains the full texts (3-5 pages each) of papers on Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Seicho-No-Ie, Sikhism, Sufism, Unitarian Universalism, and Unity presented at the symposium "Moving from Exclusion to Inclusion in My Religion," presented on February 2, 2013,at the Honpa Hongwanji Mission, in Honolulu.

This file provides background overview of interfaith activities in Hawaii over the past 50 years.

The Joseph Interfaith Foundation is a national joint Muslim-Jewish interfaith organisation. We are committed to fostering engagement through constructive and realistic dialogue and interaction between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Britain. Our eminent trustees are Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Lord Sheikh of Cornhill, Baroness Julia Neuberger and Sir David Michels. The Foundation also aims to promote a deeper understanding of both faiths among the general public. As part of its university seminars, the Foundation in association with the Islamic Society, University of York, held a book launch on Wednesday 13th of February at York University. The book, “Confronting Anti-Semitism & Islamophobia: An exploration of their socio-historic and theological roots & similarities” was published by the Foundation. The aim was to raise awareness on anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. http://www.josephinterfaithfoundation.org/joseph-main/previous/booklaunch.php A large number of students attended the seminar. Speakers were Professor Mohamed El-Gomati OBE, Electronic Department, who spoke about Islamophobia and its current manifestations, and Dr Sarah Rees-Jones BA (Oxon) DPhil , History Department, who spoke about the demise of the Jewish community of York in 1190. The Q & A was chaired by Samya Ayaz President of the Islamic Society at York. All student participants at the seminar received a free copy of the book. The cooperation between the Foundation and York Isoc is on-going and the Foundation will be involved in organising future seminars.

The week-long WIHW celebration in Malaysia adopted a holistic approach and was jointly organized by the Department of National Unity and Integration and the Committee for Promoting Understanding and Harmony among Religious Adherences (established by the Malaysian Cabinet in 2010). The program covers the following: 1. Promotion of WIHW Malaysia 2013 2. Khutbah, sermon and prayers in house of worship throughout 1st week of February 2013 3. Muhibah Travelogue (1st – 3rd February 2013) launched by Minister In The Prime Minister Department 4. Muhibah Bowl in Subang Jaya, in the state of Selangor (1st February 2013) with the Minister In The Prime Minister Department 5. Harmony Walk with Prime Minister of Malaysia in Brickfield, Kuala Lumpur (2nd February 2013) 6. Muhibah Communities Service in Sri Sakthi Vinagar Temple, Brickfield, Kuala Lumpur (2nd February 2013) 7. Communities Service Programme in state of Perlis (2nd February 2013) 8. Muhibah Dinner with the Religious Leaders hosted by the Chief Minister of Sarawak in Kuching Sarawak (4th February 2013) 9. Messages on WIHW by school headmasters during school assembly to student throughout Malaysia (4th February 2013) 10. Muhibah Visit by Religious Leaders to Kuching Buddhist Village, in the state of Sarawak (5th February 2013) 11. Muhibah Visit by Religious Leaders to Drug Rehabilitation Centre Kuching, in the state of Sarawak (6th February 2013) 12. Muhibah Breakfast with Religious Leaders in Thean Hou Temple, Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur hosted by the Federation of Taoism Malaysia (7th February 2013) 13. Muhibah Visit by Religious Leaders to Hospital Umum Kuching, in the state of Sarawak (7th February 2013) 14. Launching of WIHW at school level by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in Kinrara Secondary School, Puchong, in the state of Selangor (8th February 2013) 15. Dialogue on Bio-ethics and Religion “Definition of Life From The Religious Perspectives” in Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) (21st February 2013) 16. Muhibah Forum “Faith and Good Governance” in Kuching the state of Sarawak (23rd February 2013)

In solidarity with World Interfaith Harmony Week 2013, SAFCEI, the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum and the “We Have Faith” campaign together is hosting “The Energy Crisis and our Future” Briefing Session for Religious Leaders of the Western Cape, South Africa. The aim of the energy briefing session is to enable Religious Leaders of South Africa to come together and to become well informed in order to guide environmental decision making for South Africa in a way that will benefit the poor and ensure life for future generations on our planet Earth. The speakers at this event will be: Cormac Cullinan (Environmental lawyer and author of “Wild Law” ) Prof Jim Petrie (General Director - Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, UCT) Dr Robert Fischer (Energy consultant and policy and research manager, Project 90 by 2030) Bishop Geoff Davies (Executive Director of SAFCEI) Out of great concern for the wellbeing of this planet and the future of all life on it, we encourage all people of faith to take note of their responsibility towards caring for creation, and respond with well-informed, ethical action.

