It was an honor to present “An Offering of the Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad to the Christians of the 21st Century” at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto, Canada. I had the pleasure of finally meeting Dr. John Andrew Morrow, the groundbreaking scholar and lead member of the Covenants Initiative. The CI is a movement of diverse scholars working to share and bolster the pluralist vision of humanity as found in the Covenants. It also was a pleasure to meet, for the first time, Imam Abdul Malik of SoundVision, who spoke on the various approaches towards peacemaking as initiated by Muhammad himself. Thanks also to Charles and Jenny Upton for their invaluable contributions to making this presentation possible. Finally, the great author and activist, Rabia Chaudry, was in attendance, and I had the chance to finally interact with her as well. There were many great people at our session - it was a real pleasure. The world will be a better place if we use the Covenants as an anchor for community building. I genuinely believe that.
Very happy for Julian Bear Runner, my friend and kindred spirit. Yesterday, he was elected President of the Oglala Sioux Nation. Julian ran a promising campaign that focused on spirituality and taking care of the canunpa, or sacred pipe of the people. He also situated himself as part of a new generation of leadership (like myself, Julian is only 33 years old). Throughout the campaign, he stressed his knowledge and connection to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where he grew up. Back in the spring of 2017, we had the honor of hosting Julian at Rice University for a talk on the Standing Rock resistance to the North Dakota Access Pipeline, where he protested. Julian also served three years in the 101st Airborne Division of the Army. Here is Julian with Theresa "Huck" Two Bulls, recent South Dakota State Senator. Congratulations Julian! You will do an amazing job!
The Covenants Initiative is a collection of scholars that is spearheading a movement to promote the Covenants of Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World. This initiative calls Muslims to the Covenants of Muhammad, which command them not to attack, but rather defend peaceful Christians until the end of time.
On Saturday evening (November 3rd) at 6pm, the Covenants Initiative will present at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto, Canada. Full details of the event can be found here. The offering at the Parliament of the World’s Religions is a pledge of solidarity that also challenges Christians to oppose Islamophobia, as Muslims have opposed ISIS’s slaughter of both Christians and Muslims.
Since The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, by Dr. John Andrew Morrow, appeared in 2013, the Covenants Initiative became an international movement within both Islam and Christianity.
Sometime between 622 and 632 AD, Prophet Muhammad decreed a series of Covenants specifically addressing Christians in the region. It is vital, as John Smelcer and I discussed on the Charter for Compassion website – that Christians and Muslims alike are reminded of the nature of the contracts. “And even as they honor and respect me, so shall Muslims care for [the Christians] as being under our protection and whensoever any distress or discomfort shall overtake them, Muslims shall hold themselves in duty bound to aid and care for them, for they are a people subject to my Nation, obedient to their word, whose helpers also they are,” Prophet Muhammad wrote.
The Prophet of Islam also commanded Muslims to provide complete religious freedom to Christians and protect their churches, as noted in The Covenant with the Monks of Mount Sinai: “A bishop shall not be removed from his bishoporic, nor a monk from his monastery, nor a hermit from his tower, nor shall a pilgrim be hindered from his pilgrimage. Moreover, no building from among their churches shall be destroyed, nor shall the money from their churches be used for the building of mosques or houses for the Muslims.”
It was an absolute pleasure & honor to spend time w/ His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya community. Alongside Professor Emran El-Badawi of the University of Houston, we discussed a range of issues, including the Constitution of Medina, embracing humanity, & peace-building. I will never forget those 20 minutes. His Holiness exudes light, comfort, and knowledge. The room in which we met had a certain glow to it. An aura of peace radiated into me. I can still feel it today. I hope to have it for the rest of my life.
Alhurra is a United States-based Arabic language outlet funded by the United States Congress which broadcasts news to the Middle East and North Africa. Its stated mission is to provide ‘objective, accurate and relevant news and information’ to its audience while seeking to ‘support democratic values’ and ‘expand the spectrum of ideas, opinions, and perspectives’ available in the region’s media.