Past Activities

2003 Activities, 2004 Activities

2005 Activities

• Waging The Real Jihad
  BMDG Coffee Hour
  Jan 20th, 2005
  Professor Scott C. Alexander,
  Associate Professor of Islam at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (http://www.ctu.edu/) and the Director of the Catholic-Muslim Studies.
  
  Co-Sponsors:
  Department of Religious Studies Department of Near
  Eastern Languages and Cultures.
   

2004 Activities

• Open Discussion on Islam
  The concept of "Peace" in Islam
  Saturday December 18, 2004
  Monroe County Public Library
• Open Discussion on Islam
  "Paradise in Islam"
  Saturday November 20, 2004
  Monroe County Public Library
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  "Living According to Faith"
  Saturday October 16, 2004
  Monroe County Public Library
   
• What is Human Being?
  BMDG Coffee Hour
  Thursday October 14, 2004
  
  Three panelists St. John Wendell, Amr Sabry and Hilmi Demir, discussed the notion of human being from a Christian's, a Muslim's and from a philosophical perspective.
  
  St. John Wendell was born and raised in Illinois (USA), and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois. He taught German and English in a Chicago high school before teaching children who were educable mentally handicapped. St. John was a member of an ecumenical religious order for 25 years, and for this reason, he spent ten years in Germany and fifteen years in Japan. He and his wife have lived in Bloomington since 1994 where their three grown children and their families also live.
  
  Amr Sabry was born in Egypt in 1964. He spent his school years inFrance, Algeria, and Egypt, eventually receiving a B.Sc., M.Sc. from Cairo University and a Ph.d. from Rice University. He has held positions at Chalmers University, University of Oregon, Microsoft Research, University of Genova, and Indiana University. Amr is married with four children: Khalid, Amira, Nadia, and Zayd.
  
  Hilmi Demir received his BA and MA in Philosophy from Bogazici University in Turkey. In 2000, he came to Bloomington in order to get his Ph.D. in Philosophy and Cognitive Science. He has been at IU since then as a Chancellor's fellow. He teaches Philosophy and Cognitive Science courses.
   
• Rumi & Song of The Reed
  by Dr Paula Saffire
  BMDG Coffee Hour
  Thursday, September 30, 2004
  Click For Pictures
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  “Main Pillars of Faith - Pilgrimage”
  Saturday September 25th, 2004
  
  - Why turning around the cubic building Kaaba? What does it symbolically represent for Muslims? In order to answer this question we need to investigate why every thing is in action. Is there any thing in the universe which is static?
  - What does the "House of God" mean?
  - How do you think our forefather Adam (peace be with him) prayed when he was sent to the earth from Paradise? Or, do you think he prayed at all? Why?
   
• Whirling Dervishes Of Rumi
  Saturday, September 18, 7:00pm
  Buskirk-Chumley Theater
  More information about this event click here.
   
• Jesus as A Word of God in the Quran
  BMDG Coffee Hour
  Thursday, September 9th, 2004
  President's Room of University Club, Indiana Memorial Union(IMU)
  Presented by Dr. Ali Mermer
  
  "The angels said, "O Maryam (Mary)! God is giving you glad tidings of a WORD from Him, his name will be Masih, I`sa (Jesus) alayhis salam, Son of Maryam (Mary), honored in this world and in the hereafter and amongst the rank of those who are close to God."
  Quran, 3/46
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  “Main Pillars of Faith - Charity”
  Saturday August 28th, 2004
  
  - Is it really necessary to give charity as a religious duty? Can we not give charity as a humanitarian activity?
  - Why does God need us to feed or take care of the poor? Is not that His responsibility to cherish the needy since He has created them? (Those who are familiar with the Qurân are kindly reminded to refer to the verse 47 of the Chapter 36 (Ya Sin) of the Quran).
  - The term employed in the Quran for ~Charity" is (Zakat) which means in fact not charity but ~Purifying dues". What is the significance of the difference between these two terms?
   
• Exploring Faiths- Amish Country Tour
  Saturday August 21th 2004
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  “Main Pillars of Faith - Fasting”
  Saturday July 17th, 2004
  
  - What is the main reasoning Islam teaches for "Fasting"?
  - How is Mariam's (the mother of Jesus Christ -peace be upon him-) fasting referred to in the Qur'an? ( see the Qur'an, Chapter XIX MARIAM, Verse 26.)
  - Why does God need to deprive us from eating or drinking? Does He really need that?
  - Isn't Fasting a kind of suffering? Why do we need to suffer?
   
