University of the Incarnate Word - Islamic Conference 2002




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Speakers for the Conference, Symposium, Panels, and Youth Conversation

Malika Abdul-Jami, is a curriculum consultant for Al-Hadi Muslim School in Houston, the Vice-President of the San Antonio Muslim Women's Association, and a founding member of the Tri-faith Dialogue. She is a Reading Specialist for the San Antonio Independent School District at Page Middle School. She volunteers doing ministry for the Detention Ministries for Bexar County.

Dr. Glenn Ambrose is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at UIW. He recently completed studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He is a Roman Catholic theologian interested in religious pluralism, a husband and a proud father of a baby son.

Hajj Mustafa Ali is the designated representative of the Sufi master Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri in the United States. He lives in Houston and holds regular gatherings of "dhikr" and instruction in the art of the Sufi Way. He is also engaged in writing and publishing books and he hosts the web site http://www.nuradeen.com/. Hajj Mustafa Ali has traveled throughout the world and has taught communities of seekers in Canada, America, Pakistan, and South Africa.

Cathy Arends is a core member of the peaceCENTER (www.salsa.net/peace) and has worked with counseling and euducation from elementary school to college. She is on the Mayor's Commission for a United San Antonio and was one of the finalists for the Unity of Humanity award. She is developing a practice in Life Coaching and facilitating many groups.

Byrd Bonner is the President of the Texas Conference of Churches, a unique honor for a lay person. Byrd, an attorney, is the first Executive Director of the United Methodist Foundation. Byrd is a lay leader of the Southwest Texas Annual Conference and Travis Park United Methodist Church in San Antonio where he teaches confirmation classes. He is active in the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and has served on multiple committees of that agency. He has provided leadership in the South Central (8 state) Jurisdiction and for the denomination.

Salwa Arnous Elaydi, was born in Jaffa, Palestine, and has lived in Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, and now resides in San Antonio. Her vibrant paintings, strong Islamic designs, and delicate print-making tell stories of her deep faith, her longing for home, and her persistent exploration of art as a means of understanding and healing. An exhibit of her art will be displayed in the UIW Fine Arts Building March 1 to 15, 2002.

Dr. Francis Musa Boakari teaches in the International Education and Entrepreneurship graduate program at UIW. He brings experience both from Sierra Leone and Brazil. His research specializations are Africans of the diaspora and education; determinants of success among minority students and professionals; schooling and citizenship construction in the former Brazilian slave havens.

Rosalyn Collier, is on the core team of the peaceCENTER, www.salsa.net/peace. She uses her background in counseling to help build peaceful and just relationships. Recently she and other leaders of the peaceCENTER authored Living Faithfully in a Violent World: Walking Jesus' Path of Peace.

Ray Cross, MA in English (UTSA), completed a BA at UIW after retirement from the Army and teaches writing for international students at Incarnate Word. He is a trained mediator and a deacon at St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church.

Dora Fitzgerald, UIW Communication Arts Faculty, teaches video production and bring her experience from working in local television. Her research has focused on race and ethnicity in the mdeia. She will show examples from contemporary films.

Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan serves as the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Am (Jewish Reconstructionist Federation). She is currently studying towards a doctorate in Hebrew Studies (Rabbinic Literature) at UT at Austin. She teaches for the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School at the Jewish Campus, and is the author of the Jewish Parents' Almanac. She is married to Avraham Danan, a Moroccan-born Sephardic Jew, and they have five children.

Dr. Saber Elaydi, Professor of Mathematics at Trinity University, originally from Gaza, Palestine, has taught in Egypt, Kuwait, and the U.S. He has helped build understanding of the Arab community and culture. He is one of the San Antonio group which drafted the letter to President Bush in support of peace in the Middle East. Last year he had a Fullbright Fellowship to teach at Bier Zeit University in Ramallah, West Bank.

Dr. Mansour El-Kikhia, Associate Professor of Political Science at UTSA, has particular interest in international relations and comparative politics. His current research includes Islamic fundamentalism in North Africa and Central Asia and economic issues in the Middle East. He has been a weekly commentator on Voice of America on Middle Eastern issues. He serves as faculty advisor for the UTSA Muslim Student Organization and the Model United Nations Organization. El-Kikhia was the keynote speaker at the Arab Organization for Human Rights Conference on human rights in the Arab World sponsored by the United Nations in 1999. He has been a resident of seven countries.

Iman Nadir Faris grew up in Palestine and his family is still there. He studied religion in Turkey and eventually settled in the U.S. He serves at two mosques including the one at the Fort Sam Houston. He has been been active in the dialogue of Jews, Muslims, and Christians seeking Middle East peace.

