Exploring Cafe Finjan’s Venue: American Islamic College

American Islamic College will host Cafe Finjan – the annual Jewish/Muslim performing arts event – on April 4th, 2013. Find out more about this vibrant community institution that combines academic learning, community engagement and Islamic spirituality.

by Max Harkavy
Communications Intern, JCUA

American Islamic College (AIC), located at 640 W Irving Park Road in Chicago, was founded, it was intended to serve as a college of liberal arts & sciences that is grounded in Islamic spirituality.

Romana Manzoor

“The building that houses AIC was bought from Immaculata High School in the 1980s with the hopes of creating a liberal arts college that would operate within an Islamic framework,” said Romana Manzoor, the program coordinator for AIC.  The first administration at AIC was able to work up to being fully accredited, but the institution has since seen their accreditation revoked.

“The new administration, that started in 2010, is working to revamp and revive the college,” said Manzoor.  “We are starting the accreditation process all over again.”

Since taking over, the new administration has enhanced the mission of the college, going beyond the attempts of the previous administration, by creating a hotbed for both spiritual and secular learning.  AIC seeks to be an institution that can offer classes that are academically rigorous, challenging, and thought provoking.  Offering these types of courses is important but the college also seeks to remain rooted in spirituality, while being a place where students can feel comfortable with expanding their knowledge of both Islam and other, more secular topics.

JCUA Partners to Create an Inter-Religious Rapid Response Network

For the past few months JCUA has been in conversation with partnering faith organizations in an effort to create a unique model of inter-religious collaboration in times of crisis. These conversations have led to the creation of the Chicagoland Inter-Religious Rapid Response Network (CIRRN).

In a final planning meeting on December 7^th, hosted by JCUA and facilitated by Asaf Bar-Tura – JCUA’s director of programs – Network partner organizations met to finalize the goals and guidelines for the newly formed CIRRN.

The CIRRN states its purpose as “to streamline communication dedicated to mobilizing multi-faith responses to acts of hate and discrimination targeting faith communities in Chicago and its collar counties.”

As explained by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, the Network aims to provide solace to the victims, and to make a stand against all faith-based hate crimes and discrimination by standing strong and providing a united front regardless of religious background.  CIRRN plans to achieve this through a listserve that connects between the leading religious organizations in Chicago to promote communication, provide up-to-date information, and present opportunities for engagement in the aftermath of any incident targeting a faith-based community.  This will allow the various faiths to remain informed on incidents of any kind, and will facilitate a rapid response from all representatives.

This network is the first of its kind in Chicago, and a model to be learned from and implemented across the nation.

For more information please contact Asaf Bar-Tura at asaf@jcua.org

[Event: 10/31] JCUA’s Asaf Bar-Tura Talks About Jewish Social Change at Elmhurst College

On Wednesday, October 31, 2012, JCUA’s Asaf Bar-Tura will be speaking at the Interfaith Forum on Social Justice at Elmhurst College.

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Asaf Bar-Tura

The Interfaith Forum on Social Justice at Elmhurst College t is holding an interfaith panel discussion that brings together diverse faith communities to discuss their approaches to social change.

Here are the details:

Date and time:

Wednesday, October 31, 2012
2:00-3:30 PM

Location:

Frick Center (FC) Founder’s Lounge, Elmhurst College
(See Campus Map)

Speakers:

• Asaf Bar-Tura, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
• Zeinab Bakhiet, Inner-city Muslim Action Network
• David Weesly, Night Ministry

10/22/12 Online Event: “Webinar: Coordinating Multi-Faith Partnerships To End Anti-Muslim Sentiment”

Asaf Bar-Tura, JCUA’s Director of Programs will speak at an interactive online gathering where faith leaders discuss strategies to combat anti-Muslim sentiments and actions on Monday, Oct. 22, 3:00 CST. To RSVP, please email Asaf Bar-Tura (asaf@jcua.org).

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Bar-Tura speaking about Islamophobia and anti-Semitism at a previous conference

In the beginning of August, America watched as shootings, fires and vandalism targeted American Muslims and American Sikhs.  At least six communities in one week saw acts of hate perpetrated on their places of worship.

Here in the Chicagoland Area we saw:

• August 8, 2012: U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois’ 8^th Congressional District warned in a town hall meeting in Elk Grove Village that Islamic radicalism here in the U.S. is the threat Americans should be concerned about, naming Elk Grove Village and other Chicago suburbs as places where he believes that potential threat exists (Read the response of JCUA’s board chair).
• August 10, 2012: A violent assault on the Muslim Education Center (MEC) mosque in Morton Grove, IL.
• August 12, 2012: A homemade bomb was thrown at an Islamic day school during Ramadan evening prayers (See details here, including JCUA’s response).
• August 15, 2012: A Muslim grave was desecrated in a cemetery in Evergreen Park.

Jews and Muslims Share Stories of Immigration

Reflections on our Jewish-Muslim Text Study on Immigration 

“So many talk about it. JCUA and JMCBI DO it. Bringing the people together and learning about each other’s experiences and traditions is very moving and shows how much we have in common.” 

–Ray Grossman, Text Study Participant, February, 2012 

Being a stranger in a strange land is an experience that is familiar to Jews and Muslims in the United States. In the text study on Feb. 23, Jews and Muslims gathered at the beautiful Dollop Café to explore what our traditions tell us about immigration. The discussion was facilitated by Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan (the Muslim Chaplain at De Paul University) and Asaf Bar-Tura (Associate Director of Programs at the JCUA and Ph.D. Candidate at Loyola University Chicago).

We began by reflecting on our own connection to immigration in our personal lives and histories. One participant said that though her family had been in the U.S. for three generations, she still caught herself speaking in patterns similar to her grandmother from Europe. Another woman shared that she had grown up in the U.S. with her family’s memories of their homeland, and stepping into her parents’ home is like a trip to Pakistan. We learned that migration is tied to memories, to what was left behind, and passed on from generation to generation.