Annual Report 2001-2002 The Bahá'í Chair for ... - Steiner Graphics

1Annual Report 2001-2002The Bahá’í Chair for World PeaceCenter for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM)The University of Maryland

2CONTENTSThis report has been prepared by the staff of the Baha’i Chair for World Peace and the Center for InternationalDevelopment and Conflict Management. For more information about any of the publications, courses or programsassociated with the Baha’i Chair, please write, call or e-mail:The Bahá’í Chair for World PeaceCenter for International Development and Conflict ManagementTydings HallUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, Maryland 20742Voice: (301) 314-7714 and 314-7715Fax: (301) 314-9256Email: bushrui@cidcm.umd.eduWeb site: www.cidcm.umd.edu/bahaichair© 2002 The Bahá’í Chair for World PeaceAcknowledgements: The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace has been made possible through the generous support ofthe Bahá’í community in the United States and abroad, the University of Maryland and other institutions, and individualcontributors.Note: The current report covers the period from January 2001 to April 2002 and includes some material publishedpreviously in interim reports and supplements.

3IMission StatementAcademic Courses“Global Ethics: Confronting the Major Issues”“The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race”IILectures and PapersLecture at the Library of Congress:“Globalization and the Bahá’í Community in the Muslim World”Paper presented at the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe:“The Bahá’í International Community and Globalization”Keynote address at the 13th Annual Equity Conference, University of Maryland, College Park:“The Unity of Vision and Ethic: Values in the Workplace”The L. M. Singhvi-Temenos Interfaith Lecture for the year 2001The Temenos Academy, LondonEssay for The Earth has no Corners - Felicitation volume on the 70th Birthday of Dr. Karan SinghIIIConferences, Seminars and Research ProjectsConference: “On the Advancement of Women and Men in a Global Civil Society”Spring/Summer 2001International Seminar: “A Dialogue of Civilizations–A Culture of Peace”July 9-15, 2001Conference: “The Human Condition in the New Century”September 2001Forthcoming Conference: “The XIth International Conference on Thinking”July 21st- 27th, 2003IVOther ActivitiesBahá’í Chair sponsors a lecture by Dr. Ann Killebrew“Akka Past and Present: The Archeology and Heritage of a Multicultural City”Bahá’í Chair and Howard University co-sponsor an interfaith panel on “Faith, Spirituality and theIntegrating World”House of Lords hosts a Diplomatic Luncheon in honor of Bahá’í Chair ProfessorBahá’í Chair invited by the Club of Budapest to join Planetary Ethics AllianceBahá’í Chair receives delegation from JordanBahá’í Chair recognized at workshop on conflict and peaceBahá’í Chair Professor interviewed on BBC Outlook program for St. Valentine’s Day

4CONTENTS

5VBooks and publicationsForthcoming:Wisdom of the ArabsEnvironmental Ethics: A Bahá’í PerspectivePublished:Education as Transformation: Religious Pluralism, Spirituality, and a New Vision forHigher Education in AmericaPeace Education: Contexts and ValuesEssays on HinduismThe Spiritual Foundation of Human RightsDivisive Barbarity or Global Civilization: The Ethical Dimensions of Science, Art, Religion, and PoliticsAlternative Forms of Conflict Resolution: A Pathway to PeaceThe Style of the Kitab-i-AqdasRetrieving our Spiritual Heritage: A Challenge for Our TimeVIVisiting Scholars and Student InternshipsAnnouncement:The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Eighth Annual LectureMay 31, 2002Endnotes:Bahá’í Chair for World Peace International Advisory BoardContact InformationThe University of Maryland at College ParkThe College of Behavioral and Social SciencesThe Center for International Development and Conflict Management

6MISSION STATEMENT

7The mission of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland is to develop alternatives to theviolent resolution of conflict through conflict management, global education, international development and spiritualawareness; to share the experience of the Bahá’í world community in building a global society; and to offer thatcommunity as a model for study. To this end the Chair engages in a wide range of activities. It conducts andpublishes research, designs and teaches courses, and organizes seminars and international conferences. Its variousinitiatives are designed to promote awareness of the factors that create conflicts within and between nations andassist in the search for peaceful solutions to resolve them. Its work assumes that all legitimate forms of humanexpression, including literature, poetry, music and art, have a role to play in producing understandings that lead topeace.To fulfill its mandate, the Bahá’í Chair maintains close liaison with numerous like-minded spiritual, educational andresearch institutions located throughout the world, including the Temple of Understanding (U.S.), UniversidadNur (Bolivia), State University of Bahia (Brazil), the Temenos Academy (U.K.), the Club of Budapest (Hungary),the Peace University of Berlin (Germany), The International Academy for Human Sciences and Culture (Switzerland),the University of Indore (India), Wellesley University (U.S.), and the Tanenbaum Center for InterreligiousUnderstanding (U.S.). In addition, Professor Suheil Badi Bushrui, the first holder of the Bahá’í Chair, is frequentlycontacted by print, radio and television media for commentary on cultural and religious affairs. In particular, he iswidely quoted in the Arabic press. Professor Bushrui’s Arabic language work, including newspaper articles, is especiallysignificant for the development of a non-English vocabulary of conflict resolution.

