ICRD

Memorandum of Understanding between IIIT and

International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD)

Dr. Douglas Johnston (ICRD) and Dr. Jamal Barzinji (IIIT) after signing MOU.

IIIT VP Dr. Jamal Barzinji Receives "Faith in Action" Award

IIIT Vice President Dr. Jamal Barzinji became the first recipient of the Faith in Action Award initiated by the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD). The President of the Center, Dr. Douglas Johnston, presented the award at a well-attended dinner in Washington on Thursday June 7^th, 2007. This award recognizes outstanding individuals who enhance religious understanding among their fellow human beings.

The tranquil and serene ambiance of the ‘Evermay’ estate gardens in the Georgetown area o fthe nation’s capital was the perfect setting for the momentous event. Dr. Douglas Johnston, founder and president of ICRD spoke about the role of Dr. Barzinji in bringing IIIT and ICRD together in encouraging the American Muslim community and the U.S. Government to work mutually for the common good. IIIT and ICRD recently formed a partnership to cooperate on important education projects in the Muslim world.

Dr. Jamal Barzinji was president of the Muslim Students Association of the US and Canada (MSA) in the early seventies, and later general manager of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT). In the early eighties, he was one of the founders of IIIT. He was later appointed Dean of the College of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Dr. Barzinji serves or has served on boards of several business and nonprofit organizations as well as Islamic banks. He regularly lectures at the Fairfax Institute, the educational division of IIIT. His broad knowledge and eloquent speeches have captured many hearts and minds.

Former Governor Gilmore of Virginia attended the dinner and made remarks endorsing the award being given to Dr. Barzinji. He was followed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1993-1998, who also highlighted Dr. Barzinji’s achievements and his exceptional role in bridging the gap between the Muslim community and the community at large.

The first-ever Muslim congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota was the keynote speaker. He laid emphasis on the importance of American Muslims’ engagement in the political process and encouraged roles played by individuals such as that of Dr. Barzinji in bringing about transformation for Muslims in the U.S. Congressman Ellison pointed out that Muslim can and should call America to what is the best about it – values of equality before the law, due process, and judging people by what they do, not by what they look like.

Dr. Johnston presented the award to Dr. Barzinji, who in turn handed it to his wife for her enduring support and understanding of his challenging life-style. Dr. Barzinji also thanked his close colleagues at IIIT for their contribution to his efforts over the years.

The following are excerpts from the text of Dr. Jamal Barzinji’s acceptance speech.

Allow me to tell you how greatly and deeply honored I am to accept this award as a trustee of IIIT, and on behalf of IIIT, its Board of Trustees, my colleagues here in the US, and those spread across the globe, without whom none of our work would have been possible.

IIIT works for a mission of reform of Thought and Education, aspiring to use the power of faith and ideas to generate social transformation in a culture of moderation, tolerance and understanding.

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Prophet Muhammad teaches us: faith is “that which is established in the heart and verified through action.”
Among the men who put their faith in action and gave up their lives for it are Malcolm X who said “A man who stands for nothing, will fall for any thing”.
A man who stood for his faith was the reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., who once referred to “a creative battle to end the long night of injustice.”
Faith in Action is this creative battle; that gives us the hope that “something extraordinary can always happen in our lives.”
And it appears to be extraordinary to end extremism and terrorism, to root out intolerance, to bring balance to our foreign policy, to abolish bigotry, and to restore respect and honor for our civil and Constitutional rights.
Perseverance through tough times, without an apparent end in sight, requires Faith. By fostering brotherhood and putting our faith into action, we learn to accept and appreciate. We learn how to resolve the issue of violence without resorting to violence.
Our faith is NOT in action unless we care about the suffering, the discrimination and the humiliation of millions around the globe. It is not in action unless we work tirelessly to end the turmoil and violence in the Holy Land, in Iraq, in Chechnya, Darfur and Afghanistan, and everywhere oppression is.
We must put our faith into action for peace, peace at home and around the world.
It is with this resolve that I accept this award.