• BMDG Summer Picnic
  Sunday July 18th 2004
  Lions Den Shelter at the Upper Cascades Park
   
• Exploring Faiths- Judaism
  A visit to Beth Shalom Congregation
  Tuesday July 9th 2004
   
• Exploring Faiths - Catholicism
  A visit to St Paul Catholic Center
  Tuesday June 22 2004
  Click for the details
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  “Main Pillars of Faith - Five Daily Prayers”
  Saturday June 19th, 2004
   
  - Why do we have to pray?
  - Isn't five times a day prayer too much?
  - Isn't it possible to be a good person without worshipping  God/Allah?
  - Why does God/Allah want to intervene in human life and
  organize it?
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  “Divine Determination and Human Free Will”
  Saturday May 15th 2004
  
  How can we reconcile the absolute power of God/Allah with human free will? They always seem to be limiting, if not contradicting each other.
  
  Are we really free to do what we want to do? If so, how is God/Allah's power absolute then?
  
  If God/Allah knows everything including our destiny why did He set us free to choose what we want to do? What is the point in having free will?
   
• Sufism
  Learning witha Sufi Master.
  A Talk by Dr.Fances Trix
  April 22, 2004
  
  Dr. Frances Trix is a linguistic anthropologist specializing in discourse analysis of face-to-face interaction. She has degrees in Near Eastern Languages & Literature (BA, MA) and in Linguistics (MA), as well as a PhD in Linguistics, all from the University of Michigan.
  
  Her research has focused on transmission of spiritual knowledge, oral tradition, and language reform in Muslim communities in the United States, and Muslim communities in the Balkans. She is the author of Spiritual Discourse: Learning with an Islamic Master (University of Pennsylvania, 1993), which is based on over twenty years study with Baba Rexhep, an Albanian Bektashi Baba, in his community. Currently she is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Wayne State University in Detroit.
  
   
• How to achieve inner peace.
  Coffee Hour, a panel discussion.
  April 14, 2004
  Click for pictures and more information
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  Saturday March 20 2004
  The belief of Hereafter in Islam.
   
• Why and How we should thank God?
  Student Panel
  Thursday, March 4, 2004
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  Saturday February 21 2004
  Monroe County Public Library.
   
• A Journey To Microcosmos
  Thursday, February 12, 2004
  MICROCOSMOS Documentary showing
   
• Muslim-Christian relations in the Middle East
  January 23 2004
  Prof.Iliya Harik & Dr.Zaineb Istrabadi
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  Saturday January 17 2004
  Monroe County Public Library.
   

2003 Activities

• Open Discussion on Islam
  Saturday December 20 2003
  Monroe County Public Library.
   
• Jesus in Islam
  Saturday December 6 2003
  A talk by Dr.Zeki Saritoprak

Zeki Saritoprak, holds a PhD in Islamic Theology from the University of Marmara, Turkey. He earned his Master's degree in Islamic Theology and Philosophy, and his Bachelor's in Divinity from the same university. He also attended Al-Azhar University in Cairo for several years for Arabic language studies while researching for his dissertation. In addition, he has taught at Harran University in Turkey.

He is the Founder and President of Rumi Forum for Interfaith Dialogue in Washington. Currently, he is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Religious Studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

The subjects on which he has taught have included the Science of Kalam, Sufism, the Qur'an and Hadith, Islamic Sects, contemporary Islamic movements, and Islam in America. Additionally, Dr. Saritoprak is the author of several books and articles on Islamic Studies in Turkish, Arabic, and English.

Pictures from this Coffee Hour.

• Tolerance Day Panel
  November 17 2003
  Indiana University
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  November 15 2003
  Monroe County Public Library
   
• Fasting and Ramadan
  Thursday November6 2003
  A talk by Dr.Yamina Mermer
   
• The God of Truth and Mercy
  Friday October 24 2003
  A talk by Eli Kaufman.
   
• Open Discussion on Islam
  October 18 2003
  Monroe County Public Library
  
  This meeting was the first of a series that will be held in Monroe County Public Library. Upcoming meetings will be on the third Saturday of each month.
  
  The purpose of these meetings is to help building a more harmonious and peaceful community.
  
  As a part of this society we see that people have a lot of questions about Islam. They would like to better understand Islam and Muslims. By organizing an open discussion environment to exchange views on Islam, our meetings will provide a means to meet this demand.
   
• The Meaning of Prayer, Student Panel
  October 2 2003
   
• Challenges That We Face After September 11
  Friday September 12 2003
  A  talk by Rev. Rebecca Jimenez.
Rev. Jimenez talked about the effects of the 9/11 and led a discussion on the topic.
Rev.Rebecca Jimenez is the Campus Minister of the Center for University Ministry at IU. She has been at the Center since July 1999. A native of Indiana, she has lived in Mexico and Puerto Rico, and has relocated to Bloomington from New Jersey, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts from William Paterson University and a Master of Divinity from The Theological School of Drew University. Since her ordination by the American Baptist Churches/USA in 1996, Rebecca Jimenez has served as Campus Minister at Saint Peter's College, a Jesuit institution in Jersey City, and as Interim Associate at her home church, Emmanuel Baptist, Ridgewood, NJ. Her interests include process, feminist and liberation theologies, Latin America, women's issues, and the "search for God in all things.
 
