Event Archive
Sufi Women Organization Delegates Represent Sufism and Islam
at the Parliament of the World's Religions in South Africa,
1999
 CAPE
TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA -- After the amazingly successful 100th
anniversary of the original 1893 Parliament of the World's
Religions was held in Chicago in 1993, it was decided to
organize future sessions of the Parliament every 5-6 years
at various international sites. Thus it was that Cape Town,
South Africa was selected as the host of the 1999 Parliament.
Jointly
organized by an International Interreligious Planning Committee,
the Directors and staff of the Chicago-based Council for
a Parliament of the World's Religions, and the African Advisory
Committee, the Cape Town Parliament events were spread over
several venues in the central area of the city, including
the University of Cape Town, Cape Technikon, Good Hope Centre,
the Civic Centre, and the old Cape Town City Hall.
The
program began on December 1st with an opening ceremony at
Company Gardens, speeches by Government Ministers and blessings
from religious representatives, followed by a procession
of religious representatives through central Cape Town.
The first of many Plenary Sessions of the Parliament was
held that afternoon in a large auditorium of the Good Hope
Centre. Speakers were drawn from the Parliament Committees,
our South African hosts, and various religious bodies. Every
evening during the Parliament, some sort of entertainment
or talk was offered at the same venue, the highest audience
attendance being for former South African President Nelson
Mandela's welcoming speech on December 5th and for the Dalai
Lama's talk at the final Plenary gathering on December 8th.
Adjacent to the auditorium in the Good Hope Centre were
several large rooms in which booths were set up and occupied
by various international and local organizations.
Honored
Delegates from around the world
and all faith traditions gathered at the
Opening Session for the Parliament of the World Religions.
IAS
and Sufi Women at the Parliament
From
December 2-8, performances, seminars, lectures and workshops
on various topics were scheduled in classrooms of the Cape
Technikon complex every morning and every afternoon. Seyyedeh
Dr. Nahid Angha, founder of the Sufi
Women Organization, led a workshop on the community
building projects of the Sufi Women Organization, and participated
in a roundtable discussion on the Earth Charter. Following
is a description of the presentations:
Women
in Islam: The Sufi Women Organization's Role in Promoting
Universal Human Rights
The
lecture will begin with a brief discussion of the historical
role of women in Islam, moving on towards current conceptual
issues within the Muslim world, in terms of both cultural
and religious values. Looking towards the next century
and the increasing opportunities for women, Dr. Angha
will introduce the Sufi women Organizations (SWO), a humanitarian,
non political, non sectarian organization. SWO has been
laying foundations for a dialogue of creative engagement,
among the Sufi women of the world, committed to promote
the recognition and disseminationof universal human rights
with a focus on women's rights. Being committed to a culture
of equal rights, the SWO has been been successful in bringing
Sufi women of the world together for the goal of promoting
its universal mission.
Prominent
Religious Leaders Respond to the Earth Charter
In this session prominent representatives of different
religious and spiritual traditions reflect on the ethics
and implications of the Earth Charter from their own ethical
traditions. Panelists will illustrate principles of the
Earth Charter which are in convergence with their own
tradition and will discuss the potential of the Earth
Charter to serve as an ethical common ground for global
action to promote a sustainable and compassionate future
for the earth community. Mary Evelyn Tucker will moderate
the discussion. Presenters included: Seyyedeh Dr. Nahid
Angha, Soka Gakkai Al Albergate, Laurence Arturo, The
Very Reverend James Parks Morton, Karan Singh, Chair of
Board, Dr. L.M. Singhvi, Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, Dada
Vaswani, and Tu Weiming.
During
the final three days of the Parliament, a select Assembly
of religious leaders and scholars were invited to meet in
morning and afternoon sessions at a separate location (in
the Civic Centre) to discuss "The Call" document
and practical means of implementing it. Seyyedeh
Dr. Nahid Angha was among the selected leaders
invited to participate in this group, representing Sufis
and Muslims.
