Dr Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Egypt,
Co-Chair of the World Dialogue Council
Sheikh Ali Gomaa is the Grand
Mufti of Egypt through Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah succeeding Ahmad El-Tayeb. He
has been called „one of the most widely respected jurists in the Sunni Muslim
world,“...
http://www.aligomaa.net/index.html
Sheikh Ali Gomaa was born on March 3rd
1952 in Bani Suwaif, Upper Egypt. He was raised in a pious household that
respected knowledge. His father, a lawyer specializing in personal status
shariah law, transferred his love of books to his son whose private library now
boasts over 30,000 titles and is sought out by students and researchers from
around the world in need of rare texts.
After graduating from college Sheikh Ali
enrolled in al-Azhar University. After completing a second bachelor's degree
from al-Azhar in 1979, Sheikh Ali enrolled in a master's degree program at the
same university's department of shariah and law and obtained his master's
degree in 1985 followed by a PhD from the same department in 1988.
In addition to his official studies,
Sheikh Ali spent time with many sheikhs and masters of the shariah sciences and
the spiritual path outside of the university setting. The most influential of
these sheikhs was the Moroccan hadith scholar and Sufi Sheikh Abdullah bin
Siddiq al-Ghumari who considered Sheikh Ali to be one of his most accomplished
students.
Other scholars that Sheikh Ali studied
with include: Sheikh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuda, Sheikh Muhammad Abu Nur Zuhayr,
Sheikh Jad al-Rabb Ramadan Goma', Sheikh al-Husayni Yusif al-Shaykh, Sheikh
Muhammad Yasin al-Fadani, Sheikh Abd al-Jalil al-Qarnishawi al-Maliki, Sheikh
al-Azhar Sheikh Jad al-Haqq Ali Jadd al-Haq, Sheikh Abd al-'Aziz al-Zayat,
Sheikh Ahmed Muhammad Mursi al-Naqshibandi, Sheikh Muhammad Zaki Ibrahim, and
Sheikh Muhammad Hafidh al-Tijani.
Before his appointment as Grand Mufti of
Egypt, Sheikh Ali was Professor of Juristic Methodologies at al-Azhar
University. In addition to teaching classes on the university campus, in the
mid-1990's Sheikh Ali reestablished the tradition of giving lessons in the al-Azhar
mosque.
In 1998 Sheikh Ali began delivering the
Friday sermon at Cairo's Sultan Hasan Mosque, one of the city's grandest and
most beautiful examples of Mamluk architecture. His sermons drew a crowd of
hundreds, many of whom would remain after the prayer to attend his public
lesson and question and answer session.
In 2003 Sheikh Ali was appointed Grand
Mufti of Egypt. Since taking on the position he has revolutionized the process
of issuing fatwas in Egypt transforming Dar al-Ifta from a institution that was
the extension of one individual (the Grand Mufti) to a modern institution with
a fatwa council and a system of checks and balances. Sheikh Ali has also added
a technological aspect to the institution by developing a sophisticated website
and call center through which people can request fatwas even if they are unable
to come to the institution personally. Over the last five years Sheikh Ali has
overseen the issuance of many important, and some controversial, fatwas all of
which share the common characteristic of striving to show the continued
relevance of Islam for people living in the 21st century. The methodology
according to which this is carried out can be characterized by a profound
respect for the intellectual product of the past accompanied by a realization
of its shortcomings, when they exist, and an understanding of the specific
needs the times in which we live.
Sheikh Ali is a prolific author and
writer on Islamic issues and he writes a weekly column in the Egyptian al-Ahram
newspaper in which he discusses matters of current interest and religion.
H.E. Theodore Cardinal McCarrick
High Level Advisor to the WDC and
Acting Co-chair
http://www.adw.org/about/lead_bio_mccarrick.asp
Cardinal
Theodore Edgar McCarrick was born in New York City on July 7, 1930 and attended Catholic elementary school and
Fordham Preparatory School. He studied in Europe for a year and a half before
returning to Fordham University, his mind already made up to study for the
priesthood. He entered St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY, where he earned a BA
in 1954 and a Master’s Degree in History in 1958. Francis Cardinal Spellman
ordained him to the priesthood on May 31, 1958 in New York City. He went on to
earn a second Master’s degree in Social Sciences and a Ph.D. in Sociology from
The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
Father
McCarrick’s first assignment was as assistant chaplain of Catholic University
where he went on to serve as dean of students and as director of development.