8ACADEMIC COURSES

9SECTION I: ACADEMIC COURSESBahá’í Chair helps design global ethics course at University of MarylandThe Bahá’í Chair recently helped design an undergraduate honors course entitled “Global Ethics: Confronting theMajor Issues.” The course is designed to challenge students to think about issues of right and wrong, as well aspersonal and professional responsibility, in current events and in their day-to-day lives. The Bahá’í Chair professorteaches the first five sessions of the course, drawing on the common elements of humanity’s spiritual heritage toaddress such questions as: “Where do notions of right and wrong come from?” and “What is the role of religion andspirituality in developing systems of values and guidelines for moral behavior?”The readings for the course include Divisive Barbarity or Global Civilization: The Ethical Dimensions of Science, Art,Religion and Politics. This volume comprises the proceedings of the Fourth International Dialogue on the Transitionto a Global Society, sponsored by the Bahá’í Chair in 1995, and includes a forward by Amatu’l-Bahá RúhíyyihKhánum, a senior dignitary of the Bahá’í International Community who passed away in 2000.In his introductory lecture, delivered to some 60 undergraduate students on January 28, 2002, Professor Bushruisaid:“The elements that define virtue in human beings do not belong to the material world of things, but rather to theintangible world of the heart and spirit and to the mysterious undefinable portion of the divine in each of us - thatwhich we call conscience.“The dialogue conducted over the ages and between cultures has always raised crucial questions: Who am I? Fromwhence did I come? Whither am I bound? What is the purpose of life on earth? How can we balance freedom withorder, competition with equality, beauty with practicality, continuity with change, loyalty to one’s own kind withprofound respect for others?“Responses to such questions have differed richly over time and space. By exploring the diverse cultural and spiritualheritage of the human race and its many civilizations we can learn lessons of how to address anew these primordialquestions.”For the third session of the course on February 11, 2002, the Bahá’í Chair organized an interfaith panel whererepresentatives of major religions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Bahá’í) each gave personalreflections on how their faith informs their approach to personal and societal ethics, particularly in an age of globalization.“The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race”Undergraduate Honors Course (A University Core Course)The Baha’i Chair continued to teach a popular undergraduate honors course and a university core course on “TheSpiritual Heritage of the Human Race.” Since it was first offered in 1993, the course has pioneered an approachto religious studies that emphasizes the need to explore the commonalities among the world’s major religions.The course has postulated that a recognition and understanding of humanity’s common religious heritage isrequired in order to realize the goals of unity, cooperation and peace. Once a codification of the truths commonto all religions has been made, efforts can be undertaken towards forming a global code of ethics which incorporatesall that is best in humanity’s shared spiritual heritage. The progressive development of humankind’s spiritualawareness and understanding is studied in the course by:> Tracing the history of world religions chronologically through related cultural and geographic regions;> Explaining the cultural influences that shaped and articulated those traditions;> Identifying common themes and expressions in religious development;> Relating historical data to the contemporary Western situation;> Engaging students in both field research and seminar preparation, utilizing the scriptures that are at theroot of each faith.

10LECTURES AND PAPERS

11The class program includes a close reading of original texts as well as specially edited material with notes and commentariesby the instructors. A textbook based on the lectures is under preparation. The readings also include acompilation of Essays on Hinduism, by distinguished Indian statesman Dr. Karan Singh, which was published in1999 by the Bahá’í Chair.SECTION II: LECTURES AND PAPERS“Globalization and the Bahá’í Community in the Muslim World”A Presentation at the Library of CongressJanuary 30, 2001On January 30, 2001, the Bahá’í Chair professor delivered a presentation at the Library of Congress in WashingtonDC on the subject of “Globalization and the Bahá’í Community in the Muslim World.” Professor Bushrui’s talk waspart of a symposium organized by the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress entitled“Globalization and Minorities in Muslim Societies at the Start of the Third Millennium.” The symposium featuredtwo panels composed of distinguished academics, journalists and international civil servants who shared their perspectiveson globalization and its effects on religious and ethnic minorities in the Muslim world.The seminar was especially noteworthy in that it afforded a unique opportunity for a Bahá’í academic to interact witha range of Islamic scholars from diverse institutions in a mutually supportive, collaborative environment. On apractical level, Professor Bushrui’s comments on minority rights, including Baha’i rights, served as a much-neededcorrective to the pervasive misinformation about religious minorities in the Muslim world. An enthusiastic audienceof approximately 100 persons attended the seminar, including Arab and Muslim diplomats and journalists, scholarsaffiliated with think tanks and institutes related to the Middle East, officers of Non-Governmental Organizations,Congressional staffers, delegates from cultural organizations, and university professors.“The Bahá’í International Community and Globalization”A Paper Prepared by the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace for Presentation atThe North-South Centre of the Council of EuropeApril 2001At the request of the Bahá’í International Community’s UN office in Geneva, the Bahá’í Chair professor prepared apaper, entitled “The Bahá’í International Community and Globalization,” which was presented at the April 2001meeting of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe. This paper was a substantially revised version of thelecture entitled “Globalization and the Bahá’í Community in the Muslim World” delivered by the Bahá’í ChairProfessor at the Library of Congress in January 2001 (see the previous article for a detailed description of this event).“The Unity of Vision and Ethic: Values in the Workplace”Keynote Address at the 13th Annual Equity ConferenceUniversity of Maryland, College ParkMay 1, 2001The Bahá’í Chair Professor delivered the keynote address at the 13th Annual Equity Conference at the University ofMaryland on May 1, 2001. The title of the lecture was “The Unity of Vision and Ethic: Values in the Workplace.”The conference is organized annually by the University of Maryland’s Office of Student Affairs and is open to alluniversity faculty, staff and students.