BMDG Summer Picnic, Saturday, 
August 2 2003

BMDG members and friends got together in a picnic in Lions Den Shelter at the Upper Cascades Park.
 
Nostra Aetate: a Doorway into Dialogue?
Friday June 27 2003
A talk by Father Dan Atkins.
 
Father Dan Atkins is a Catholic friend of and participant in the Bloomington Muslim Dialog Group. He is the pastor of St. Paul Catholic Center, the Catholic student center for Indiana University. A high school teacher for twelve years, Fr. Dan earned a Master of Science in Education from Indiana University before entering the St. Meinrad School of Theology, receiving a Master of Divinity, and being ordained in 1987.

The title of Father Dan's talk will be "Nostra Aetate: a Doorway into
Dialogue?"

Father Dan will lead a discussion about the possibilities and the challenges posed by "Nostra Aetate", which is a document set forth by the Roman Catholic Church during the 1960s.

Here is a brief description about "Nostra Aetate":

Between the years of 1962-1965 leaders of the Roman Catholic Church met in council to discuss how it might better serve the will of God and humanity. The sessions of Vatican II created sweeping changes in how the Church understood its identity and its role in the world, especially its relationship to other religions. In one of the last documents of the council, "Nostra Aetate" (In our age...), the bishops set forth their vision of how Catholics might relate to people of other religions.

• 'Reason' in the Islamic System of  Belief
  Friday June 13, 2003
  A talk by Professor Adel Mekraz
   
Professor Adel Mekraz,  who is one of the active members  of the Bloomington Muslim  community. Professor Mekraz has an MS degree from  Houston Baptist University. He worked in  the  retail industry for over 12 years holding various store management  positions. After leaving the retail  industry, he worked as a consultant for  small retail businesses and as adjunct faculty for the University of  Houston Downtown. At the moment he is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, at Indiana University. He is also  the  faculty advisor for SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) team, which won a regional championship and Rookie of The Year awards at a competition in the  spring of 2001.
 
Difference, Fundamentalism, and Dialogue: An Ethics of Hospitality Friday May 30, 2003
A talk by Pastor Kyle Wiersma  Halverson

Pastor Kyle Wiersma  Halverson is from Lutheran Campus Ministry of Bloomington.
Pastor Halverson is  originally from Minnesota. He holds an MA degree in Hebrew Bible from Yale  Divinity School, a Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul,  Minnesota, and has begun doctoral work in theology at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. He and his wife Jan moved from Chicago to Indiana in  1990.
 
Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) Message to Humanity,
Friday May 16th, 2003.
A talk by Salih Yucel

Salih Yucel is a Muslim Chaplain at Brigham Hospital at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
In memory of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), BMDG dedicated this coffee hour to commemorate his life and the message he brought.
Click here for pictures from the night.
East-West Encounters,
April  18th, 2003
A talk by Dr.Zaineb Istrabadi

Dr. Istrabadi is a dear friend and an active supporter of interfaith dialog efforts  and our group. Ms. Istrabadi is a lecturer in the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department, and the Associate Director and Outreach Coordinator of the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program. She is an Iraqi-American, and holds a Ph.D. in Arabic language and Islamic Studies.
 
Cooking for the needy
Wednesday, April 16 2003
BMDG members cooked for the needy at the Community kitchen.

• Islam And Tolerance,March 30,2003
  A talk by Murat Yilmaz in Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington.
   
• Ashoora Feast, Prophet Noah's Meal, Mar 12, 2003.
  A gathering to commemorate the end of Great Flood and the escape of prophet Moses from Egypt.
   
•  BMDG Inauguration Ceremony, Mar 8, 2003
  A summary of the talks and some  pictures from the reception.
   
• Conference - Islam & Christianity as Sister Faiths. Feb 18, 2003.
  BMDG and Muslim Student Union of Indiana University cosponsored a talk by Dr. Ahmed Tijani as one of the activities in the Islamic Awareness Month.
   
• Christmas  Celebration, Faith Lutheran Church. Dec 29, 2002.
  BMDG members attended a Sunday Bible study at Faith  Lutheran Church to deliver our Christmas Message to the members of the Church. We would like to thank Pastor Mitchell and all the  people at Faith Lutheran Church for their warm welcome.
   
• Christmas  Celebration, St. Paul Catholic Center. Dec 24, 2002.
  BMDG members joined the Christmas celebrations at St. Paul Catholic Center of Bloomington at the night of Christmas Eve. The BMDG members delivered  our Christmas Message in first hand to  the members and attendees of the Center. We would like to thank to Father  Dan Atkins and the members of the Center for their warm welcoming.
   
• Candle Light Ceremony, St. Paul  Catholic Center. Dec 14, 2002.
  BMDG members attended the Candle Light Ceremony at St. Paul Catholic Center of Bloomington on December  14th, 2002. The BMDG received a warm welcome from Father Dan Atkins and the members of the Center. Everybody prayed for that this would become a  good start for an interfaith dialog and understanding between adherents of the two faiths.

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