Interfaith Prize Awarded

Two organizations dedicated to promoting tolerance and religious understanding through education, research and leadership training will share the 2016 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize awarded by Hofstra University, New York. The Pluralism Project at Harvard University, created in 1991, was inspired by the increasing religious diversity of the United States, diversity that its founder and director, Dr. Diana Eck, PhD, a professor of religious studies at Harvard, saw in her classes. Serve2Unite, a Milwaukee-based organization that focuses on youth and community outreach, was forged from tragedy, created by Pardeep Kaleka and the Sikh community after his father and five others were killed in a shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, USA, in 2012. “These two organizations use education and dialogue to promote tolerance, compassion and religious understanding. Now more than ever, I can think of no work that is more important,” said President of Hoftsra University, Stuart Rabinowitz. “Their unwavering commitment is a testament to the principles Guru Nanak represents.” “The Pluralism Project and Serve2Unite show that there are many ways to meet the challenge and embrace the opportunity presented by religious diversity,” Firestone said. “The most important thing is that people of different backgrounds communicate ““ whether it is through scholarly research, grassroots community outreach, leadership training or creative expression.” The $50,000 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize is bestowed every two years to recognize significant work to increase interfaith understanding.
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