12LECTURES AND PAPERS

13The L. M. Singhvi-Temenos Interfaith LectureThe Temenos Academy, LondonJune 21, 2001On June 21, 2001 the Bahá’í Chair Professor delivered the L. M. Singhvi-Temenos Interfaith Lecture at the TemenosAcademy in London. The lecture was originally scheduled to be delivered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. ProfessorBushrui shared many of the insights included in his recently published Arabic language book on the Lebanese-American thinkers and writers Ameen Rihani, Kahlil Gibran and Mikhail Naimy. He addressed themes relevant toour increasingly globalized world, including interreligious reconciliation, intercultural dialogue, and the role ofliterature and the arts in producing understandings that lead to peace. In particular, Professor Bushrui offered arésumé of the life and work of Ameen Rihani, whose vision of a global society brought hope to a twentieth centurydeeply immersed in conflict.Professor Bushrui’s lecture took place at the Nehru Centre, the Cultural Wing of the High Commission of India inLondon. The Centre is administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, an autonomous organizationattached to the Ministry of External Affairs. The Temenos Academy is a prestigious cultural institution that operatesunder the distinguished patronage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Dr. L. M. Singhvi endowed theSinghvi lectures as a gift to the Temenos Academy on his retirement as the Indian High Commissioner in London.Following the lecture, Professor Bushrui received a congratulatory letter from Professor Grevel Lindop, Director ofthe Temenos Academy. In part, Professor Lindop wrote: “I learnt a great deal from [your lecture], and came awaywith a list of at least a dozen books which I felt I must read! I hope to explore at least a few of them in the near futurethanks to the stimulus given by your lecture.”“Kahlil Gibran: The Poet of the Culture of Peace”Essay for The Earth Has No Corners:Felicitation Volume on the 70th Birthday of Dr. Karan SinghAn essay by Professor Bushrui entitled “Kahlil Gibran: The Poet of the Culture of Peace” is included in a newfelicitation volume dedicated to His Excellency Dr. Karan Singh. The text of the volume’s dust-jacket states: “Theworld thinkers who have joined include titans of the 20th century like President Vaclev Havel of the Czech Republic,Prof Ervin Laszlo, Prof JK Galbraith, Prof Suheil Bushrui, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Prof Roger Walsh and Dr. RobertMuller, to name a few.”Dr. Singh is an international leader and a prominent figure in the political and cultural life of India. He is a formerAmbassador of India to the United States and now serves as a member of the Upper House of the Indian parliament(Rajya Sabha). Dr. Singh has been a university president and has held cabinet-level portfolios in the Indian government.Currently, he is the World Chairman of the Temple of Understanding (a world interfaith organization ofwhich Professor Bushrui is a member) and is a member of The Club of Rome and The Club of Budapest. Dr. Singhis recognized around the world as one of India’s outstanding thinkers and leaders.Dr. Singh has collaborated with Professor Bushrui on a number of initiatives, and in 1999 the Bahá’í Chair publishedDr. Singh’s book Essays on Hinduism.

14CONFERENCES | SEMINARSRESEARCH PAPERSConference “On the Advancement of Women and Men in a Global Civil Society”Delegates Devaki Jair (development economist and international feminist writer), Juana Conrad (National Spiritual Assemblyof the Bahá'ís of the United States), and Nata Duvvury (International Center for Research on Women) confer during a break.International Seminar “A Dialogue of Civilizations — A Culture of Peace”A selected gathering of the seminar participants.

15SECTION III: CONFERENCES, SEMINARS AND RESEARCH PROJECTSConference: “On the Advancement of Women and Men in a Global Civil Society”College Park, MarylandMay 31 to June 3, 2001The Bahá’í Chair and the Center for International Development and Conflict Management co-organized an internationalconference, “On the Advancement of Women and Men in a Global Civil Society,” held from May 31 to June3, 2001 at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus.The conference was held with the sponsorship of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Statesand the partnership of The Center for American Politics and Citizenship (CAPC), the University of MarylandDepartment of Women’s Studies, The James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, The Program on GeneralDisarmament, and Women in International Security.The themes of the conference included the challenge of reconciling universal human rights with culture-specificnorms that affect the lives of women. Panel discussions and workshops addressed labor and economic rights, violenceagainst women, asylum, abortion rights and questions of security and disarmament. On the second day thefocus shifted to the processes of building transnational networks to empower women and men to change genderrelations by developing, disseminating and applying knowledge. Workshops and roundtables were held on corporatesocial responsibility, the role of women in electoral politics, youth perspectives on gender equity, global-localorganizing and the politics of knowledge, and community-building and leadership.A highlight of the conference was the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Seventh Annual Lecture, delivered by Mrs.Patricia Locke on the subject of “Indigenous Women’s Perspectives on Amity.” Until her passing last year, Mrs.Locke was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and a widely recognizedauthority on educational issues affecting indigenous peoples. She was honored with a MacArthur Fellowship for herwork on the preservation of indigenous languages.International Seminar: “A Dialogue of Civilizations-A Culture of Peace”Walenstadt, SwitzerlandJuly 9 to 15, 2001From July 9 to 15, 2001 the International Academy for Human Sciences and Culture (Walenstadt, Switzerland)presented an international seminar in association with the University of Maryland’s Honors Program and the Centerfor International Development and Conflict Management. The event, organized in honor of the UNESCO InternationalYear of Dialogue Among Civilizations, was held under the able chairmanship of Dr. Assad Ghaemmaghami,the distinguished Swiss educator and psychologist and the Director of the International Academy for Human Sciencesand Culture. The seminar was designed to provide an in-depth study of the culture of peace, a concept that isbased on the belief that human beings and nations can build a better world through peaceful discourse, mutuallybeneficial interactions, and the definition of common values.The program explored innovative approaches in the fields of psychology, education, literature, history, religion,sociology, and art. In his presentation, Dr. Ghaemmaghami described the methodology of a concept developed byhimself known as Psychology of the Capacity to Know and to Love. Through its clear philosophy and methods, thisapproach helps individuals to overcome the ego; increase and connect the capacities of knowing and loving; andpromote peace and service to others.The Bahá’í Chair professor was the guest of honor at the seminar. His presentations examined topics such as theculture of peace, the efforts of CIDCM to promote international peace, intercultural and interreligious dialogue,and overcoming prejudice and conflict. Professor Bushrui also spoke about the spiritual foundation of human rightsand the important role of the arts and literature in establishing peace. To further explore the link between the artsand peace, one evening of the seminar was dedicated to a reading and discussion of the poetry of Jelalu Din al-Rumi.The seminar attracted more than 100 participants, including students, professionals, artists, and politicians. Thenext international seminar is scheduled to take place in July 2002.

