For hundreds of years, a culture of openness, learning, and creativity thrived in Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Today, 1,000 year old Arab poetry from the period lives on in Hebrew, testament to the cross-cultural and interfaith exchange that defined this period in history. Cordoba House takes its name from this remarkable period and seeks to promote a spirit of interfaith cultural exchange and harmony in the contemporary world similar to that which characterized Al-Andalus in the medieval period.
Schools Participate in Pilot Interfaith Program in Philadelphia
An interesting new project in Philadelphia will bring students from three religious schools together for interfaith dialogue. The project, called “Faith in Humanity,” aims to introduce Muslim, Christian, and Jewish students to one another, helping them learn about each other’s faiths, lives, and experiences, and build friendships. As one teacher noted, we live at a time when many forces are at work seeking to divide people, and “That’s why programs like this are so important… is very important that my students know about these other students, and the other students know about my students. So maybe, I hope, we can close the gap that divide us, and in that sense, we can become a better, stronger community, and maybe face the challenges that time has posed.”
Interfaith Groups Help Resettle Refugee Family
In a wonderful act of compassion and charity, the interfaith community of Wilmington, Delaware came together to help a refugee family from Afghanistan settle in their city, providing the family with support, including furnishings for their new home, food, help navigating their new hometown, and employment assistance. As one organizer says, “Whether it’s a single congregation or multiple congregations, when you can say ‘this is my family now, and I will do everything I would do as if I was helping my own family member,’ that level of responsibility lasts over time.”
Nike Promotes Diversity with New Sports Hijab
Nike has taken a step to make sports more inclusive by coming out with its first “sports hijab!” The ad campaign for the new hijab features Muslim women athletes, including American Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. According to Muhammad, “It really sunk in how much my previous hijab was hindering my performance when I tried the Nike Pro Hijab… Suddenly, I could hear, I wasn’t as hot and it felt like my body was able to cool itself down better and faster.” At Cordoba House, we believe that diversity is important, especially when it comes to religious expression, and we salute companies, institutions, and individuals that embrace and help promote an inclusive atmosphere.
Sacred Sounds
A new exhibition at the Brigham Young University titled “Sacred Sounds: A Compassionate Listening Guide to Musical Worship,” explores the ways in which sound is used in worship in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. At Cordoba House, we believe that focusing on the ideas we have in common is an important part of building interfaith solidarity and a crucial part of our interfaith work.