Barbie Gorelick was the winner of the Mind Science Foundation Imaginer Award in 2001 for her creative work in many areas including building inter-faith dialogues in San Antonio. She works with religious education at Congregation Beth Am and has been a leader in religious education at Temple Beth El, and a teacher at the Circle School. She is a founder and leader of the Tri-faith Dialogue. She is on the core team of the peaceCENTER.

Marian Haddad, a Syrian American, has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing-Poetry from San Diego State University and was an associate editor for Poetry International. She has done graduate work in prose poetry at Emerson College and in philosophy at The University of Notre Dame under a fellowship from The National Endowment for the Humanities. She has been anthologized in Milkweed Editions' Stories from Where We Live: The California Coast, edited by Sara St. Antoine. Her work is also forthcoming in an anthology tentatively titled 100 Texas Poets edited by Naomi Shihab Nye, to be published by Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins). Her poetry and essays have appeared in various literary journals. She has recently completed her first booklength manuscript of poetry entitled Somewhere Between Mexico and a River Called Home.

The Rev. Caleb Harms is one of the San Antonio group which drafted the letter to President Bush in support of peace in the Middle East. He works at the peaceCENTER and says, "Peace has been a part of my life as long as I can remember." He has served congregations in Detroit, MI and Philadelphia, PA.

The Rev. Ann E. Helmke, a Lutheran (ELCA) minister, is an award-winning peace-maker, author, and leader at the peaceCENTER of San Antonio and La Casa de Maria y Marta. See www.salsa.net/peace Recently she and other leaders of the peaceCENTER authored Living Faithfully in a Violent World: Walking Jesus' Path of Peace.

Sister Alice Holden, D.Min., an Incarnate Word Sister, poet, T'ai Chi Chih instructor, and spiritual director serves at the Center For Spirituality and the Arts. She has nurtured the network of artistic creators and spiritual seekers in the San Antonio area.

Sarwat Husain is on the Mayor's Commission for a United San Antonio. She has been involved in business and education and directs Fundamentals Pre-K and Child Development Center. She holds an M.A. from UIW. She is a member of the Muslim community of San Antonio and frequently does presentations on Islam and is involved in inter-religious conversations.

Hallelujah Khalil Khalil, from the beginning of his life -- as a child raised in Cairo, Eqypt -- was taught to devote himself to God's will through the recitation of the Koran. Currently a resident of Berlin, Germany, Khalil devotes himself to teaching students the beauty of the 99 attributes of God, and their connection through language and phonetics training. Very universal in his approach to spirituality, Khalil is also available for private training sessions. For information on this, e-mail: moroneys@ix.netcom.com

Dr. Jessica Kimmel, Associate Professor of Education at UIW, teaches in the doctoral program and has special interest in cultural and gender influences on education. Last summer she had a grant to do research in the Middle East where she interviewed Jewish, Christian, and Muslim women.

Sister Martha Ann Kirk, Th.D., Professor of Religious Studies at UIW, has written Biblical Women's Stories: Tears, Milk, and Honey and has a forthcoming book Women of Bible Lands: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Inner and Outer Journeys that associates writings by and about ancient Christian, Jewish, and Muslim women with sites in the Middle East. For information on her study tours to the Middle East, see http://www.uiw.edu/holylandtour/index.htm

Pat Konstam, is on the board of the SoL (Source of Light) Center sponsored by University Presbyterian Church. She is one of the San Antonio group which drafted the letter to President Bush in support of peace in the Middle East. She is a Presbyterian and a retired journalist who has been active in Jewish-Christian dialogue for many years and more recently in dialogue with Muslims. Her husband and son are Jewish, their family has lived in Israel, and they celebrate Jewish holidays in their home. Currently Konstam and her husband are active in the small lay-led New Jewish Congregation.

The Rev. William Lytle is Pastor Emeritus of Madison Square Presbyterian, having served as pastor there from 1973-1991. He has been involved with a variety of peace and justice issues during the last twenty-eight years in San Antonio. Most recently he has gathered Muslims, Jews, and Christians to draft an open letter in support of justice and peace in the Middle East.

Sylvia Maddux, has been a leader in education in the Episcopal church helping in the formation of those preparing for ministry, working with both adults and children at Reconciliation Church, and co-authoring CELTIC SAINTS. She has been active in the National Conference for Community and Justice (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews), presents frequently on spirituality, and teaches part time at UIW.

Avram Mandell is the Religious Education Director at Temple Beth El. Previously he was at Hebrew University in Los Angeles. He has taught religious school for the past 10 years and has a Masters in Jewish Education. He has worked for U.A.H.C camps and NFTY for the past 10 years as well. He brings, not only education background, but joy in camping, playing basketball, rollerblading, and playing the drum. http://www.beth-elsa.org/be_teachers.htm

Michael Mercer, UIW Assistant Professor of Communication Arts and Advisor to the LOGOS newspaper, is a native of Tennessee. Before coming to UIW, he taught at Auburn University in Alabama and has been a veteran newpaper writer.