He was named president of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce in
1965, where he was responsible for the development of the school as a major
institution. That same year he received the title of monsignor from Pope Paul
VI. In 1969, Terence Cardinal Cooke recalled him to New York to serve as
associate secretary for education and an assistant priest at Blessed Sacrament
parish from 1969-1971 and then as the Cardinal’s Secretary from 1971-1977.
In 1977,
Pope Paul VI named Msgr. McCarrick Auxiliary Bishop of New York where, he
served as Vicar of East Manhattan and the Harlems. In 1981, Pope John Paul II
appointed him to be the first Bishop of Metuchen, a newly-established diocese
in New Jersey. From 1986 until his appointment to the Archdiocese of
Washington, he served as the fourth Archbishop of Newark.
In 1986 and
again in 1992, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) elected
then-Archbishop McCarrick to head its Committee on Migration. In 1992, he also
was named to head the Committee for Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern
Europe; in 1996, as chair of the Committee on International Policy; and in
2001, as Chairman of the Domestic Policy Committee. Other USCCB committees on
which the Cardinal has served are Administrative, Doctrine, Laity, Latin America
and the Missions. He was elected one of 15 U.S. bishops to serve as a member of
the Synod for America held in 1997. At the conclusion of that Synod, the
bishops elected him to serve on the Post Synodal Council.
A founding
member of the Papal Foundation, he has served as its president since 1997.
Cardinal McCarrick also is a member of the Board of Catholic Relief Services.
For the Vatican, he serves on the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Pontifical Council for the
Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, Pontifical Commission for
Latin America and the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See.
He has
visited many nations as a human rights advocate and to survey humanitarian
needs. These include China, Cuba, Iran, Vietnam, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia,
South Korea, Rwanda and Burundi. He also has traveled extensively in Eastern
Europe and Central America. In November 1996, then-Archbishop McCarrick was
invited to serve on the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Religious
Freedom Abroad and from 1999-2001, he was a member of the United States
Commission for International Religious Freedom.
In January
2000, the President of Lebanon named him an Officer of the Order of the Cedars
of Lebanon and in December 2000, the president of the United States presented
him with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights, just two of many honors
he has received.
On January
2, 2001, he was installed as Archbishop of Washington, a position he held until
May 16, 2006. Just seven weeks after his installation, on February 21, 2001, he
was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II. He took
possession of his titular church, Ss. Nereus and Achilleus, on June 28, 2001.
As
Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal McCarrick served as chancellor of The
Catholic University of America and president of the Board of Trustees of the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and placed an
emphasis on education, vocations and meeting the needs of new immigrants,
particularly in the Latino community.
In Fall
2001, he opened a new seminary, Redemptoris Mater, to educate diocesan
missionary priests. These men will serve both in the Archdiocese of Washington
and in overseas missions after ordination. In May 2006, Cardinal McCarrick
dedicated a permanent home for the seminary, located in Hyattsville, Maryland.
Later that month, the Cardinal ordained 12 men to the priesthood, the largest
ordination class in the Archdiocese since the 1970s.
Under his
guidance, the Archdiocese of Washington undertook a major capital campaign, Forward
in Faith, between 2003 and 2005. The campaign, whose funds are earmarked to
support education, vocations, parish and social service needs into the future,
resulted in $185 million in pledges, or $50 million over the $135 million goal.
Forward in Faith was one of the most successful capital campaigns in
U.S. diocesan history.
Education
has always been a priority for Cardinal McCarrick and is a major component of Forward
in Faith. In 2004, he supported the creation of the DC Opportunity
Scholarship program, a Federal program that gives low-income families the
ability to choose a public or non-public school for their children. As a result
of his leadership, Catholic schools in the District have welcomed approximately
1,000 scholarship recipients. The Cardinal also initiated plans to open a new
high school, the first Archdiocesan high school to open in decades, in Fall
2007. The Cristo Rey school, in Takoma Park, Maryland, will offer a unique
work-study program for students from moderate- and low-income families.
During his
five years as Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal McCarrick oversaw the start of
a multi-cultural and social service center in Wheaton, Maryland; the establishment
of a Lay Leadership Institute in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, which will
have a special focus on the Hispanic community; and the reorganization of four
of the Archdiocese’s social service agencies into one organization, Catholic
Community Services, which serves over 120,000 people each year.
He traveled
around the world, including trips to areas affected by major natural disasters,
such as Central America, Sri Lanka and Louisiana and Mississippi post-Hurricane
Katrina, to ensure people in need would receive assistance, and to bring prayer
and financial support.
He also continued to travel on behalf of
Catholic Relief Services, and to fulfill various responsibilities for the
Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Among many
notable events, Cardinal McCarrick was one of 115 Cardinals in the world who
participated in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI as the successor to
Pope John Paul II in April 2005.
