Muslim Journeys Tea & Discussion: Know Your Muslim Neighbor

University of Redlands Armacost Library will host the second Tea & Discussion event for Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys entitled "Know Your Muslim Neighbor," a free program for public and university audiences. "Know Your Muslim Neighbor" will cover topics that will facilitate understanding of who our Muslim neighbors are. What makes them different? What do we have in common? The discussion will highlight the five goals and objectives of Sharia Law: the preservation, protection and progression of Life, Family, Wealth, Intellect, and Faith.  We will come to realize that we have more in common than we thought.

The discussion will be facilitated by Malek Bendelhoum, who is the Coordinator for Programs and Outreach at the Islamic Shura Council. He graduated from UC Riverside with a degree in political science. He was born and has been living in Inland Empire all his life. He has volunteered at the Islamic Center of Riverside and other community organizations, such as CAIR-Los Angeles and Muslim American Society. He also served as the Youth Director of the Islamic Center of Riverside and as the Vice President of the First Islamic Healing and Wellness Center, dedicated to helping all Californians with drug dependency and other addictions. The program will be held on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at Redlands Peace Academy, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Limited seating is available. Please send RSVPs to Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, by Monday, April 1, 2013. The program aims to familiarize public audiences in the United States with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world.

For information about the materials and associated programs of the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, please visit http://library.redlands.edu/muslimjourneys or contact Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, at 909-748-8089 or Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu.

The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) conducted in cooperation with the American LibraryAssociation (ALA), the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University, Oxford University Press, and Twin Cities Public Television. Major support for the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Local support is provided by University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion and Redlands Peace Academy.