16CONFERENCES | SEMINARSRESEARCH PAPERS

17Conference: “The Human Condition in the New Century”Organized by the Russian International Coordinator for Nuclear Disarmament ProjectsLondon, EnglandSeptember 2001In September 2001, a major international conference, “The Human Condition in the New Century,” was held tolaunch the Global Dialogue Initiative, an initiative directed by Mr. Andrey Bykov, the Russian Government’s InternationalCoordinator for Nuclear Disarmament Projects. Mr. Bykov invited the Bahá’í Chair to become a FoundingMember of the enterprise.The Global Dialogue Initiative’s manifesto, A Call for Human Dialogue, which had been signed by more than 60eminent personalities, including Professor Bushrui, was formally presented at the conference. The document outlinessome of the most pressing challenges facing humanity at the present time. The conference focused on specificactions that can be taken to advance global security and human prosperity, including the definition of specific measuresneeded to dispose of a large portion of the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States.Professor Bushrui’s participation in the Global Dialogue Initiative is especially significant because it has resulted informal recognition by a wider scholarly and policy community of the Chair’s holistic approach to issues of peace.Mr. Bykov was appointed by the Russian Government to serve as International Coordinator for Nuclear DisarmamentProjects, a post created under the terms of a Joint Statement signed on June 4, 2000 by U.S. President BillClinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Mr. Bykov hasbeen committed to building and sustaining intercultural and interreligious dialogue as a complement to the traditionalmachinery of international relations. With this goal in mind, Mr. Bykov has formed a team of advisors, whichincludes Professor Bushrui, to help guide his work. The Bahá’í Chair organized a dinner at the University of MarylandInn and Conference Center in honor of Mr. Andrey Bykov on November 14, 2000.Forthcoming: The XIth International Conference on ThinkingOttawa University, Pheonix, ArizonaJuly 21 to 27, 2003On April 11, 2001, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace was honored to sponsor a visit to the University of Marylandby Dr. William Maxwell, an eminent Professor of Education and Educational Psychology at Ottawa University inPheonix, Arizona. Dr. Maxwell traveled to Maryland in his capacity as Chair of the Organizing Committee of theXIth International Conference on Thinking, which will take place in Phoenix from July 21-27, 2003. The theme ofthe conference will be “Paradigm Shifts in all Disciplines,” and Dr. Maxwell and his colleagues are inviting leaders inall major disciplines to present reviews of past, present and anticipated paradigm shifts (defined as major changes inthe models used to explain the universe).The Thinking Conferences began in 1982 at The University of the South Pacific, with 250 scholars from all majordisciplines, from anthropology to zoology, representing more than 40 universities in 14 nations. The IXth Conferencewas held at Auckland, New Zealand, in January 2001 (see www.breakthroughs.co.nz); and the Xth will be inBritain, co-hosted by Cambridge, London and Oxford Universities in 2002 (see www.changing-minds.org.uk).Dr. Maxwell contacted the Bahá’í Chair Professor for assistance in identifying disciplinary leaders and other prominentpersonalities who can potentially serve as conference delegates or featured speakers. In response, the Bahá’íChair Professor hosted a small working luncheon attended by, among others, Dr. Katherine Beardsley, AssistantDean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Dr. Maxwell, Dr. Beardsley and Dr. Bushrui reached anagreement to pursue formal collaboration in the planning of the conference. The Bahá’í Chair professor suggestedother institutions that could be recruited to serve as conference co-sponsors and furnished Dr. Maxwell with a rosterof international luminaries, who have since been invited to attend the gathering.The Bahá’í Chair’s active involvement in the forthcoming XIth International Conference on Thinking is particularlysignificant because of the inter-disciplinary nature of the gathering. The Bahá’í Chair’s advocacy of a holistic approachto peace will be shared with an influential audience, including eminent scholars, university presidents, artists,and political leaders.

