Interfaith Encounters

Suprateem Ghosh is an IT Auditor by profession and a musician by heart along with a spiritual seeker who has been involved in few interfaith conversations in Dallas. He was raised in India where he completed his education and was exposed to multiple faiths and believes. His introduction to Advaita (non-dual) Vedanta was at an early age due to his parents. He also got his spiritual initiation at Ra...

Zahra N. Jamal is Associate Director at Rice University's Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance, and a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Consultant. An award-winning former faculty member at Harvard and MIT, Dr. Jamal was founding director of the Civil Islam Initiative at University of Chicago, founding director of the Central Asia and International Development Initiative at Michigan State, and Asso...

Rev. Jack Amick, Director of Global Migration, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).  He directs UMCOR’s Global Migration portfolio and represents the global migration work of the General Board of Global Ministries.  In his coordination of Global Migration work, Amick serves on the United Methodist Immigration Task Force, on advisory committees for Church World Service, the board of NJFON,...

A Houston native dedicated to the causes of diversity and women’s empowerment, Manpreet K. Singh is a supervising attorney that has tried over 50 cases.  Currently a Chapter representative for the American Board of Trial Attorneys, she also is serving as a director and trustee with the Sikh Coalition. Recognized in 2018 & 2013 as a recipient for the Diversity First Award.  And in 2011 by the Houst...

Bishop Kelly is a native of Iowa and grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He studied for the priesthood in Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas here in Irving and was ordained to the priesthood in 1982. He served in several parishes in the Dallas area since then and has served as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas since 2016. He has lived in Irving since 2008.   Bishop Ke...

Marv Knox is the coordinator of Fellowship Southwest, an ecumenical network affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Fellowship Southwest covers Arizona, New Mexico, Northern Mexico, Oklahoma, Southern California and Texas. It expands racial, ethnic and ecumenical relationships, and it builds partnerships to serve the most vulnerable people in the region. Previously, Marv was editor of...

Debra Boudreaux is a senior volunteer with the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. She has more than 31 years of experience working on major projects related to charity, medical care, education, and humanitarian aid. Debra was previously the CEO of Tzu Chi Medical Foundation. She leads Buddhist and Catholic interfaith dialogues and serves as a member of the UN Multi-Faith Advisory Council. She serves as...

Anwar Khan President of Islamic Relief USA.  He has more than twenty five years of experience working in the field of humanitarian and development assistance. Mr. Khan has extensive experience in the field: he has traveled to five continents visiting more than 20 countries that have been affected by human conflict or natural disaster zones.  Before becoming President, Anwar held a variety of leade...

Julie Rayman, Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs of the American Jewish Committee helps us understand how Jews relate through their history to migrants and immigrants, and what this means today. Since January 2012, Julie Rayman, Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs, has served as the lead legislative advocate for AJC’s policy priorities. On behalf of AJC, she has supported...

Dr Hunt explores how religious freedom must be understood in the context of the US Constitution and it lofty goals for American society.

Dr. Hunt addresses the way in which the realm of religious freedom has expanded while the separation of religion and the state has diminished. What that means is increased tension and politicization that may serve neither religion nor society.

“For nearly 75 years, Americans United has consistently shown up in the public square ready to protect America’s constitutional guarantee of church-state separation that ensures religious freedom for all of us,” said Dr. Dent. “For me, this is especially important when we recall the dark and complicated history of a nation that has often overlooked the human rights of racial and religious minoriti...

Dr. Marci Hamilton, author, professor, and lawyer, has argued key religious freedom cases before the Supreme Court. In this interview she explains both why religious liberty is critical, and how a culture of religious liberty unconcerned with the public good and individual harm undermines our society.

Joel Schwitzer, regional director of the North Texas American Jewish Committee draws on his long experience with Jewish organizations to deepen our understanding of how religious freedom for one depends on religious freedom for all. And how dialogue is crucial.

Dr. Long examines the right to religious freedom as a right that originates with God and should be acknowledged by the state as a fundamental human right.

Dr. Mirza discusses human rights in the international framework of laws, with special attention to more specific regional laws such as Islamic Shari'a in dominantly Muslim countries.

Dr. Rick Halperin, head of the SMU Human Rights program talks about how education in the fundamental right of religious freedom is necessary if we are to protect the rights of all.

Dr. Grant helps us understand religious freedom in light of the experience of African Americans, who have found their religious identity, and freedom of expression, suppressed and under assault.

Dr. Patel reminds us that religious freedom also requires granting different religious groups full dignity in the public sphere.

Rachel Bresner of the ADL guides us in understanding the constitutional law surrounding the first amendment, and the shield of religious freedom should never be used to justify the sword of discrimination.

Rev. Rachel Baughman of Oaklawn UMC tells us how her congregation's freedom to minister according to the teaching of Jesus is hindered by city ordinances and a not-in-my-back-yard mentality among their neighbors.

See https://firstliberty.org for more information on Mr. Shackleford's organization and its perspectives on religious freedom. 

See http://religiousfreedomandbusiness.org for more information.

Bishop McKee is a native of Fort Worth, Texas. He was ordained as a United Methodist elder in 1979 and has served a variety of churches. He has also been a delegate to three Jurisdictional Conferences and two General Conferences. In 2012, Rev. McKee was elected to the episcopacy by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference and assigned to serve as the resident bishop of the Dallas Area.  

Mr. Krishnamurth is a past trustee of the The DFW Hindu Temple and has been involved in Temple related activities from before the formal founding of the temple. The Hindu Temple Society was founded in Jun 1982. Ever since, Mr. Krishnamurthy has been associated with the Hindu Temple in Irving essentially in religious matters. He was the Chairman of the Religious committee when the temple installed...