The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
Religious Pluralism and Civil Society
Interfaculty Working Group at Harvard University
Fall 2004/Spring 2005
Thursday December 2, 2004
1-3 p.m., The Thompson Room (Room 110), The Barker Center for the Humanities
Preeta Bansal, the Commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom spoke at this luncheon.
Monday April 4, 2005
12-2 p.m., The Faculty Club at Harvard University
Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE, rabbi and health care policy expert, spoke of her experiences on the commission that reported on Islamophobia in the UK.
Faith and Service: An Interfaith Perspective
On May 17, 2005, Director Diana Eck moderated a panel discussion following a
talk by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of the Art of Living Foundation,
one of the world's largest NGOs. Panelists included Rev. Dr. Dorothy Austin, Dr.
Ali Asani, Dr. Francis X. Clooney, S.J. and Bernie Steinberg, president and
director of Harvard Hillel.
The Art of Living Foundation is active in over 140 countries. H.H. Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar also established the International Association for Human Values (IAHV),
which has development projects in 25,300 villages, bringing self-reliance to
millions of people. Volunteer relief efforts have taken place in Afghanistan,
Bosnia, India after the earthquake in Gujarat, New York after the 9/11
terrorist attacks, and Asia in the aftermath of the recent tsunami. IAHV
volunteers continue to provide trauma relief and stress management in Iraq.