Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue

URI Cooperation Circles must include members of at least three different religions or traditions. By engaging in respectful conversations, members learn, share and build bridges of understanding.

Examples of our work in this Action Area:

Sun Devils Are Better Together (SunDABT), a university student group and URI Cooperation Circle, creates safe spaces for people to ask respectful questions about other religions by holding signs that read, "Meet a Muslim," "Meet a Jew," etc.
The URI global community celebrates UN World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) in the first week of February each year, with grassroots interfaith events in many communities.
Campinas CC in Brazil hosted an interfaith gathering and invited representatives of multiple religious and faith beliefs to talk about life and death from the perspectives of their own traditions.

Search for Cooperation Circles (CCs) with a focus on Interfaith/Intercultural Understanding & Dialogue

FIND CCs

Stories

Malerkotla: A Town With A Uniquely Secular Face

Peace is a dynamic concept, based on our inherited cultural histories, where we're from, and where we hope to go. Here, a CC member from Punjab, India reflects on the legacy of peace that they work to protect and grow. In the wake of growing non-violence based on religious differences and historical animosities this story presents a break from the difficult times the world is witnessing.

Weekly Shot: Finding Hope After Orlando

The global URI family stands against acts of hate, and seeks to find hope in unity to stamp it out where it begins.

When Hearts Shatter: A Heartfelt Reaction to the Orlando Shootings

Audri Scott Williams, a Global Council Trustee for URI's Multiregion, writes of her reaction to the Orlando, Florida shooting

Finding Strength in Interfaith Unity

The Abrahamic Circle CC shares news about an interfaith prayer gathering in Jerusalem as a ray of hope and unity in light of recent tragedies.

URI India North Zone's Environment Day Events

World Environment Day (WED) is observed every year on June 5th to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and Earth, mandated by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Gender Equity in Islam

When dealing with the Islamic perspective of any topic, there should be a clear distinction between the normative teachings of Islam and the diverse cultural practices among Muslims, which may or may not be consistent with them. The focus of this paper is the normative teachings of Islam as the criteria to judge Muslim practices and evaluate their compliance with Islam. In identifying what is \"Islamic,\" it is necessary to make a distinction between the primary sources of Islam \(the Qur\'an and the Sunnah\) and legal opinions of scholars on specific issues, which may vary and be influenced by their times, circumstances, and cultures. Such opinions and verdicts do not enjoy the infallibility accorded to the primary and revelatory sources.\