Christian/Muslim relations to be focus of several events

One of the speakers was the youngest Anglican bishop in the world.
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Westminster College will focus on Christian/Muslim relations in several events next week.
The Right Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, the 106th Bishop of Rochester, will deliver the 18th annual Wayne H. Christy Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m. Sunday in Wallace Memorial Chapel.
Nazir-Ali, who was born and raised in Pakistan and currently holds citizenship there and in the United Kingdom, will speak on "The Role of Religion in the Current International Situation." He was the youngest Anglican bishop in the world, and the first Asian religious leader to sit in the House of Lords. He wrote several books on Christian mission and on inter-faith issues, particularly Islam. He was the chair of the group which wrote "The Search for Faith" published in 1996, which examined some of the barriers to people believing in Christ today.
Project's purpose
The Interfaith Listening Project was designed to bring Christians and Muslims together for listening and conversation around the world. Each team includes a Christian and a Muslim who share their experiences of the realities and challenges of Christian-Muslim relationships.
Two members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Interfaith Listening Team from India, consisting of Dr. Andreas D'Souza, a Christian, and Dr. Ismat Mehdi, a Muslim, will attend Sunday's lecture. They will teach in several classes for three days and lead several public events.
At 12:30 p.m. Monday, they will lead a discussion at Westminster's McKelvey Campus Center. A public forum is planned at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the McGill Center in New Castle. Another public forum is planned at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Westminster's Wallace Memorial Chapel.
D'Souza is the director of the Henry Martyn Institute, an international center for Research, Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation, in Hyderabad, India. Mehdi has taught classical Arabic literature, Arab history and culture, and modern literature for more than 20 years. She was the first secretary for culture and director of the Indian Culture Center at the Embassy of India in Cairo from 1991-1995.
Events are free.