Dr. Julie Miller, a graduate of Harvard, is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at UIW. She has done work in Feminist Theology and Ethics. She is a board member of the University Presbyterian Church SOL Center working on issues of inter-religious dialogue.

Sister Sally Mitchell, teaches World Religions on-line for the UIW Virtual University serving people around the world. She is the Dean of Preparatory Programs which involves creative educational links with the elementary and high schools associated with UIW in the program called the Brainpower Connection.

Nasirbanu Moody, an Ismaili Muslim, is on the Interreligious Council of San Antonio. From Kenya and of Indian background, she was taught the importance of compassionate service to the community. As a nurse in the U.S. rooted in her tradition, she has participated in faith based service activities.

Christopher and Covita Moroney are the directors of SAVAE, the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble which has earned international fame for interpreting the old music of New Spain on the albums, Native Angels and Guadalupe. Their work has been featured on NPR. Their albums have ranked on Border's Music "Top Ten Best Sellers" and on Amazon.com's classical "Chart Toppers." Now in their upcoming CD, the early music ensemble is exploring ancient music of the Middle East. The vocalists accompany themselves with shofar (Jewish ceremonial ram's horn), dumbek (ancient drum), oud (Persian proto-lute), harp, kamenche (four-string spike fiddle), pslatery, and muzmar (a type of oboe). This conference will be enriched by musical delights of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. All the children of Abraham like music. Other members of SAVAE are Tanya Moczygenba, Jody Noblett, Kathy Mayer, Sonya Yamin, and Lee P'Pool. To learn more of SAVAE, see http://moroneys.home.netcom.com/index.html

Hajj Ali Moshirsadri from Iran presents extensively helping the San Antonio Community understand Islam. He has been a leader in the Tri-faith Dialogue.

Chriselda Pacheco recently graduated from UIW in English, Communication Arts, and Latin American Studies. She studied in Brazil in the UIW special program there. She initiated the Social Justice page of the UIW newspaper, the Logos, and was a leader of the UIW chapter of Amnesty International.

Dr. Moumin Quazi is a second generation citizen of the U.S. whose father is from Pakistan and whose mother is from Colorado. Quazi's dissertation, "The Blurred Boundaries Between Film and Fiction in Salmon Rushdi's Midnight's Children, The Satanic Verses, and Selected Other Works," examines the significant effect of film in Rushdi's postcolonial voice.

Michaela Rangel recently graduated from UIW in Religious Studies and Spanish. She received the Spanish Honors Student Award while there. She is pursuing graduate studies in Theology and Law.

Dr. Sally Said is a linguist and teaches Spanish and English at UIW. Co-author of a children's book based on folktales of the Sudan, she has continued her research in the Middle East and serves as a campus mediator.

Audrey Shabbas is nationally recognized as one of the pre-eminent instructors on the Arab world and the Middle East and is listed in "Who's Who of American Teachers." She has over twenty-two years experience in teaching, curriculum development and teacher training about the Middle East and Islam. Her curriculum works include: The Arab World Studies Notebook (printed by the Middle East Policy Council); The Arab World Notebook: For the Secondary School Level; The Arabs: Activities for the Elementary and Middle School; and A Medieval Banquet in the Alhambra Palace, the curriculum chosen by Sidwell Friends School for their study of Islam, and a culminating event in which the president and Mrs. Clinton and daughter Chelsea participated.

A long time member of The National Council for the Social Studies, she has served as a presidential appointee to its Equity and Social Justice Committee, and as chair of the International Human RightsEducation Special Interest Group. She is a regular presenter for Social Studies educator conferences-- state, regional and national--as well as for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Association for Multicultural Education, and the National Association for Bilingual Education, among others.

In 1985, Ms. Shabbas was asked by the United Nations to organize in New York a workshop on the question "How To Work With Educational Institutions: Schools and Libraries." She was asked by the United Nations to return in order to develop a training program in "How To Organize Successful Teacher Workshops" for the International NGO Symposium in Geneva, and participated in United Nations forums on issues of Israeli/Palestinian peace. During many of these meetings at the United Nations, Ms. Shabbas chaired drafting committees, chaired floor fights over final declarations, acted as Rapporteur for final draft declarations, and has brought opposing factions together for resolution of conflict Ò mediating between opposing positions in order to bring them into common consensus.