18OTHER ACTIVITIES

19SECTION IV: OTHER ACTIVITIESBahá’í Chair Sponsors a Lecture by Dr. Ann Killebrewon “Akka Past and Present: The Archeology and Heritage of a Multicultural City”April 5, 2001To commemorate the United Nation’s Year for the Dialogue of Civilizations, on April 5, 2001 the Bahá’í Chairorganized a lecture delivered by Dr. Ann Killebrew on the theme of “Akka Past and Present: The Archeology andHeritage of a Multicultural City.” Dr. Killebrew practices and teaches archaeology in Akka, Israel, under the auspicesof the Ename Center for Public Archaeology. Along with colleagues at the Center for Heritage Resource Studies atthe University of Maryland, she is in the process of developing a pilot academic project entitled “Exploring a SharedPast in the Modern Middle East.”In his introduction to the event, Professor Suheil Bushrui noted that to appreciate the changing present and toprepare for the uncertain future, we must first understand the past. In particular, events in the Holy Land seem tobe driven by a powerful amalgam of past events and present circumstances. Professor Bushrui stated that the sharedsignificance that Akka holds for Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Bahá’ís alike is, perhaps, a source of hope. He saidthat the heritage of Akka — a multicultural and multireligious city — is a heritage that all can claim but none canmonopolize. As we struggle for techniques of togetherness in the twenty-first century, the age of “globalization,”we can find no better starting point than the city of Akka.Dr. Killebrew’s lecture focused on the heritage of Akka as shared by Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Bahá’ís. Sheoutlined her involvement in an ambitious plan to increase archeological activity in Akka in tandem with the expansionof local and international tourism. This project, explained Dr. Killebrew, will be different from previous effortsin that the residents of Akka will be brought into the initiative as direct partners. She warmly thanked the Bahá’íChair for World Peace and the Center for Heritage Resource Studies for organizing the event. The event advanceda core mission of the Bahá’í Chair: utilizing cutting-edge academic research to promote inter-religious dialogue andinter-cultural reconciliation.Interfaith Panel on “Faith, Spirituality and the Integrating World: Interfaith Perspectives”Co-hosted by Howard University and the Bahá’í Chair for World PeaceApril 12, 2001The Bahá’í Chair co-hosted an interfaith panel on the spiritual and religious aspects of globalization as part of aconference on “The Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization at the Dawn of the Millennium,” held at HowardUniversity’s Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center on April 12, 2001.Professor Suheil Bushrui opened the panel discussion by introducing the idea that globalization is not exclusively aprocess of economic integration. “Open markets and free trade can bring together disparate peoples on one level ofconsciousness, but it is a restricted and superficial dimension,” he said. “What we need is a globalization of spiritualityto temper and transform the globalization of economics. A globalization defined by spirituality and not merelyby consumerism must have as its hallmark inter-religious dialogue and must be established on a foundation of interfaithreconciliation.”As a starting point for an ecumenical discussion of globalization, the Bahá’í Chair Professor asked the panelists todiscuss how their faith traditions are dealing with this question. The panelists were Dr. R. Chandramouli (Hindu),Dr. Mehrdad Massoudi (Buddhist), Rabbi Gary Fink (Jewish), Dr. Miles Bradbury (Christian), and Mrs. AlmaAbdul-Hadi Jadallah (Muslim).Professor Bushrui concluded with some general comments on globalization as a global civil society founded onthe principles of justice and equity, and explained how this concept differs from the process of economic globalizationwe see operating today. He explained how the world unity sought by Baha’is, for example, recognizes andcelebrates the diversity of cultures and religions while at the same time emphasizing the commonalities shared byall human beings. He said that such an approach to globalization can be summarized as a commitment to theprinciple of “unity in diversity.

20OTHER ACTIVITIESThe Bahá’í Chair Professor (center) at the Diplomatic Luncheon held in his honor at the House of Lords on June 25, 2001.He is flanked by The Honorable Sir David Miers, former British Ambassador to Lebanon (left) and His Excellency JihadMortada, The Ambassador of Lebanon at the Court of St. James.

21Diplomatic Luncheon held at the House of Lords in Honor of Professor Suheil BushruiHosted by the The Rt. Hon. Lord St. John of BletsoJune 25, 2001A Diplomatic Luncheon at the House of Lords was organized under the chairmanship of The Rt. Hon. Lord St.John of Bletso in honor of Professor Suheil Bushrui. The Diplomatic Luncheon was an impressive ceremony attendedby a large gathering of Ambassadors, other representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of the Houseof Lords, Members of Parliament, delegates from cultural organizations, scholars, poets, university professors, andan array of Arab media personalities and dignitaries.In his introduction Lord Bletso paid tribute to the work of the Bahá’í Chair Professor, especially his many contributionsto the study of Arabic and English literature. In his response Professor Bushrui addressed the theme of “Integrationand Identity in the Twenty-First Century.” Professor Bushrui emphasized that “the verdict that Europepasses on integration and identity will be decisive for determining the shape and form of world order in the twentyfirstcentury.”In a letter addressed to Mrs. Navidi-Walker, who coordinated the Luncheon, Lord Bletso wrote: “What a fascinatingand enjoyable lunch you put together at the House of Lords on Monday. I found Professor Bushrui charming andimmensely interesting. I would have loved to spend more time listening to his wisdom and philosophies.”Bahá’í Chair invited by Club of Budapest to join Planetary Ethics AllianceIn December 2001 the Bahá’í Chair was invited by Ervin Lazlo, President of the Club of Budapest, to become aFounding Member of a new Planetary Ethics Alliance. This network of diverse organizations will be devoted tocatalyzing and facilitating the evolution of “planetary ethics,” a moral framework that is globally conscious andresponsive to human needs. The Bahá’í Chair will join the Alliance, along with other groups such as the Center forPartnership Studies, the Goi Peace Foundation, the Master’s Group, the Parliament of the World’s Religions, andSister Cities International, to organize projects and partnerships that promote ethical solutions to global problems.Visit by Jordanian Delegation to the Bahá’í Chair for World PeaceJanuary 15, 2002On January 15, 2002, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace received a high-level delegation of professors, writers,journalists, and artists from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Members of the group included: Dr. Rinad El-Khatib, President of the Jordanian Writers Union, Mr. Musa Hawamdeh, a well-known poet of Palestinian originand a human rights advocate; Mr. Muhammad al-Shawaqfah, one the Arab world’s leading authors and screenwriters;and Ms. Naderah Emran, an accomplished television and film actress.In the course of a luncheon at the University of Maryland Inn and Conference Center, Professor Bushrui held afruitful and enthusiastic conversation with the members of the Jordanian delegation. The talks focused on issues ofinter-religious dialogue, inter-cultural communication, and how to construct new mechanisms of peace. Also discussedat the request of the members of the delegation was the status of religious minorities in Muslim countries. Atthe close of the meeting Dr. El-Khatib of the Jordanian Writers Union invited Professor Bushrui to visit Amman,Jordan during upcoming celebrations to mark the naming of that city by the UN as a Cultural Capital.The Jordanian delegation was on a three-week tour of Washington DC, New Mexico, California, and New York.The tour was arranged by the State Department as part of a larger initiative to bring Arabs and Muslims of capacityto the United States to strengthen people-to-people contacts and increase mutual understanding and sympathy

