London: The Abrahamic Program's International Agenda to Date

In November of 2005 Chautauqua embarked upon an exciting collaboration with the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in Great Britain to encourage dialogue and understanding there among the three Abrahamic religions. A delegation of Chautauquans and American religious leaders and scholars participated in a conference in London hosted by the Institute for Ismaili Studies. Invitees from the international community included Dr. Zaki Badawi, former Chief Imam, London Central Mosque, and Principal of the Muslim College in London; Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp of the Netherlands; as well as other notable clergy and scholars from all over the U.K and Europe.

The Chautauqua Interfaith Conference in London, which was the first international Chautauqua since the Chautauqua-Soviet Exchange in the 1980’s, reflected upon the most significant issues and conditions of the current era, with a primary focus on the question of enhancing pluralism and civil society in the context of the Abrahamic traditions. The goals of the conference were: to build and strengthen international relationships in support of the Chautauqua Institution and the Abrahamic Program; to demonstrate the Chautauqua methodology of invitation and engagement in civil discourse as a model for inter-religious dialogue, and to encourage replicability; to examine how members of the Abrahamic Community co-exist and collaborate in a different Western geographical setting such as the UK; to build bridges of trust among the Abrahamic Family and beyond; and to return to Chautauqua further committed to building the Abrahamic Community here. The overarching theme for the conference was: Building Civil Society: Faith, Diversity, and Pluralism.

The Conference conversations included historical and contemporary views of the relationships between faiths and the societies in which they live, and sought to discover not only how people of faith reconcile their own faith path with the reality and validity of pluralism, but also how they can point the way forward to the building of a new generation of synergistically pluralistic faith communities.

The Institute of Ismai’ili Studies, which graciously and generously hosted the conference, was established in 1977 with the objectives of promoting scholarship and providing education regarding Muslim cultures and societies, historical as well as contemporary, and with the intention of offering a better understanding of their relationship with other societies and faiths. The Institute’s programs encourage a perspective that is not confined to the theological and religious heritage of Islam, but, rather, seek to explore the relationship of religious ideas to broader dimensions of society and culture.

Beyond London

Chautauqua will continue to consider other international opportunities for the expression of the Abrahamic Program, and each case will be reviewed according to the policies for extending programming adopted by the Board of Trustees. In the meantime, Chautauqua will review the significant mandates that emerged from the London experience and seek effective ways to implement them.

The Chautauqua Interfaith London Conference of 2005 was a watershed event in which Chautauquans definitively committed to a common Abrahamic future. This is the contemporary gift that Chautauqua is giving to a religiously plural America and world – a gift of inclusivity that is authentic both to Chautauqua’s history and to its mission.

How then will Chautauqua’s affirmed commitment to the Abrahamic Program be lived out? Guided by the Department of Religion, direction for the Program is being sought from the Abrahamic Advisory Committee, which has been given new impetus through the mandates that emerged from the London Conference. The Committee will review and prioritize these mandates, and a timeline for implementation will be established. Themes for the Abrahamic Program will be articulated in a rolling five year plan which will be reviewed annually.

Members of the Abrahamic Advisory Committee are Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, world religions historian Karen Armstrong, Sister Joan Chittister, Dr. Barkat Fazal, Rev. Dr. Robert Franklin, Rabbi Dr. David Gordis, Rev. Dr. Joseph Hough, Dr. Habib Jamal, Dr. Tazim Kassam, Dr. Mohammad Keshavjee, Professor Azim Nanji, Rev. Dr. Albert Pennybacker, Rabbi David Saperstein, and Professor Ori Soltes.