GTAZ hosts religious leaders from the Middle East and Northern Africa
GTAZ was humbled to connect 5 IVLP leaders focused on “Interfaith Dialogue and Religious Freedom” with Ms. Azza Abuseif, Executive Director for Arizona’s Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Azza’s background in political organizing, lobbying, and her experience as a refugee from Sudan offered the IVLP Delegates a unique, diverse & holistic perspective to all conversations that took place today. Ms. Abuseif shared how her personal experiences add depth and intention to her work at CAIR, as the organization promotes justice, enhances community understanding of Islam, and empowers Muslim-Americans of our local community through civil rights advocacy efforts. CAIR is the United States’ largest Muslim civil liberties organization, and Phoenix’s most prominent grassroots organization working for the local Muslim community.
“You can’t reach every single person, but one is enough. That one person can go out and reach a different person, and the positive impact can continue. This is what it means to organize.” – Ms. Azza Abuseif
A couple days later, the IVLP Delegation met with Rev. Doug Bland, Executive Director and one of the founders of Arizona Interfaith Power & Light: an organization that combats the climate crisis through a spiritual response. As an adjunct faculty at the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute, Rev. Bland utilized the art of storytelling to highlight the mysteries of the Divine, the powerful connection between one’s faith and the Earth, and the relationship between the sciences and religion.
“God has given us opportunities to see and understand the Divine through nature. It is our responsibility to recognize these signs, and to allow ourselves to feel and connect with this greater power.”
- Hacene Zemouli, IVLP Delegate (2021)
Our IVLP Delegates today represented the countries of Algeria, Nepal, Chad, Egypt and Morocco. Thanks to our interpreters, the meeting was conducted in both the English and Arabic languages.
A huge thank you to the Institute of International Education (IIE); the U.S. Department of State; our guest speakers; our English-Arabic Interpreters, and our International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Delegates for believing in the importance of international exchange, and for coming together today to work on increasing interfaith dialogue and understanding, and to promote religious freedom.