ICNY’s Dr. Henry Goldshmidt (moderator), Tom Dobbins, Jr. and Dr. Mehnaz Afridi
On Friday, May 16th, two leading faith-based social activists and educators spoke with Regis High School students about their efforts to build understanding, and foster collaboration, across religious lines. Some highlights included Dr. Mehnaz Afridi (Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College) talking about how people actively make pluralism happen; and Tom Dobbins, Jr. (Justice and Peace Coordinator in the Department of Social and Community Development of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York) speaking about the Christian doctrine’s support of interfaith dialogue. Prompted by student questions, these leaders also talked about how interfaith experiences strengthened their own faiths, and how to involve securalist groups in interfaith work.