Donald Miller, Rabbi Reuven Firestone, President Steven Sample, Dafer Dakhil and Father James Heft

Peace Offerings
Religious leaders gather, seeking solutions to war and conflict

By Karen Newell Young

Social activists and spiritual leaders from around the world came together in May at the “Beyond Violence” conference to talk about peace and conflict resolution. The conference, sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and USC College’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC), drew more than 300 people to Davidson Conference Center.

“The conference represents the kind of outreach that is critical in today’s violent world,” says College Dean Joseph Aoun. “The sponsors deserve credit for their efforts to promote peace and seek solutions to conflict. Their collaboration is an important example of the kind of partnerships USC has forged with neighboring religious organizations.”

Keynote speakers at the event included Rabbi Irving Greenberg, president of the Jewish Life Network; Mustafa Ceric, His Eminence, Raisu-I-Ulama of Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Charles Taylor, emeritus professor of philosophy at McGill University and professor of law at Northwestern University.

“It is appropriate and important that this international conference has been convened in the city of Los Angeles, a city rich in cultural and religious diversity,” said USC President Steven Sample at the conference. He expressed his delight in the close bonds that formed among sponsors in organizing the event. “I think we all share a strong sense of community spirit and common purpose. By examining ways to reach beyond violence, this conference has brought us together as members of the human family who are deeply involved in the well-being of our world.”