22OTHER ACTIVITIES

23between the United States and the Arab and Muslim worlds. It is significant that the Bahá’í Chair’s work in the fieldof inter-cultural studies was acknowledged in this manner by the US Government. Perhaps even more significantwas the fact that a group of Arab-Muslim luminaries enthusiastically engaged in a positive Bahá’í-Muslim dialogue.Bahá’í Chair recognized at high-level workshop on conflict and peaceOn February 12, 2002, the Bahá’í Chair was invited to give a presentation on “Ethics and Humanity after 9/11” ata high-level workshop organized by the Center for International Development and Conflict Management. It wasthe first time that the Bahá’í Chair had received such high-level exposure to academic and policy-making organizationsconcerned with conflict resolution and peace.The workshop, entitled “Separating Fact from Fiction after 9/11: Insights from Conflict and International DevelopmentScholarship,” included sessions on radical Islam and Islamic social movements; on policing and law-enforcementagainst terrorism in the context of democratic societies; and on the impact of the September 11 events on theUS role in international affairs and on the processes of globalization. Participants included representatives of theOffice of the UN Secretary General, the US Agency for International Development, the National Academy ofSciences, the United Nations Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and theHenry Stimson Center, as well as scholars of conflict and peace studies from around the country.In his presentation, the Bahá’í Chair professor emphasized that the primary ethical challenge facing the world in theaftermath of the events of September 11, 2001 is to reconcile and harmonize the worldviews of science and reasonwith those of faith and religion. Professor Bushrui began his remarks by reminding the audience of the age-oldconflict between the sacred and the secular, which has acquired fresh urgency after the events of September 11.“Prior to the 17th century, medieval schoolmen, who refused to interpret the universe save through the Bible andAristotle, held irrefutable authority,” said Professor Bushrui. “During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, due to theEnlightenment and advances in scientific methods of inquiry, the authority of these schoolmen was completelyoverthrown. But, it was replaced by a new orthodoxy - that of pure scientists whose interpretations are limited tomeasurable, empirical evidence.“Now this controversy has been renewed on new terms,” Prof. Bushrui continued. “Even within science voices arebeing raised calling for recognition of the importance of the spiritual dimension of human existence. Science andreligion are two systems of thought — two worldviews — and our basic ethical challenge is to reconcile these twosystems.“It is in this reconciliation that superstition, fanaticism and extremism can be avoided in any religious system. Andagain, it is in this reconciliation that the scientific endeavor can be raised to a higher level of moral and ethicalcommitment, based on the recognition of the spiritual nature of Man,” he said.Professor Bushrui concluded that after September 11, “the challenge is to create a common vision among all nationsand peoples of what constitutes true human civilization. Reconciliation between science and religion will providethe moral and ethical foundation necessary for the creation of a viable civil society and a just and peaceful order, onethat embraces the unity in diversity of its component parts,” he said.

24OTHER ACTIVITIES

25Bahá’í Chair Professor interviewed on BBC Outlook program for St. Valentine’s DayOn February 14, 2002, Professor Suheil Bushrui was featured on Outlook, the flagship magazine program of theBBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) World Service in a program honoring St. Valentine’s Day. Professor Bushruiand two other experts were interviewed on the art of writing love letters, past, present, and future. The programreaches a potential audience of 153 million people around the world.Joining Professor Bushrui for the discussion were Mr. David Lowenherz, a New York collector of letters and manuscriptsand the editor of a new book entitled The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time, and Dr. Rinuka Singh, a Delhisociologist who specializes in gender studies. Professor Bushrui was selected to participate as the translator andeditor (with Salma al-Kuzbari) of the book Gibran: Love Letters, published by Oneworld, Oxford, in 1999. Thiscollection of letters from Kahlil Gibran, the famous Lebanese-American artist and poet, to May Ziadah is the firstsuch compilation to appear in English. Although, remarkably, Gibran and Ziadah never met in person, Gibran’sletters to her reveal the eloquence and beauty of his writing in a form and style that is profoundly personal andemotionally evocative.The participants in the Outlook broadcast discussed a broad range of topics related to love letters, including theirorigin and history, what such missives reveal about those who compose them, the differing forms they can take, andthe future of the genre.In a highlight of the program, Professor Bushrui defined love as “an ethic,” an innate reality, a “state of being,” acondition of the spirit, and divine love in its ultimate form. Furthermore, he suggested that e-mail, useful andconvenient as it may be, is too cold and impersonal a medium to capture the beauty and passion of a true love letter.Instead, Professor Bushrui said that he much prefers the old fashioned method of pen, ink, and paper, a medium thatallows the writer to convey the deep emotions associated with love. Finally, Professor Bushrui insisted that the loveletter is by no means a dying art, but rather will prevail forever, as will love itself.

26BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS

27SECTION VI.BOOKS AND PUBLICATONSForthcomingThe Wisdom of the Arabs. Compiled and Edited by Suheil Bushrui. Oneworld (Oxford 2002).Characterized by learning, spirituality, and a history of challenges and achievements, Arab culture is a rich sourceof perennial wisdom, expressed through a diverse range of literature and poetry, both religious and secular.The Wisdom of the Arabs draws on this vast spectrum of writings, from classical literature and the Holy Qur’an, totraditional folk sayings and the more recent wisdom of Kahlil Gibran. Thought-provoking and engaging, thesepassages offer advice on everything from the demands of daily life to the path toward leadership and a search forthe Divine. Offering a combination of practical and spiritual wisdom as well as a deeper insight into the joys,sadnesses and passions of the Arab peoples, this treasury will provide nurture and nourishment for readers of allbackgrounds.The Wisdom of the Arabs, scheduled for release in the summer of 2002, is part of the “Oneworld of Wisdom”series published by Oneworld Publications in honor of the UN’s International Year of the Dialogue of Civilizations.Book signings will be held at the Temenos Academy in London and at the National Press Club in Washington,DC.Book chapter: “Environmental Ethics: A Bahá’í Perspective” to be included in Ecology: A Sacred Trust, editedby David Cadman, Chairman of the Prince’s Foundation; and published by the Temenos Academy (London 2002).The book is a collection of essays exploring the relationship between Nature and the Sacred in some of the majorreligious traditions of the world: Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Bahá’í.PublishedEducation as Transformation: Religious Pluralism, Spirituality, and a New Vision for Higher Education inAmerica, Edited by Victor Kazanjian, Jr. and Peter Laurence. Peter Lang (New York, 2000).Reflecting a national movement that seeks to create a more holistic model of learning and teaching on college anduniversity campuses, a group of distinguished personalities — including presidents, chancellors, deans, faculty members,administrators, religious life professionals, students, and other leaders in the field of education — joined togetherto produce this book. The volume is a collection of twenty-eight essays addressing themes of religiouspluralism and spirituality in higher education. The articles provide scholarly analysis, practical information, andinspiration for those who agree that higher education can combine both head and heart in the teaching and learningprocess in campus and community life. Professors Suheil Bushrui and James Malarkey contributed a jointly writtenessay entitled “Education as Transformation: A Bahá’í Model of Education for Unity.”Peace Education: Contexts and Values, Edited by James Calleha and Angela Perucca. Edizioni Pensa MultiMedia(Lecce, 1999) in collaboration with the Division of Democracy, Human Rights and Peace of UNESCO and thePeace Education Commission of the International Peace Research Association.This book is a collection of scholarly articles by authors who regard peace as a process that cannot be derivedexclusively from existing social structures but must necessarily be based on day-to-day contexts and universal valuesrespected in every culture. Professor Bushrui’s article focuses on the contributions that religion can make to worldpeace. He argues that the world’s religions must tap the potential of their peace-inducing capacity and work to bringabout peace and unity. Professor Bushrui offers a critical appraisal of comparative religious studies and currenttechniques of inter-religious dialogue. Looking to the future, he develops a model for dialogue that permits religionsto retain their competing truth even while they bypass the divisive aspects of those claims in the pursuit of unityand peace.

28BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS

29Essays on Hinduism. By Karan Singh. University Press of Maryland (College Park, 1998), in collaboration withInsights Press.This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the Hindu faith, its history, evolution and current development.Outlining the message of the Bhagavad-Gita and the Upanishads, the author argues that the Hindu tradition is nota cult, nor a collection of dogmas, but a religion of the highest order that speaks of an immanent and transcendentalgod. It also offers a philosophy of life that cuts across ethnic and geographic barriers between men. The essentialsof Hindu religio-philosophic teaching are pervaded by the ideal of universalism and love for humanity.It is the author’s conviction that mankind today is transitioning into an entirely new phase of civilization, which maybe called the global society, a transition as important, if not more so, as the earlier ones from nomadic to agricultural,from agricultural to industrial, and from industrial to post-industrial society. While science and technology arecentral to this entire process, the great religious traditions of mankind also have an important role to play because oftheir impact on the minds and hearts of billions of human beings.Karan Singh has served as India’s Ambassador to the United States, is a member of the Club of Rome, and directorof the Auroville Foundation.The Spiritual Foundation of Human Rights. By Suheil Bushrui. University Press of Maryland (College Park, 1998).Published in 1998, this monograph traces the emergence of the modern concept of human rights and its antecedentsin the teachings of the world’s religious traditions.Divisive Barbarity or Global Civilization: The Ethical Dimensions of Science, Art, Religion, and Politics.By Miles L. Bradbury and Suheil Bushrui. University Press of Maryland Press (College Park, 1996).This is a collection of essays and addresses presented in connection with The Fourth International Dialogue on theTransition to a Global Society, held at the University of Maryland at College Park in October 1995. Published bythe University Press of Maryland in 1996, the book includes a foreward by Madame Rúhíyyih Rabbani and contributionsby twenty-eight leaders of thought and scholars from around the world, including His Excellency AmineGemayel, former President of Lebanon; Her Royal Highness Princess Rahma bint El Hassan of Jordan; ProfessorErvin Laszlo, President of the Club of Budapest; Dr. Bertrand Schneider, Secretary General of the Club of Rome;His Excellency Dr. Karan Singh, former Ambassador of India to the United States, and Director of the AurovilleFoundation in India; and His Excellency Amata Kabua, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.Alternative Forms of Conflict Resolution: A Pathway to Peace. By Dorothy W. Nelson. Baha’i Chair for WorldPeace (College Park, 1995).The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Second Annual Lecture was delivered by Judge Dorothy W. Nelson at the Universityof Maryland on May 15, 1995. Judge Nelson, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals and is a member of theNational Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, has had rich first-hand experience in conflict resolutionat the grassroots level. This lecture, published by the Bahá’í Chair in 1995, presents a detailed examination ofcutting-edge developments in a rapidly growing field.The Style of the Kitab-i-Aqdas: Aspects of the Sublime. By Suheil Bushrui. University Press of Maryland (CollegePark, 1994).In this commentary the author presents a study of the original Arabic text of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Most HolyBook. This book “contains the elements of both poetry and rhymed prose but transcends the limitations of each. Itsexpressions possess an integrity and absolute precision that lie beyond the bounds of literary analysis. Vivid use ismade of similes, metaphors, metonymy, and other linguistic embellishments, exemplifying that form of consummateskill in the use of Arabic which is termed badi’, signifying ‘the art of sublime and innovative expression.’”Retrieving Our Spiritual Heritage: A Challenge for Our Time. By Suheil Bushrui. Baha’i Chair for World Peace(College Park, 1994).Suheil Bushrui at the University of Maryland delivered this inagural lecture of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace onMarch 3, 1994. The lecture was a response to President Clinton’s State of the Union Address in which the Presidentsuggested that the nation’s problems are “rooted in the loss of values,” and called for the nation to “change fromwithin.” This crisis in values and the need for transformation demand a spiritual regeneration that transcends allracial, religious and social barriers and divisions.