The Rt Revd and Rt Hon. Dr Richard Chartres, KCVO, The Bishop of London
He was
educated at Hertford Grammar School and studied history at Trinity College
Cambridge. Before ordination he taught Ancient History at the International
School in Seville.
He was
ordained in 1973 and served as a curate in St Andrew's Bedford. In 1975 he was
appointed Chaplain to Robert Runcie, then Bishop of St Albans, and from 1980-84
he served as the Archbishop's Chaplain at Lambeth and Canterbury.
He moved to
St Stephen's Rochester Row in the Diocese of London in 1984. During eight years
in the parish he also served as Director of Ordinands for the Central Area and
as Gresham Professor of Divinity.
He was
consecrated Bishop of Stepney on 22 May 1992.
After his
move to the see of London, he was appointed Dean of HM Chapels Royal in 1996 and a Privy
Counsellor. This accounts for the curious fact that the Bishop of London is the
only bishop who bears the title 'Right Honourable' in addition to the usual
'Right Reverend'. He is an ex officio member of the House of Lords.
He is
President of Bible Society, an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple, Chairman
of the Ecumenical "London Church Leaders", a Fellow of the Society of
Antiquaries and is associated with numerous other London organisations.
He is also
Chairman of the Church Buildings Division of the Church of England, and the
CofE Shrinking the Footprint campaign. He deputises for the Archbishop
of Canterbury as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Church
Commissioners. He is also responsible on behalf of the Archbishop for relations
with the Orthodox Churches.
He is
founder and life president of St Ethelburga's Centre for
Reconciliation and Peace. His publications include "The History
of Gresham College 1597-1997" (with David Vermont) and "Tree of
Knowledge, Tree of Life" [2005] and many articles and essays especially on
religion and the environment.
He is
married to Caroline, a freelance writer, and they have four children –
Alexander, Sophie, Louis and Clio.
http://www.london.anglican.org/BishopOfLondon
The Rt Revd. And Rt
Hon. Lord Carey of Clifton,
103rd Archbishop of Canterbury and
Founding Co-chair of the WDC’s precursor body the C-100 West Islamic Dialogue
George Carey was born
in 1935 in the East End of London, the son of a hospital porter. He left school
at 15 and began working at the London Electricity Board as an office boy, and
also served with the Royal Air Force in Iraq during the fifties.
By the time he was
twenty, he had decided he wanted to be ordained as a minister into the Church
of England. After graduating from London College of Divinity (ALCD) and King’s
College London (BD. Hons) he served as a curate in Islington, London. During
this time he went on to research the early origins of Christian ministry and
earned both M.Th and Ph. Degrees. He then taught at two Colleges before
becoming a parish priest at St.Nicholas’ Durham. In 1982 he became Principal of
Trinity Theological College in Bristol and, in 1987, Bishop of Bath and Wells.
In 1991 he was invited to take up the post of 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury
and served 70 million Anglicans around the world until his retirement in 2002.
In 2002 George Carey
was made a life peer as ‘Lord Carey of Clifton’.
Lord Carey is
Presentation Fellow of King’s College London, Fellow of Christ’s University
College, Canterbury and Fellow of the Library of Congress. He is also the
recipient of some 12 Honorary Doctorates and author of more than 14 books.
Currently he is Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire and President
of the London School of Theology.
In retirement, he
served on the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and Co-Chair of the
Council of 100 Leaders West Islamic Dialogue and he continues to work to bridge
the gulf between the West and Islamic worlds as he did in office when he
launched the Alexandria process which first brought the Religious leaders of
the Holy Land together. He is also
Chairman of the United Church Schools Trust.
http://www.glcarey.co.uk/
H.B. Theofilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch
of Jerusalem, Vice Chair of the World Dialogue Council
His Beatitude Theofilos III Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all
Palestine (known in the world as Elias Giannopoulos, his parents,
Panagiotes-Triseugenia) was born in Gargalianes in…....
http://www.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/en/patria_welc.htm
H.E. the Grand
Mufti of Bosnia, Mustafa Cerić Vice Chair of the C-1
Dr. Mustafa Efendi Cerić (born 1952 in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then
Yugoslavia) is the Grand Mufti (reis-ul-ulema) of Bosnia-Herzegovina. He is
serving his second 7-year term until 2013....
John J. DeGioia,
President of Georgetown University
For
over three decades, John J. DeGioia has helped to define and strengthen
Georgetown University as a premier institution for education and research.
