Interfaith Harmony Week Online Discussion/Forum

In recognition of World Interfaith Harmony week, which is recognized annually in the first week of February, International Association of Youth and Students for Peace (IAYSP) co-hosted an online discussion/forum with Dinner Table Talk (DTT) podcast hosts as moderators. The theme for the event was “Religion’s Role in the World”.

After reaching out to the public through social media about which religions they would like to hear more about, the online discussion was held on February 7, 2021 via facebook livestream. IAYSP had the honor of hosting two guest speakers: Imam Shamsi Ali representing Islam, and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati representing Hinduism. Both speakers gave wonderful words of wisdom, and shared about their personal and faith’s views on the questions prompted by the event moderators, Soonmee Iwasaki and Stephanie Dias. 

Imam Ali leads the Jamaica Muslim Center, the largest Muslim community center in NYC. He is also the founder and President of Nusantara Foundation, a non profit focusing on building peace and harmony between peoples of all backgrounds. The foundation’s website is https://berbagi.link/nusantarafoundation

The name “Imam” is a title in Arabic for a leader in a community. 

Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, PhD is a renowned spiritual leader in India. She is Secretary-General of Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, launched by UNICEF, the first alliance of  religious leaders for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. Sadhviji is also Director of the world-famous  International Yoga Festival.

Similar to “Imam”, “Sadhvi” is a title for a woman who follows the renunciation tradition of Hinduism. Men of this tradition have the title of “Swami”.

Her websites include: sadhviji.org, washalliance.org, and divineshaktifoundation.org.

To watch the full recorded discussion click HERE.