PAKISTAN FLOODS
 
Pakistan floods
The United Nations estimates that more than 20 million people have been made homeless or injured by Pakistan's floods (Photo: UNDP)

Rajmohan Gandhi, President of Initiatives of Change International, spoke alongside Pakistani Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon in a press conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to appeal for more help for the victims of Pakistan's catastrophic floods. Gandhi, who is the biographer and grandson of Indian independence leader Mohandas K Gandhi, has given much of his life to building bridges of trust between India and Pakistan. The press conference was widely reported in the media. To read Gandhi's speech click here

 

GLOBAL VOICES MORE>>

The creation of an independent Palestine has been a dream dashed many times, but there may be a practical path forward emerging from a surprising place. I often heard the phrase ‘business is business’ growing up in the 1960s among gritty American Jewish immigrants; my father said it all the time. It reflected old Jewish instincts to do whatever it takes to survive and feed ‘the family’, even when it meant dealing with people who disliked you – a lot.

Professor Rajmohan Gandhi, President of IofC International, joined Pakistani Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon in a joint appeal for further assistance to those who suffer as a result of the catastrophic floods in Pakistan. They were speaking at a joint press conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 3 September.

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Caux Report>> The Caux Report for the 2009 conferences is now available for download and in printed form from IofC centres. The 16 page full colour report covers the second Caux Forum for Human Security: towards a global coalition of conscience, Young European Muslims learning to be peacemakers; Business taking a people focused, sustainable approach to globalization; The Swiss-hosted dialogue on learning to live in a multicultural world and much more.

 

 

'Global Update'>> The latest edition of GLOBAL UPDATE newsletter, published every two months by Initiatives of Change-International, reports on the launch of the new film An African Answer and of the All Africa Conference, both taking place in Kenya. There is also news of the next phase of the Gandhi 'voyage of dialogue and discovery' in Romania, Japan, the USA and Mexico. Creators of Peace Circles were held in Kenya's troubled Rift Valley, Muslim-Christian dialogues have taken place in Australia and the findings of the economic and social impact of the United Nations were presented at a ‘Greencoat Forum’ in the UK.

 

Poster, 'The Imam and the Pastor'

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Trustbuilding: An Honest Conversation on Race, Reconciliation, and Responsibility>> This book is part historical narrative and part handbook for a model of dialogue and community change that has been adopted both nationally and internationally. At its center is the story of how Richmond, Virginia, a former slave market and capital of the Confederacy, has become a seedbed for interracial dialogue and trustbuilding with national and international implications.

 

 

Reaching for a New World>> This is a book for anyone who is new to the ideas of Initiatives of Change (IofC) and wants to know its history and background. It is also a book for people who have been associated with IofC for many years. In particular it is important reading for those who feel a sense of calling to take responsibility for the future.

Not all will find this book comfortable reading. The author does not shy away from constructive criticism and gives examples from her own experience of where mistakes have been made. Some comments may be considered controversial. Throughout the book however, her sincerity and commitment to reach out for a new world shine through.

An American in the Middle East>> This is a story that spans a half-century of tumultuous relationships between America and the Middle East as seen through the eyes of an American who had extraordinary opportunities to meet a wide range of personalities in the Arab and Muslim world.Harry Almond's memoir depicts the growth of heart and mind of a patriotic American towards the Islamic world beginning in 1944. Starting out as a young missionary and teacher in Iraq and Bahrain, he and his wife Beverly later worked with the program of Moral Re-Armament (IofC) for many years, living for a time in Egypt and then Lebanon, and traveling widely in other Muslim countries. Read more. Place your order here.

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The Worldwide Legacy of Frank Buchman>> In 1908 Buchman, an American Lutheran minister of Swiss descent who was the originator of Initiatives of Change, had a spiritual experience of release from bitterness in crucial relationships that altered the course of his life.