The Joseph Interfaith Foundation is a national joint Muslim-Jewish interfaith organisation. We are committed to fostering engagement through constructive and realistic dialogue and interaction between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Britain. Our eminent trustees are Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Lord Sheikh of Cornhill, Baroness Julia Neuberger and Sir David Michels. The Foundation also aims to promote a deeper understanding of both faiths among the general public. As part of its annual university seminars, the Foundation in association with Islamic Society Imperial College London, held a seminar on Tuesday 19th February at Imperial College. Speakers spoke from Catholic, Muslim and Secularist/atheist perspectives. The session was chaired by the president of the Islamic Society. There was a long and lively Q & A sessions when principles of religious freedom, same sex marriage and single faith schools were discussed. Over 90% of participants agreed that the topic was relevant to them and would like to participate in similar future seminars organised by the Foundation. The cooperation between the Foundation and Isoc at Imperial College is on-going. The speakers and all student participants received a copy of the book “Confronting anti-Semitism and Islamophobia” published by the Foundation. http://www.josephinterfaithfoundation.org/joseph-main/previous/booklaunch.php The overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students was captured in our questionnaires: http://www.josephinterfaithfoundation.org/joseph-main/previous/attachments/Questionnaire%20Results%20-%20JIF+IC%20Seminar.pdf

The Joseph Interfaith Foundation is a national joint Muslim-Jewish interfaith organisation. We are committed to fostering engagement through constructive and realistic dialogue and interaction between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Britain. Our eminent trustees are Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Lord Sheikh of Cornhill, Baroness Julia Neuberger and Sir David Michels. The Foundation also aims to promote a deeper understanding of both faiths among the general public. The Council of Imams and Rabbis is an authoritative theological group of senior and leading Imams and Rabbis from major mosques and synagogues in Britain. This is a unique initiative of the Joseph Interfaith Foundation. The Council represents the Jewish and Muslim communities across their religious and ethnic diversity. The Imams are senior imams of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Arab, Indian and Somali mosques. The Rabbis are senior rabbis of major Orthodox, Reform, Sephardi, Masorti, and Liberal synagogues. On January 24th 2013, the Council of Imams and Rabbis formally met at East London Mosque to approve the launch of the National Council of Imams and Rabbis and discuss important agenda points. The meeting is a unique platform for the religious leaders from both the communities to meet, discuss and work towards fostering a better understanding between each other and work for the common good of both communities and the society in general. Some of the recent highlights of the Council are: - “Meet the Imam and ask Questions” hosted in an Orthodox Synagogue, 13th November 2012 More information: http://goo.gl/Bexq9 - “Meet the Imam and ask Questions” – hosted in a Liberal Synagogue, 21st November 2012 More information: http://goo.gl/23JkX - Celebrating A Year of Service visit to Wandsworth Prison, 5th August 2012 More Information: http://goo.gl/uD91j - Statement on the English Defence League - http://goo.gl/svdIS and acknowledgement by the UK Home Office http://goo.gl/NTtme