Her work has been honored by the University of Pennsylvania, which presented her with their Janet Lee Stevens Award (1992) for contributions to Arab American understanding. She is listed in Who's Who in American Education, The World's Who's Who of Women and the Dictionary of International Biography. She is the founder and director of the non-profit organization, AWAIR: Arab World And Islamic Resources, Berkeley, California. To learn more about Audrey Shabbas, see http://www.mepc.org/workshops/shabbas.html

Imam Omar Shakir is the Resident Imam, of Masjid Luqman in San Antonio and in this position has received two Outstanding Leadership Awards. Imam Shakir is a regular participant in ecumenical services, and interfaith dialog. He lectures, at many of the local Colleges, Universities, Churches, on the Religion of Al-Islam. He has done several local, and cable public access T.V. shows. Currently, he is employed by the Texas Department Of Criminal Justice, as a full-time, Imam, (Chaplain). He assists with the coordination of Islamic services on twenty-four units, and he is also the Resident Imam of Masjid Bilal Ibn Ra'bah of San Antonio. He is active in the Muslim American Society, serves on the Mayor's Commission for a United San Antonio, and is on the Advisory Board of The San Antonio Express News paper.

Nazli Siddiqui, born and educated in Pakistan, is an employment consultant and free lance writer. She has been active in community religious and cultural affairs. She is married and has a daughter and a son.

Murat Tas, originally of Turkey is the Director for European and Middle Eastern Initiatives and a Ph.D. candidate at UIW. He also is a professor of Computer Science at San Antonio Community College. In Turkey, he worked with the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Air Force.

Mahmud Yusuf from Pakistan is the Director of International Administration at the UIW International Conference Center. He has a rich background speaking six languages and working in different parts of the world in hospitality and business.

YOUTH PANEL, SUNDAY 12:30 P.M.

Moderated by Prof. Ray Cross and Dr. Sally Said of UIW

Rolla Alaydi, a graduate student in Education at UIW, is a native of Gaza. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science from Beir Zeit University in Ramallah, West Bank, where she also worked in the Sociology Library. Rolla, as one of the top students in her class, was chosen to participate in the Teen Camp Program for Computers of the Egypt Almokatam with other student leaders from Arab countries. She has taught special classes for elementary students, done secretarial work, and has experience in field work for Al-Ayyan newspaper and for Aswak Advertizing Company.

Toni Andrews, recently graduated from UIW where she was a leader in many student activities, the president of the Student Government Association and in conjunction with that on the Board of Trustees of UIW. She participated in the special Brazilian Studies Program and then worked with the International Students office at UIW. Toni is a member of Temple Beth El Synagogue.

Clara Diaz, of Sonora, Mexico, is a Catholic Christian and an award-winning International Business student at UIW. She has traveled in the Middle East and Taiwan and currently she is doing an internship in building bridges between Mexican and U.S. businesses. She has done many fine performances with the I.W. Ballet School.

Mustafa Faris attends Patneff Middle School. He is Palestinian American and has visited relatives in the Middle East learning and sharing across cultures. He enjoys science and basketball. His father is a leader in the S.A. Muslim Community.

Fidel Fares recently came to San Antonio from Turkey. Fidel, a student in Business Administration at San Antonio College, will share about his Muslim heritage.

Vanessa Montano, a junior at I.W. High School, is a Catholic active in the Spirit Club and the Health and Nutrition Club. She particularly likes ballet dancing and piano playing.

Philip Moss, a junior at Alamo Heights High School, attends Temple Beth El, a Reform Jewish congregation. He is active with their youth group, SAFTY, the San Antonio Federation of Temple Youth.

Shira Danan, a junior at Alamo Heights High School, is a member of Congregation Beth Am (Reconstructionist Jews) where she heads the teen committee which plans monthly social events and social action projects. She is very involved in Young Judaea, which is a national Zionist youth movement. Shira founded and runs monthly meetings for the "Young Judaea's" elementary/middle school group and is the regional elementary/middle school programmer.

Meghan Kennedy, a junior at I.W. High School, is active in the Catholic Youth Group at her church and teaches religious education to small children there. She loves ballet dancing.

Christine King, a junior at I.W. High School, is the secretary of Student Council a basketball player. She serves as a Eucharistic Minister in her local Catholic church.

Rebekah Planto, a senior at Alamo Heights High School, teaches music and religious education at Temple Beth El. She is an active member in SAFTY, the San Antonio Federation of Temple Youth, and NFTY where she often leads songs and programs, or tefillot. She has also gained experience by attending the Greene Family Camp and Kutz Leadership Academy. See http://www.beth-elsa.org/be_teachers.htm

Hajar Moshisadri, a Iranian-American Muslim, goes to Marshall High School where she is active in the Student Council and the Honor Society. Hajar enjoys singing with the choir and playing tennis.

Gabriel Radle is a junior at St. Anthony's High School. He plays the violin, the piano, and contributes to the school liturgical choir. He assists with high school C.C.D. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.

Malak Yusuf, a Pakistani-American Muslim, goes to Incarnate Word High School where she has been on the high honor roll and active in soccer. She has won awards for outstanding community service and currently bring joy to the elderly at I.W. Retirement Center.

Representatives of St. Anthony Catholic High School will also be sharing.