How do diverse Muslim women strive for change and pursue equality? How do they embody the Qur’anic call to stand up for justice persistently, beyond self-interest, and across communal boundaries? (4:135)

Marking the launch of the new Islam, Social Justice, and Interreligious Engagement Program (ISJIE) at Union Theological Seminary, this panel will focus on the diverse ways Muslim women and their allies are working for justice within and beyond the Muslim community. The panel will discuss particular social justice initiatives, and the connection between intellectual scholarship, public leadership, and activism. It will also foreground the role of interreligious solidarity in these initiatives.

Welcoming Remarks: Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President, Union Theological Seminary

Moderator: Dr. Jerusha T. Lamptey, Assistant Professor of Islam and Ministry and Program Advisor of ISJIE, Union Theological Seminary

Panelists:
Dr. Amina Wadud, Professor Emeritus of Islamic Studies, and Visiting Scholar, Starr King School of the Ministry

Ms. Linda Sarsour, Executive Director, Arab American Association of New York

Ms. Iman Boukadoum, Esq., Director of Community Partnerships, Interfaith Center of New York

Dr. Omid Safi, Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center (DISC), Duke University

Rabbi Dr. Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Director, Department of Multifaith Studies and Initiatives and Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Reception to follow.