Islam

Idris Phillips has been making superb music with wonderful artists for close to 40 years, and finally he's released his first CD, Star By Moon, this one emphasizing his folk roots, but promising his jazz, blues, and other styles in future recordings. His guitar & keyboards are magic, and his lyrics triple-deep, in the listener's ear, in Idris' personal experience, & in the mystical truths they name.

Azher Usman is an author, artist, activist, philanthropist, lawyer, but most of all he's a very serious comedian. He gave the keynote address at the Ways of Peace II Conference on Nonviolence in the Islamic Tradition sponsored by FNVW. He's been part of the Allah Made Me Funny - Official Muslim Comedy Tour, The Laughing Peace Tour and The Make Chai, Not War Tour.

Abdisalam Adam, born in Somalia, came to the USA in 1991. He's the director of the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center in Minneapolis, MN and works as a Somali Cultural Specialist for St. Paul Public Schools. He'll be one of the featured speakers for Ways of Peace II: Non-violence in the Islamic Tradition on 4/9/11.

Santwana Dasgupta is Director of the Partnership for the Education of Children in Afghanistan (P.E.C.A) for the past 2 years, working from Kabul. The path to Afghanistan grew from her youth in India, the events of 9-11 and from her work with Friends for a Non-violent World (FNVW).

Music Featured:
Come to School Afghani girls - Atai Sheery

Sami Rasouli returned to Iraq after more than 20 years in the USA to rebuild the country and found the Muslim Peacemaker Teams. Combining love of his birthplace in Iraq with love of his home in the Midwest, Sami lets us see the people of both places as "us".

Music Featured:
Shekhani - Chaldean Folk Dance from Iraq

Project of the National Peace Foundation and the Islamic Society of North America, Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society includes essays from the participants in the exchange program between Muslims, Jews & Christians between the Middle East & the US Midwest.

As a dual citizen of Iraq and the USA, resident for 20 years of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Sami Rasouli brings a special perspective to his work with the Muslim Peacemaker Teams.

Elizabeth Gordon recounts the spiritual & cultural odyssey in her newly released book, Walk With Us. When she and her female partner take into their home a 14-year old expecting triplets, it is a learning experience on multiple levels, mixing as it did Black Muslims and white Quakers, straight and gay, not to mention the generational differences. Elizabeth recounts the deeply emotional and powerfully spiritual twists and turns of helping raise 3 beautiful baby boys in trying circumstances.