Rafia Amina Khader Named Interfaith Innovation Fellow; Publishes Article
Chautauqua Institution Director of Religion Programs Rafia Amina Khader has been named to Interfaith America’s 2024–25 Interfaith Innovation Fellowship Cohort. Khader is among the cohort’s 11 outstanding interfaith leaders who will convene over the next year to leverage their collective knowledge toward shared action as they seek to meet a felt need in their community through an interfaith lens.
According to the Interfaith America release, the Innovation Fellows were selected from Interfaith America’s Emerging Leaders Network because of their proven commitment to constructive interfaith cooperation and demonstrated ability to make meaningful and longstanding impact in their communities.
In her role as a fellow, Khader recently published the article, Be Kind, Speak Truth: Interfaith Work as a Muslim Leader in Interfaith America Magazine. In the article, Khader describes the challenges of serving as an interfaith leader in the current world context, made more complex amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Khader explains, “My faith exhorts me to seek the truth and not be afraid of speaking it. I also believe that being a Muslim Hijabi woman in an interfaith leadership position, at a historical organization such as Chautauqua, during this difficult time, is an incredible opportunity to do real change-making work.”
Chautauqua Institution President Michael E. Hill, Ed.D., said Khader’s contributions have made a difference at Chautauqua. Her generation is preparing to take the reins and lead us to an increasingly more nuanced understanding of faith with a focus on dialogue.”
Eboo Patel is founder and president of Interfaith America. “Rafia is well positioned to advance the idea that faith should be a bridge of cooperation in our highly religiously diverse nation,” Patel said.
ABOUT INTERFAITH AMERICA
Interfaith America (IA) was founded in 2002 based on the idea that religious difference should serve as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. Since that time, Interfaith America has evolved from a small Chicago-based nonprofit to the nation’s premier interfaith organization. Led by Founder and President Eboo Patel, Interfaith America inspires, equips, and connects leaders and institutions to unlock the potential of America’s religious diversity. Utilizing a research-backed approach, IA works in higher education, health, corporate, bridgebuilding, civic fields.
ABOUT CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION
