Chai and a Film: Religion as a Source of Peace

Can harnessing our differences lead to a road to peace?  Participants to this event will gather for light refreshments and chai before viewing The Sultan and the Saint.  This one-hour film will be followed by a group discussion led by moderators of different faiths.  Sultan and the Saint takes place during the Crusades when two men of faith, Francis of Assisi and the Sultan of Egypt, buck a century of war, distrust, and insidious propaganda in a search for mutual respect and common ground.  This free program is being sponsored by the American Muslim Institution.

Discussion leaders are Patrick Carolan and Shahid Rahman.

Patrick has been executive director of the Franciscan Action Network since 2010. He is also a co-founder of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, an organization working on global climate justice issues as well as Faithful Democracy, a faith coalition focused on the issue of Money in Politics, working to educate on the corruptive influence of big money on our democracy. He has worked on issues around immigration, Islamophobia, racism and gun violence. He is a frequent blogger on several platforms including Huffington Post and Patheos.  He is a recipient of the 2015 White House Champion for Change Award for his work in the Climate Change arena, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Earth Ethics and is personally dedicated to social justice to bring about individual and societal transformation. Patrick is married and has four children. He and his wife Stella have been foster parents to several other children.

Shahid is the executive director of American Muslim Institution.  He also served as the founder and president of Teach and Travel, which provided opportunities for students to travel abroad.  He is passionate about providing young people with mentors and opportunities to further their careers.