Turning diversity into action: ‘We’re all in this together’
Interfaith Ministries taps imam as first speaker in series
It’s often reported that Houston is the most diverse city in America, and Imam Yahya Hendi, the first fulltime Muslim chaplain hired by a university in the U.S., is hoping to help turn that diversity toward tangible action.
Hendi, the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., will speak in Houston on Wednesday as part of a new lecture series organized by Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston. He said that Houston, because of its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border, its reputation as a multicultural center and its recent experience with Hurricane Harvey, is a city ripe for interfaith partnerships, discussions and activism — a major theme of his lecture.
“Houston is a huge city, and a very important city in the makeup of America,” Hendi said. “How can this framework of interreligious dialogue translate to local politics and community building in Houston? How can we work together and raise funds together to rebuild a homeless shelter, for example? We need to live our religious values by means of social justice, economic justice and providing service for community — that’s the true challenge of interreligious dialogue.”
The lecture, which will take place at St. Phillip Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p.m., also will focus on how people of different faiths have to put aside their differences to create a dialogue to help fight intolerance and foster
respect, Hendi said.
“Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, everyone — we are all in this together,” he said, “and we have to find ways to work with one another. At the end of the day we cannot fight extremism separately, but when we put all our efforts together, our minds together and our resources together, we can fight extremism and exclusivity and hatred together.”
Hendi, who has given lectures in more than 60 countries and across the United States, was named in 2012 as one of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, a think tank based in Jordan.
Jodi Bernstein, vice president of interfaith relations and community partnerships at Interfaith Ministries, said the organization invited Hendi to speak because he represents the sort of cooperation, values and integrity that Interfaith Ministries, a United Way agency, was founded on. Hendi’s talk is the first entry of a new program called the Gershenson Lecture Series that Interfaith Ministries has been planning since last year.
Bernstein said Interfaith Ministries is working to expand its programming and volunteer opportunities and the Gershenson Lecture Series — named after Elliot Gershenson, former president and CEO of Interfaith Ministries — is a big part of that.
“Imam Hendi is a well-known, very articulate and engaging speaker on an important topic of interest to us — how do we promote positive interfaith dialogue as a way to challenge hate and bigotry and stereotypes and foster understanding?” she said, noting that there will be one Gershenson lecture every year.
Beyond the new lecture series, Interfaith Ministries’ Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships division is starting a multifaith leadership council for local faith leaders and clergy — scheduled to be announced during Wednesday’s lecture — as well as a couple community groups, Bernstein said. These include a group for young professionals and local leaders and another one geared toward women.
Interfaith Ministries also manages Volunteer Houston, which helps match people with volunteer opportunities, as well as oversees Meals on Wheels and refugee resettlement in Houston.
“About six months ago, we decided to begin expanding the Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships department,” Bernstein said. “We want to be the hub for this city to bring people together for dialogue and interfaith community service.”