30VISITING SCHOLARSSTUDENT INTERNSHIPS

31SECTION VI.VISITING SCHOLARS AND STUDENT INTERNSHIPSVisiting ScholarsThe Bahá’í Chair has occasionally hosted visiting scholars at the graduate and postgraduate level. In 2002, Mr.Hamed Yazhari, a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, was designated as a Senior Research Assistantby the Center for International Development and Conflict Management and joined the staff of the Bahá’í Chair fora period of six months. His work has included assisting in the editing of manuscripts and conducting research on avariety of topics.Student InternsIn order to encourage the emerging generation to become engaged with the ethical dimensions of spirituality,international relations, conflict management, education, and development, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace offersstudent internships to qualified high school and university students. Interns are selected based on their academicachievements, motivation and abilities. The following individuals held internships with the Bahá’í Chair during2001-2002: Miss Bita Farhoumand, Mr. James Madio, Mr. Daniel Malarkey, Mr. Babak Mortazi, Miss SamiraNaraghi-Irani and Mr. Basir Van der Fliert.Announcement:The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Eighth Annual LectureOn May 31, 2002, the Bahá’í Chair will have the honor of hosting The Rt. Hon. Lord St. John of Bletso, who willdeliver the Chair’s Eighth Annual Lecture on the theme, “Environmental Ethics and Public Policy.”Lord St. John of Bletso, a noted authority on the environment and environmental policy, has been a member of theHouse of Lords since 1978. He is managing director of Globix UK Limited, an Internet infrastructure provider. Heis also a main board director of Globix Corp, a NASDAQ listed company. He is a qualified solicitor, a registeredrepresentative of the London Stock Exchange, and a consultant to Merrill Lynch. Lord Bletso is a past member ofthe European Union sub-committee on trade, finance and foreign affairs.

32ENDNOTES

33International Advisory Boardof the Bahá’í Chair for World PeaceDr. Irwin GoldsteinDean, College of Behavioral and Social SciencesThe Honorable Dorothy NelsonDistinguished Liaison, National Spiritual Assembly of theBahá’í s of the United StatesProfessor Amin BananiMr. Farhang DarabiAssociate Dean Stewart EdelsteinDr. Wilma EllisDr. Gwendolyn Etter-LewisAssistant Dean Cynthia HaleMr. Hormoz HormoziMr. John HuddlestonMr. Abdul-Rahman JarrahMr. Louis MaaniMr. Kami SahihiDr. Heshmat ShahriareeDr. Ernest Wilson, IIIConsultant to the BoardDr. Michael GoldbergInternational ConsultantMrs. Guilda Navidi-WalkerInternational Editorial Boardof the Bahá’í Chair for World PeaceDr. Miles L. BradburyDr. Felicity EarnshawDr. Habib RiazzatiStaff of the Bahá’í Chair for World PeaceProfessor Suheil BushruiMr. Michael Dravis, Research FellowMr. Glen Fullmer, Publications EditorMiss Sepedeh Hooshidari, Project CoordinatorContact InformationBahá’í Chair for World PeaceCenter for International Development and Conflict Management0145 Tydings HallUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, MD 20742Telephone: 301-314-7714Fax: 301-314-9256E-mail: bushrui@cidcm.umd.eduWeb site: www.cidcm.umd.edu/bahaichairDesignSteiner Graphics | Switzerland | Canadawww.steinergraphics.com

34THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

35The University of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland is a public research university, the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland,and the original 1862 land grant institution in Maryland. It is the only public Carnegie Research institution inMaryland and one of only 60 American members of the Association of American Universities. Located on 1,500acres of rolling land along the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. high-tech corridor, it offers approximately 24,500 undergraduatesand 8,500 graduate students a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary degree programs in thehumanities and the creative and performing arts; the physical, mathematical, information, biological, social, andengineering sciences; and public affairs and policy, business and management, education, journalism, agriculture,and architecture. In some disciplines and interdisciplinary areas as well, the University offers undergraduate andgraduate certificates and citations.The College of Behavioral and Social SciencesThe College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is the university’s largest college. It has more than 4,000 undergraduatemajors and 800 masters and doctoral students, and is comprised of 10 academic departments and four standaloneresearch and service centers. The disciplines and fields encompassed by the College of Behavioral and SocialSciences explore issues that are central to our political, economic, social and cultural lives. At the core of thesesciences is a drive to understand human beings-both individually and collectively. By studying human behavior andthe relationship between behavior and the environment, we gain insight and knowledge that enhances our developmentas individual members of social communities and in so doing, those social communities themselves.The Center for International Development and Conflict ManagementThe Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) is an inter-disciplinary researchand training center dedicated to civil society built on a foundation of sustainable peace and development and ethics.For more than fifteen years, CIDCM has worked at the intersection of international development and conflictmanagement, technology and social justice, both in theory and practice. CIDCM conducts a uniquely comprehensiveprogram of inter-disciplinary and empirical research services: from data-collection and analysis to monitoringand risk-assessments; from applied policy advice and publications to problem-solving workshops, confidence-buildingtraining and international dialogue. Founded by the late Edward Azar in 1981, the Center is one of the pioneersof “Track-II” Diplomacy and policy-relevant applied research on the causes and consequences of protracted conflictsamong states, groups, and individuals.