My Nonprofit Reviews

August, 2022

Dear Friends,

The Salaam Network has had a momentous year as a non-profit.
In 2022, we have made great strides in dispelling myths and increasing knowledge about Islam. It has been a year when our educational presentations reached a wider audience beyond Louisville to include the 2022 International Unitarian Universalist General Assembly held in Portland Oregon and by Zoom worldwide.
The year culminated in the All Peoples Unitarian Universalist Congregation accepting our proposal to include Islam in the 4th Source of Inspiration by a 56 to 1 positive vote. A week later on May 22, 2022, Rev. Terre Balof’s UU Congregation at Lynchburg, Virginia passed a unanimous resolution to do the same. This was a most encouraging outcome for our small planning group.
Over the last 3 years, presentations by Zoom and live have shared accurate information about the connections between diverse religious and belief traditions and offered the rationale for including Islam in our 4th Source. We have appealed to the Article II Commission of the UUA to amend the 4th Source of Inspiration in UUA by-laws as well.


Here are some of the details for 2022 so far:
All Peoples congregation accepted our proposal to include Islam in the 4th Source of Inspiration by a 56 to 1 positive vote. On May 15, 2022. A week later on May 22, 2022, Rev. Terre Balof’s UU Congregation at Lynchburg passed a unanimous resolution to do the same. This was a most encouraging outcome for our small The Salaam Network planning group.

Dossier for UUA Article II Commission
Reviewing UU Purposes, Principles and Sources of Inspiration

In 2022 we disseminated more widely our dossier of supporting evidence created in 2020 for the consideration of the Article II Commission of the UUA: https://www.allpeoplesuu.com/islam-in-uu-sources-of-inspiration/
This dossier contained the perspectives of the members of our planning group, as well as those of a number of Muslims including Dr. Riffat Hassan, Founder and Executive Director of The Salaam Network who is an internationally-recognized scholar of Islam and a pioneer of Islamic feminist theology and interreligious dialogue. The dossier also contained letters from Muslim Unitarian Universalists and links to important supporting statements on Islam by eminent Unitarian Universalists. Links to the dossier and these statements are given at the end of this letter.


UUA General Assembly Presentation
A film – “Islam a Source of Inspiration”
Our group was invited to present our proposal for the inclusion of Islam in our Sources of Inspiration, in the form of a video at the Annual Meeting of the UUA General Assembly in June 2021 and this year, 2022!. This year distinguished UU ministers read the proposal for the video. Links to a short film entitled we commissioned , “Islam a Source of Inspiration” was shown at the GA meeting in June, 2021 and 2022 as well as throughout the year to small groups at All Peoples, a Unitarian Universalist Church in Louisville. The Film has received many positive reviews.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNoJmyiD9bc

Prominent UU Ministers Support Proposal

In 2022, several prominent UU Ministers who are knowledgeable about Islam signed the widely disseminated Letter to UU’s and interested individuals as “Supporters.” Their names and affiliations are listed at the end of the letter. We are most thankful to them for their strong affirmation of our historic proposal. We are especially indebted to REV. DR. ALICIA McNARY FORSEY, the most celebrated UU scholar of early Unitarianism and its relationship to Islam, for her personal support and guidance to us as we strive to bring greater awareness to UUs of the role played by Sultan Suleyman, the Ottoman Muslim ruler, to protect Queen Isabella of Transylvania and the infant Unitarian Church in that region from being destroyed by formidable Trinitarian forces which surrounded them in the 16th century. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Forsey for her invaluable time as she is currently very busy writing the screenplay for her magnum opus entitled Queen Isabella Sforza Szapolyai of Transylvania and Sultan Suleyman of the Ottoman Empire: A Case of Sixteenth-Century Muslim-Christian Collaboration (published by Edwin Mellen Publisher, September 30, 2009). This rare masterpiece which is likely to be made into a magnificent epic movie, has received 5 stars from all its reviewers. We believe that Dr. Forsey’s matchless research which utilizes little-known Hungarian, Latin, Ottoman Turkish, and modern Turkish texts, translations and documents, will bring about a paradigm shift in UU perceptions of Islam and Muslims.

