Mark D. Siljander's Blog, page 3
October 26, 2009
Khartoum Sudan: Oct 26 Bridges Conference
Thousands gathered in Khartoum today in an interfaith effort to see unity between the North and South of Sudan. Mark Siljander presented a lecture "Spiritual Values that Lead to National Unity" at the event where Muslims and Christians gathered to show their support towards peace. The public rally concluded with prayers with President Al Bashir for the peace of Sudan. The event then continued on with top scholars presenting papers to an audience of several hundred.
Mark's lecture opened...
October 14, 2009
Charter for Compassion
Compassion is a central theme in our world's religions. Join those working to change the conversation about religion to focus on compassion: on treating others as you would like to be treated.
CHARTER FOR COMPASSION TRAILER from TED Prize on Vimeo.
October 7, 2009
Geneva :: Interfaith Dialogue Sept 30/Oct 1 :: Perspective from a Christian Delegate
I was invited to participate as a delegate to Saudi King Abdullah's Geneva Interfaith Dialogue last week. We noted that the conference is mainly being covered by media in the Middle East thanks to Nathan Cowan's request on Facebook for Christian response as well. I am happy to offer my perspective on the event.
It is important to realize that King Abdullah holding an interfaith conference is a huge breakthrough for spiritual reconciliation. Saudi Arabia is the home of Wahhabism, which has c...
September 24, 2009
Watch Aljazeera interview excerpts on YouTube!
If you would like to read what Aljazeera posted for the show,
LINK TO: Mark on Aljazeera.net Min Washington website in Arabic
September 7, 2009
News Coverage Around the Globe
Along with the recent Al Jazeera coverage in Qatar, Mark was interviewed by Sharmila Devi, who writes for Abu Dhabi English language paper, The National, covering the United Arab Emirates and the world. Her article focused on the struggles Mark has encountered as a result of his work, but doesn't fail to highlight what he considers an essential calling, to send a message to all that much of what divides us is a result of being "consumed with cultural traditions."
Mark will also be an...
Peace in the Middle East?
Reviewer David Pendleton of Spectrum Magazine, a publication of the Seventh Day Adventist community, highlighted five books that feed the discussion on the way towards Peace in the Middle East and the understanding of Islam (or lack of) in the West. One of those five was A Deadly Misunderstanding:
Siljander's summoning contribution is not so much his linguistic discussion but the clarion call to seeking ways to bridge cultural divides. He points out that the three monotheistic faiths share...
September 2, 2009
Adm. Mike Mullen Speaks Out on Relations with the Muslim World
On Aug 27 the New York Times covered Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen's recent essay to military personnel.
"'To put it simply, we need to worry a lot less about how to communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate,' Admiral Mullen wrote in the critique, an essay to be published Friday by Joint Force Quarterly, an official military journal."
The Times article also emphasized Adm. Mullen's views on the effectiveness of current efforts: "American messages to...
August 18, 2009
In Ramadan, Look Kindly Towards Neighbors…
Ramadan, the special month of fasting and prayer for Muslims begins this Friday August 21. Our friends at ReadtheSpirit.com published an article introducing Ramadan to non-Muslims and will be publishing various information and stories throughout the month at their Sharing Ramadan website. The conclusion of writer Raad Alawan's introduction highlights an important point about the value of prayer and fasting:
"This is a powerful theme that members of other faiths can appreciate. Jesus thought...
August 7, 2009
Washington Times Reviews "A Deadly Misunderstanding"
The title of Martin Sieff's review in today's Washington Times, "From enmity to friendship" encapsulates the core message Mark shares in ADM. Focusing on the timeliness of this book in an era that "hinge[s:] to an unprecedented degree" on the discord between Muslim and Christian, Sieff highlights the extraordinary support the book has received from both political and religious leaders, and the strong ties that Mark has in both spheres of influence. Acknowleding Mark's unorthodox approach to ...