Gifts
of Service to the World
At
the Parliament, the assembly will issue a "Call to
our Guiding Institutions"; inviting governments, religions,
educational institutions and the like to make changes and
contributions to the world. "The Call to Our Guiding
Institutions will provide inspiration and direction for
those wishing to offer gifts of service to the world. To
give such a gift is an expression of a fundamental spiritual
inclination towards generosity, caring, hospitality, compassion,
and good will. The extent to which goodness has existed
in the world has always been directly related to the giving
of such gifts and the spirit in which they are given. In
spite of the progress made through ambitious endeavors and
noble institutions, the fate of the world continues to rest
on such gifts -- and now, more than ever." (From the
CPWR site) Possible gifts might range from: resolving conflicts
within one's own family to working for reconciliation in
a troubled community; from a local community's outreach
to women, children, and the poor to a personal offering
of regular prayer or meditation; from the fostering of spiritual
renewal to the promotion of structural social justice; and
so on.
The Sufi
Women Organization, Sufi
Youth International, Sufism
and Psychology Forum, and the IAS
Prison and Literacy Project offered the following
Gifts of Service to the World at the Parliament of the World's
Religion's Conference in Cape Town, South Africa:
Sufi
Women Organization
The
SWO -- a humanitarian, non-political, non-sectarian organization
-- has undertaken a variety of gifts of services. In its
ongoing effort to help women and children in Indonesia,
the SWO allocates donations from various SWO Chapters
and delivers much needed supplies to Jakarta, Padenglang,
Tanjung, Priok, Aceh and neighboring areas. The goal is
to collect enough money to provide food, supplies, and
clothing to student activity groups and the elderly. Reports
of the project will be published online and in the SWO
newsletters. In addition to their work in Indonesia, the
SWO also hosts and organizes and annual Interfaith Women's
Conference. All SWO efforts are celebrated and solidified
through WO luncheons every six weeks, where outstanding
women speakers share their spiritual journey with a large
audience. [Learn more about the Sufi
Women Organization]
Sufi
Youth International
SYI
is an international network of Sufi youth dedicated to
serving their community through mentorship programs and
social service projects. As a network of youth, the SYI
has been involved in numerous interfaith projects designed
to create reflective leadership development programs and
peer counseling projects. As a Gift of Service to the
World offered at the 1999 Parliament, SYI would like to
use their resources to foster relationships with community
service programs and to encourage more youth involvement
in community development. SYI will speak with local school
representatives to find ways in which community service
can be encourage within local communities. [Learn more
about Sufi
Youth International]
Sufism
Psychology Forum
The
SPF is continuing dialogue between people of the mind
and soul who have established numerous Healing Centers
in the United States. The Healing centers provide individual
and group counseling and psychotherapy, integrating traditional
sufi healing practices with Western psychology. In an
effort to promote a broadening of perspectives within
the field of psychology, SPF members will launch an extensive
and ongoing research project dedicated to defining the
psychological benefits of meditative practices in relation
to a wide variety of healing models. Portions of these
research projects will be published online and in the
SPF newsletters. [Learn more about the Sufism
and Psychology Forum]
IAS
Prison and Literacy Projects
The
goals of the Prison and Literacy Projects is to promote
health and personal responsibility for physical, mental,
and spiritual health in order to increase self-understanding
and self-acceptance. These projects focus on developing
libraries within prisons and lower-income communities,
establishing healing relationships with inmates, and bringing
needed information and supplies to prisons and lower-income
communities. With the support of the Sufi Women Organization,
the prison and Literacy Projects will begin a Breast Cancer
Awareness Program for female inmates. The program will
also include a series of workshops to teach inmates about
breast cancer and self-exams. In addition, the programs
will gather relevant medical information and disseminate
it among inmates and prison officials. [Learn more about
the IAS
Prison Project and the IAS
Literacy Project]
The
Parliament of the World's Religions was a historic event
as foremost religious leaders from around the world gathered
to discuss peaceful resolutions to global problems. The
International Association of Sufism is please to have been
able to offer a great deal to the discussion and action.
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