Supported by:

Dr. Dennis Neyman, Louisville educator (retired) and activist. Past president of All Peoples, a UU Congregation (formerly Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church;) Taught English in Isfahan, Iran 1975-79; Community Outreach Coordinator of the Salaam Network; Kentucky Coordinator of the US Peace Memorial Foundation.

Rev. Dr. Joseph Brennan,
Member All Peoples, a UU Congregation; Researcher, The Salaam Network

Rev. Summer Albayati,
Congregational Life Field Staff, Pacific Western Region, UUA


Rev. Dr. Mellen Kennedy
Settled Minister at Springfield Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse, Vermont. Ordained Minister in the ‘Inayatiyya: The Sufi Path of Spiritual Liberty; Founder of Interfaith Bridge which is dedicated to cultivating friendship and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Rev. Dr. Susan Ritchie Parish Minister at North Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Lewis Center, Ohio, Director of the House of Unitarian Universalist Studies at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

Rev. Terre Balof, Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Lynchburg, Virginia, Member of the Sufi Ruhaniat International, Dervish Healing Order.

Rev. J. Mark Worth, Minister Emeritus, Unitarian Universalist Church of Ellsworth, Maine.

Rev. Craig Moro, Minister Wy’east Unitarian Universalist Congregation. He proposed two decades ago that Islam should be included in the UU Sources of Inspiration; Founding member of Tri-Cities Interfaith Alliance (UU’s, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Baha’i); Member of UU Multi-Racial Unity Action Council.

Rev. Kathleen Owens, Past Lead Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego.

Dr. Dick Burkhart, Trustee, Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church, Des Moines, Washington.

Rev. Dr. Lucy Hitchcock, Board Member, Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community; she served thirty years of extension, new congregation, and settled ministry in Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, Washington County, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, Miami, Florida and the Extension Dept. of the UUA in Boston.

Rev. Kristen Psaki, Affiliated Community Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, Colorado.

Rev. Dr. Alicia McNary Forsey taught at the Unitarian Universalist seminary in Berkeley as Professor of Church History for thirteen years. She remains a visiting scholar of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She is also on the adjunct faculty of the Humanist Institute, and co-teacher of Class 16 (a three-year certificate program) for the Humanist Institute.
Ellen S. Wade, All Peoples Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Louisville.
Marcia Dorman, All Peoples Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Louisville.
Patricia B. Roles, All Peoples Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Louisville.
Alan W. Roles, All Peoples Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Louisville.
Rev. Tony Fisher, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, Florida.



SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS AND AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS:

Link to the Dossier: https://www.allpeoplesuu.com/islam-in-uu-sources-of-inspiration/


Links to YouTube Sermons of UU Ministers (Distinguished Guest Speaker Series of The Salaam Network, 2022) on Aspects of Islam:

Rev. Dr. M’Ellen Kennedy:
“What I Love about Islam” (UUCA Sermon, Atlanta, 3/1/2017). Linked to 2022 UUA General Assembly presentation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qk82WFmh9A

Rev. Terre Balof:
“Reflections on Islam” (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clemson, June 7, 2015). Linked to 2022 UUA General Assembly presentation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3mZAukNs78

Rev. Kathleen Owens:
“Exploring the Koran” (Hillcrest Sermon,1/25/2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7fMOFS_iRw&list=PLuD1nRtSjbcj6IFV5GF6sg7ifQ-uvNRTg&index=45

“Heart and Hand: UU and Islam” (Hillcrest Sermon, 2/23/2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ulbccaCGZE

Recent activity:
Our All Peoples Sunday service on April 3, 2022 was an an opportunity to go deeper into our understanding and experience of one of the world’s great religions. Our minister, Rev. Bruce Biesner wrote, “Many of us may be somewhat familiar with the central tenants, writings and history of Islam, but we don’t often think about how this faith is actually practiced and lived in many diverse ways by people all over our world. We will welcome Dr. Saleem Seyal who will share what Islam means to him and his family on a personal and everyday basis right here in Louisville.”