This year is the tenth anniversary of the charter signing of the United Religions Initiative. To mark the occasion, the URI has launched a brand-new, gorgeously-professional website. If you have interest in the world of interfaith action and cooperation that is "bound for peace", then I invite you to stop by the site. I've not been so involved with the URI's work in the past few years, but I am still proud to call myself a supporter of this dynamic, idealistic-yet-grounded organization.

Thursday: takeoff from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) around 2:00 PM (got there 11:30 AM). Fall asleep (short night's sleep, stayed up packing and awakened early for pre-fast breakfast). Wake up about 2:45 PM to announcement that we've received clearance to land at MSP. mm?? Fellow passengers relay explanation: backup electrical system shortage, but too much fuel weight to land safely, so we've been circling and now will attempt to land. Flight attendant informs us that fire trucks will be awaiting us but are not expected to be needed (they weren't).

Responding to an e-mail discussion that started with the article Islamic Fascism: The Propaganda of Our Times.

There is little doubt that the language we use and hear shapes our perceptions — and action — in the wider world (cf Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). Is it accurate to call someone who is a "terrorist", who is a Muslim, and who is motivated by his religious beliefs, an "Islamic terrorist?"

(This post was begun on the 13th and finished on the 16th, though not published till later...)

With the whole Global Council here [Antwerp] the past few days, the conversations and meetings have been longer and the time off consequently shorter. That doesn't necessarily mean more productive, mind you! More people always means more patience is required.

We spent Friday afternoon in the city of Brussels (Bruxelles), capital of Belgium and of Europe. There we met with a diplomat from the European Commission at their swanky headquarters; noshed on small sandwiches, juice and champagne with a deputy mayor at a former palace; and were treated to a wonderful meal courtesy of a local Catholic priest and lumber-yard owner. In other words it was interesting being there (most of the time), but not so exciting to try to write about. So I'll just share some photos instead.

Over dinner tonight my wife and I were talking about the paucity of major news coverage of women's rights and justice. In the U.S., it seems that you are more likely to find an in-depth look at the current status of women in Afghanistan in a "fashion" magazine than in Newsweek or the other news weeklys. That is definitely a sad state of affairs. We talked about how so many people seemed to have felt that the plight of women was instantly and completely rectified after the overthrow of the Taliban.

Photo used by permission of Flickr user lakerae

Greetings in this time of the new Gregorian year, this time of pilgrimage, this time of commemorating the life and birth of great Prophets. At the link below you will find a fresh newsletter for the URI in North America. Produced three to four times per year, the North American Regional Update provides administrative/organizational news from the URI staff and Trustees; select stories from Cooperation Circles across the U.S. and Canada; and announcements of resources and upcoming events.

Originally published in URI North America: Briefings.

Members of URI Cooperation Circles around the world have been engaging in a dialogue that has been both tense and constructive with regard to how to respond to the current war and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. All perspectives are represented — some sympathize more strongly with the Palestinian and/or Lebanese suffering, some with the Israeli's living with the daily threat of terrorists' suicide bombs and rockets. The one thing that seems to be clearly uniting us is the need to recognize the humanitarian crisis on the ground — and more importantly react to it. We must be peacebuilders on the ground, helping those directly in need.

The challenge: what is the best, least costly method for connecting people from all continents, with Internet connections ranging from broadband to slow dial-up or none at all, with the intention of allowing significant discussion on diverse matters? What if there were 100 people present? 300? 600? Can this challenge be met with a single technology, will it require a hodge-podge of media, protocols, and devices, or is it simply impossible? The United Religions Initiative is looking to do this very thing by the end of the year.

A recent article on George Lucas, the Presidio, and the URI in the Canada Free Press is an excellent example of the yellow journalism that now plagues the Internet, particularly in the blogging domain. Instead of providing the courtesy of a link to the article, I'll just talk about it instead. Some might say I'm engaging in a yellow tactic myself &mdash but then again, I don't claim to be producing news at Conscientia.

Egads, busy couple of weeks! A lot going on in the world, as always, and at work and in the local Baha'i community and so on. Pope Benedict in Europe, genocide and Marburg's disease in Africa, a new "native" reserve in northern Brazil, more saber-rattling in South Korea... Anyway, not to blow my own horn, but in case you're curious, you might be interested in reading an article I wrote (well, with a great deal of beneficial editing!) about Pope John Paul II (The Great Bridge Maker) in the second issue of Spiritual Degrees. Also, read on for exciting media coverage of the United Religions Initiative and Darfur.

My first press release =). Sent out Thursday/Friday/Saturday (depending on the news agency).

April 7, 2005. San Francisco, USA - The United Religions Initiative Global Council in March voted to endorse the Darfur Unity Statement in recognition of the continuing necessity for international intervention in the Darfur region of Sudan. Originally signed by over 100 non-governmental agencies in July of 2004, the Save Darfur Coalition's Unity Statement remains relevant today with over two million refugees in need of aid and death toll estimates in the region now exceeding 300,000 (the statement can be found at www.savedarfur.org).

The United Religions Initiative is an international organization whose purpose is "to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings." Just as everywhere else, there has been a good deal of discussion amongst URI members about the recent U.S. elections. The following letter is my personal response to the onrush of "mandates", "values", and "misinformation," calling for the interfaith movement itself to reach out to those who do not normally partcipate, calling for an internal dialogue to accompany the external work of interreligious organizations.