Since graduating from the University in 1979, he has served both as a senior
administrator and as a faculty member. On July 1, 2001, he became Georgetown's
48th president.
Dr. DeGioia is a
Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy. He earned a bachelor's
degree in English from Georgetown University in 1979 and his PhD in Philosophy
from the University in 1995. He has most recently taught "Interior Freedom
and the Academy," "Ethics and Global Development," "Human
Rights: A Culture in Crisis," and a seminar on "Ways of Knowing."
Prior to his
appointment as president, Dr. DeGioia held a variety of senior administrative
positions at Georgetown, including senior vice president, responsible for
university-wide operations, and dean of student affairs.
In 2004, he was
presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Academia from the
Sons of Italy. And he was named a Washingtonian of the Year by The
Washingtonian magazine in 2008.
Dr. DeGioia was raised
in Orange, Connecticut, and Hanford, California. He and his wife, Theresa
Miller DeGioia, a Georgetown alumna, and their son, John Thomas, live in
Washington, D.C.
http://www.georgetown.edu/president/biography/index.html
Professor Robert
Eisen, Professor of Religion and JudaicStudies at the George Washington
University B.A.,Yale University; Ph.D., Brandeis University
Prof. Eisen’s areas of interest include medieval and modern Jewish philosophy,
biblical interpretation, Jewish ethics, and comparative religion. He is author
of two books, Gersonides on Providence...
John L. Esposito
is Professor of Religion and International Affairs and of Islamic Studies and
Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian
Understanding at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.
Esposito specializes in Islam, political Islam from North Africa to Southeast
Asia, and Religion and International Affairs. He is editor-in-chief of the
four-volume The Oxford Encyclopedia of the...
David F. Ford,
Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge, Director of the Cambridge
Inter-Faith Programme
David F. Ford is the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of
Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme (focusing on
Judaism, Christianity and Islam). He first read...
Professor
Anthony C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy, Birkbeck College University of
London
Anthony Grayling MA, DPhil (Oxon) FRSL, FRSA is Professor of Philosophy at
Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne’s
College, Oxford. He has written and...
Nakhle El Hage,
Director News & Current Affairs, Al-Arabiya, Dubai
Nakhle El Hage is currently the
Director of News and Current Affairs for Al Arabiya News Channel. Hage, heads
current affairs in Al Arabiya as well as MBC Channels, who established the
Current Affairs department in Al Arabiya as well as launching 15 different
programs for Al Arabiyya.
Formally Editor in Chief of the MBC
Channel, El Hage supervised the move of MBC from its London headquarters to its
new location in Dubai. After joining MBC as a chief sub editor, El Hage worked
as editor of the day at MBC Channel in London. He has also worked as a war
correspondent for Tele Liban and a news writer/reporter/announcer in Radio
Voice of Lebanon. El Hage holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree in media from the American University in Lebanon.
Haris Hromic,
BBA, MPA, MA, FRSA Senior Advisor for Global Strategy to the C-1 World
Dialogue, Co-Founder of the C-1 World Dialogue
Mr. Hromic professional career includes engagements in the financial services
industry, NGO, government, and academia. Mr. Hromic is a founding Member of the
World Dialogue Council
Professor Dr. Ibrahim Kalin,
Senior Advisor to Prime Minister of Turkey
Dr. Kalin is the founding-director of the SETA Foundation for Political,
Economic and Social Research based in Ankara, Turkey. He has hosted a
discussion program on the Turkish national TV TRT 1....
Sayyed Jawad
Al-Khoei, Assistant Secretary-General of Al-Khoei Foundation
Sayyed Jawad Al-Khoei is the grandson of the late Grand Ayatullah Sayyed Abul
Qasem Al-Khoei, the supreme religious leader of Shia Muslims between 1970 and
1992. Born in Najaf where he spent his...
The Most Revd.
Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was born in Dublin on 8th April 1945. He attended
schools in Dublin (Oblate School, Inchicore; De La Salle School, Ballyfermot;
Marian College, Ballsbridge). He studied...
S. Abdallah
Schleifer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Journalism and Founding Director
of the Adham Center at the The American University of Cairo
S. Abdallah Schleifer, former Washington D.C. bureau chief for Al Arabiya News
Channel, and former Cairo bureau chief for NBC News is a veteran journalist who
has covered the Middle East for...
Miroslav Volf,
Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology, Yale University
Miroslav Volf is the Founder and Director of Yale Center for Faith and Culture
and Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology, Yale University Divinity School, New
Haven, CT. Miroslav Volf was educated...