Religions for Peace (RfP) is an international charity formally founded in 1970 after the World Conference of Religions for Peace in Kyoto, but in fact RfP’s earliest activities dates back to 1961 when a handful of senior religious leaders from the world’s major faith traditions started organising a “religious summit” to explore the need for believers to take action towards achieving a common goal for peace. In the past decades, RfP has been able to forge co-operative relationships with worldwide affiliates in Africa, Asia and Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Caribbean, and North America. We have built global networks for youth and also for women of faith which are spear-heading peace movements in different localities and amongst all faith groups. The UK chapter of RfP (RfPUK) is an integral part of the European Branch, and given that UK has benefitted from very solid ground work and is enjoying the fruits of open communication between faiths, our work has moved beyond merely facilitating dialogue into actively soliciting community involvement in making a personal difference in the peace movement. In celebrating the World Interfaith Harmony Week, RfPUK has organised an event named: “Choice: Empathy or Enmity”. It was a talk which took place at the House of Lords, Westminster Parliamentary Offices, which was hosted and chaired by Lord John Alderdice FRCPsynch. He was an integral part of the Northern Ireland peace process and is much appreciated for his continued efforts in championing RfPUK’s peace movement activities. The talk featured Jo Berry, daughter of Sir Anthony Berry MP, and Pat Magee, a former IRA activist. They have come to share their extraordinary journey with the participants, and pose for us the question of “Choice”. Sir Anthony Berry MP was killed in the IRA Brighton Bombing during the 1984 Tory Party Conference. His daughter Jo was utterly unprepared to face the conflict which caused this event, she knew very little about the story behind the deep seated struggle which left offenders feeling that violence was the only way to raise an otherwise unheard voice. After the devastation of losing a loving parent, she has visited Ireland many times and worked with both victims and perpetrators from both sides of the argument. The Belfast born Pat Magee, former IRA activist, was responsible for the death of Jo's father. He was given multiple life sentences for his active part in the bombing. He was released under the Good Friday Agreement in 1999, and has taken on peace work since then. In November 2000, these two met, face to face. Their dialogue continues to this day. Confronted by the irreversible loss, Jo struggles on with contemplating the possibility of hope by listening to the story of her enemy. It is never plain sailing as sometimes she can understand and sometime she simply cannot. Early on, she used to refer to "forgiveness" a lot, but now she feels that the term insinuates that she occupies the moral high ground, and is hence too condescending. By trying to understand the other side of the story, through intense exchanges filled with terror, pain, anger and anxiety, her own humanity has allowed her to find empathy towards the situation, knowing that had she been raised a republican her choices might not have been so different from Pat's. Pat was given multiple life sentences for his involvement in the Brighton Bombing, and he expressed profound regret by his candid apology to have caused the loss of life and so much injury. He looks back and acknowledges that he and his partners were doing what they felt they had to do, but he is dedicated to working towards healing and restoration so that future generations will not find themselves considering violence as the only means to voice an opinion. Jo and Pat have been working together over 12 years and in more than a hundred occasions. They have made a BBC documentary film Facing the Enemy (2001) and another new film called Soldiers of Peace (2009) together. They go to talks and lectures aiming to build bridges for peace. Participants at the event were deeply moved by the frank and open dialogue between them. The emotions are still raw, and issues at hand still need to be addressed, but their willingness to hear the other side of they story and the mutual trust they have built together meant that they are able to humanize each other, learn of each others aspirations and pains, and bring themselves to seek different ways to resolve conflict. They have travelled to many places together, not least to Palestine / Israel to continue their dialogue in hope to show that there is also a place for personal undertaking in the face of national / racial conflict. The event presented a unique chance for participants to experience a very personal peace process, that out of personal conviction and differences, it is possible to reach out to find and secure a better way forward. It is not an everyday occurrence that we can come face to face with people who are on a reconciliation process, and this event hopes to be first of such series to be presented to friends and members of RfP UK.

Of speakers from 15 religions, only those from Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism indicated that passages of exclusion existed in their sacred texts, and they suggested how to move to inclusion. It appeared that, since extremists had rigid views, promoting INTRA-FAITH harmony might be, at times, more difficult than promoting interfaith harmony. It was also suggested that all of us should examineour own religions objectively, and explore how one can move from exclusion to inclusion. (2) High school students from a Buddhist school and a Christian school jointly recited verses form the poem "In which language does God speak" They all could relate to it as it offers "commonsensical" responses to questions that children have about their own religion and other religions. I could not attach testimonials from the Hawaii senate from the bishop of the Buddhist mission. They are pdf files, and I don't know what happened. I'll try to send them separately

Event details Belgian Women of Faith Network 1. Our actions in the framework of World Interfaith Harmony Week: 2013: 2012: 2011: 2. Strengthening partnerships with leaders/ women/ citizens/ associations-Communities – groups engaged in interfaith dialogue through common action in the harmony of joint encounters, and in the social, religious and educational spheres, actionto stop violence against children, women, working with media and artists in the sphere of the arts... 2013: Third edition Friday 8 February Invitations were sent to national authorities, The Belgian Council of Religious leaders (BCRL) and the Network of the Belgian Women of Faith Network; different faith based associations; the media was informed. Political and religious authorities reacted and some were present. This year, women of faith - who have been supporting the event since its launch - introduced the WIHW and presented the interfaith women's network, its action and presence in a variety of fields - religious, political and social. Here in attachment (Word and Ppt) During this event particular emphasis was placed on the need for all to contribute, whatever their level in society, whatever their religion - whether illiterate or highly educated, artists or unskilled.