This page is for a past event and for archival purposes only. For a list of all upcoming events, please browse to our events page.

PAST EVENT ARCHIVE
Christian and Muslim Perspectives On Loving Thy Neighbor
Hub Talks by Dr. Craig Considine and Charles Upton

July 13, 2018 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: 5341 Owens Court, Pleasanton, CA 94588

A special evening of Hub Talks with musical performance by Basma Edrees & Aswat Ensemble. Dinner included. General Admission $20

Image of Flyer for Christian and Muslim Perspectives On Loving Thy Neighbor Event

HUB TALK

Muslims in America — A Talk by Dr. Craig Considine

Looking at findings from his new book Muslims in America: Examining the Facts, Dr. Craig Considine will focus on the plight of Muslims in the United States and how ignorance about Islam and Muslims has contributed to rising Islamophobia. His perspective is informed by meticulous readings of primary Islamic sources, historical and sociological research, recent polling and statistics, and a commitment to equity and social justice. Considine will also discuss how the teachings of Jesus and his own Catholic heritage influence his personal and academic approach to his Muslim neighbors. He is an heir to great Christian scholars, including Louis Massignon and Thomas Merton, who offer a more sympathetic assessment of Islam and a more loving embrace of Muslims.

Christians in the Middle East — A Talk by Charles Upton

Charles Upton has been writing as a voice of conscience in America for over 50 years. Known for his vast metaphysical corpus, social criticism and poetry, he has also written a number of books on Islam from a Sufi perspective informed by own his immersion in the tradition. In 2013, Upton and Dr. John Andrew Morrow conceived of the Covenants Initiative based upon Morrow’s groundbreaking work The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christian of the World. Upton will discuss the Covenants Initiative, which has been signed by leading Muslims scholars, academics and community leaders around the world. It insists that Muslims follow the injunctions and example of the Prophet Muhammad by protecting vulnerable Christian communities (as well as Jews, Zoroastrians, Yazidis and Muslims themselves) who have been threatened by ISIS and similar groups in the Middle East and beyond.

MUSIC & DINNER

Basma Edrees & Aswat Ensemble

Performing Middle Eastern music from 7:00-7:30pm. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm.

BIOS

Dr. Craig Considine is a US Catholic of Irish and Italian descent from Needham, Massachusetts. He is based at the Department of Sociology at Rice University. Considine holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin, an MSc from the University of London, and a BA from American University. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including Muslims in America: Examining the Facts and A Catholic’s Love of Islam. Considine is an educator, activist and proponent of religious pluralism as well as stronger Christian-Muslim relations.

Charles Upton is an American Muslim sage based in Lexington, Kentucky. He has written works on metaphysics, poetry, social criticism, and the path of Islamic Sufism. Some of his major titles include The System of Antichrist, Folk Metaphysics, The Virtues of the Prophet and Day and Night on the Sufi Path. With Dr. John Andrew Morrow, Upton conceived of the Covenants Initiative, which is a declaration signed by Muslims around the world calling for the protection of Christians and all human beings from ISIS and similar groups.

Basma Edrees is an outstanding violinist and vocalist from Egypt who studied at the prestigious Juilliard School for Performing Arts and was an honorary performer at the Operosa Festival, the only opera festival in Montenegro. She is also the Music Director of Aswat Women’s Ensemble, the Bay Area’s only female Arab music ensemble designed to empower women.

A limited amount of tickets will be provided for free for guests who otherwise could not attend. Please contact us at [email protected].