All Believers event to end sign-up soon

Aug. 25 is the registration deadline for next month’s All Believers Network (Belnet) workshop, which will explore similarities and differences in the religious traditions of the world.

The Sept. 1 workshop is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of Hawaii’s Shidler Hall auditorium.

Saleem Ahmed, founder of the Honolulu-based interfaith organization, said the workshop will feature a panel of representatives from various religions responding to a survey taken by Belnet the past few months on the "commonalities" among different faiths.

Panelists include representatives of Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hawaiian spirituality Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Mahikari and Unity among others.

The cost of the workshop, "Exploring Converging Paths of Religions," is $20, which includes a picnic-style buffet lunch catered by India Café. Visit www.AllBelievers.net; or call Ahmed at 371-9360 for details. The University of Hawaii’s Religion Department and Milun (Association for Promoting South Asian Culture) are co-sponsors. Supporters include the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, The Interfaith Alliance of Hawaii, and the Unity Church of Hawaii.

The program will be highlighted by a performance of the poem "In Which Tongue Does Our God Speak?" by the Honolulu Youth Opera Chorus, under the direction of Nola Nahulu. The poem is in the form of a conversation between an inquiring child and his mother, written by Ahmed, and set to music by composer Chris Suzuki.