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Cordoba Initiative Newsletter - Summer 2015
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Cordoba's Week at The Chautauqua Institution
For the last nine years, Cordoba has participated at the Chautauqua Institution, a summer community in Upstate New York, dedicated to the exploration of human values and the enrichment of life through various programs. This year, the Cordoba House community traveled to Chautauqua from August 1st to August 8th for a week-long discussion centered on the theme of "Vanishing," focused on aspects of life related to politics, religion, economics, and the environment that seem to no longer exist.
Beyond the Chautauqua sponsored public events, the Cordoba House community members actively participated in many of the programs throughout the institute and hosted two luncheons. Sakina Mamoor prepared an Uzbeki chicken dish and Nilufer Ahmed prepared a Bangladeshi salmon curry dish. Guests participated in lively discussions with Imam Feisal, President of Cordoba Initiative, Naz Ahmed Gerogas, Executive Director of Cordoba Initiative, Rashed Ahmed, Former Ambassador of Bangladesh, Dr. Abubaker Ahmed, Executive Director of IIIT and Chairman of Cordoba Initiative, and various interfaith leaders including Roger Doebke, Maureen Rovegno, and Robert (Bob) Franklin.
The Cordoba House community is grateful for these wonderful experiences and looks forward to returning to Chautauqua next summer!
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Witnessing God Through Dhikr
During the retreat to Chautauqua, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf hosted two early morning devotional hours for Muslims including dhikrs, in which he explained aspects of Islam and Sufism. His first presentation began by praising Chautauqua as a symbol of community - a common platform where practitioners of different faith communities share a deeper sense of 'our' common humanity
Imam Feisal delved into the values of Islamic spiritual heritage, explaining, "Sufism is the human attempt to know the reality of God and the truth of God in a way that goes beyond the parochial language and the limitations of our parochialism."
His speech, delivered to both Muslims and non-Muslims, was accessible for spiritual seekers to connect easily to common values among all faiths.
Imam Feisal explained that when Muslims perform dhikr, they do so in order to witness the reality of God. He quoted Ibn Ata Allah, a famous Sufi poet: "Nothing benefits the heart more than a spiritual retreat where it enters the domain of meditation."
Imam Feisal described the practice of dhikr, the intonation and recitation of the names of God, and the companionship of those who have connected themselves to God. He stressed the strength, spiritual power, and importance of sound to 'revive.' Imam Feisal stated that the objective of dhikr, or invocation, is to put together a collection of sounds that have the capacity to awaken a soul that has not yet been awakened to the reality of God and to make that soul stand before its Creator's presence.
Imam Feisal noted that the chanting of Allah has a real effect and power to it and that, "whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, to pronounce 'God' is actually quite in keeping with all of these traditions."
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In a second Muslim devotional hour, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf discussed the importance of "tasting God" in Sufism. He explained, "Things that are just words and sounds, you have to actually experience them to know them." Imam Feisal explained the origins of the Sufis using the language of tasting, or dhawq.
"Our spiritual teachers tell us that the human being is a mixture of four dimensions of being and that God created us with all four - physical being, the intellectual being, the emotional being, and the spiritual being."
Each aspect of the being within life allows a reflective person to understand a variety of situations. "We can talk about God, we can discuss these things but they are relatively meaningless until you taste them."
This spiritual path and exercises, such as dhikr, help seekers of truth have a clear reality of faith beyond parochial differences; a faith centered in experience. Imam Feisal compared the universality of spiritual truths.
He said, "It does not matter what language spiritual truths are spoken in, listeners will still get that feeling in your heart... That's why Rumi is so popular: because even though he wrote in Farsi, when we hear the translation the meaning cuts through because the reality of the experience cuts through the limitations of language."
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Cordoba House Community Member Reads Excerpts from her Upcoming Book, Threading my Prayer Rug: One Woman's Journey from Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim
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That evening the extended family convened again and had the likes of a round table meeting - the agenda: 'to accept or not to accept' the marriage proposal.
He is a doctor. Plus.
New York is too far away. Minus.
The grandparents know the family very well. Plus.
They say he has a very good temperament. Is very responsible. Is very caring. Plus.
But we haven't seen him. Minus.
What if he decides to settle in America and not return to Pakistan? Huge Minus.
No one has seen him since we went to America over two years ago. Has America changed him? Plus? Minus?
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And where was I in all these discussions? Right in the middle-listening, but also listening to my inner voice. Khalid's proposal felt right. How irrational is that! I just had the feeling that this proposal was right for me. But I said nothing. I had not learnt to trust my instincts, and I respected my parent's apprehension.
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The Power and Art of Illumination Painting
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During the week, Behnaz Karjooravary, a member of the Cordoba House community from Tehran, shared her artistic talent by showcasing her Islamic illumination paintings.
Illumination painting, known as
Tazhib in Arabic, is an art with hundreds of years of history and tradition. It involves painting arabesque and floral patterns with gold. Behnaz believes that it is important to preserve the methods and techniques of this art form, especially outside of her native Iran, because much of the Iranian diaspora has been uprooted and alienated from its culture. Her artwork was warmly received by the Chautauqua and Cordoba House communities, as it shows how the Arts truly bring people together to learn about and appreciate other cultures. The Cordoba House is proud to foster a community of talented and creative individuals!
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Experiencing Chautauqua for the First Time
 Working at Cordoba House has allowed me to learn more about Islam and interfaith work, and, like all worthwhile things, it has prompted me to learn more about myself, my abilities, and the obligation to use my talents constructively. My experience at The Chautauqua Institution furthered my sense of discovery. Chautauqua's practice of reflections creates an ideal location to cultivate a sense of being. Being at Chautauqua gave me a chance to physically connect with my body through sports, intellectually grow through lectures, emotionally learn about the connection to people of other faiths and cultures, and to sharpen my soul spiritually to become aware of peace. Although I have a lot of fears for my future - ears about employment, about defining my morality, about falling in love - but the quietness and solitude of Chautauqua's lake settled that uneasiness.
Kaitlin Lorio is a senior at Fordham University studying Middle Eastern Studies, Arabic, and Creative Writing. She has been interning at Cordoba House since June 2015.
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October 2 - 4, 2015 - First Community Church Event (Columbus, OH)
Imam Feisal will participate in several events including giving a lecture on the Introduction to Islam, a workshop on Sufism, and a sermon.
October 20 - 21, 2015 - Montana World Affairs Council Event (Missoula, MT)
Imam Feisal will participate in the Montana World Affairs Council Distinguished Speakers Program.
Schedule subject to change
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Moving the Mountain
Now Available in Paperback
Purchase your copy at any of the retailers below, and connect with other readers of
Moving the Mountain
on Imam Feisal's Facebook page:
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Moving the Mountain is Available at the Retailers Below
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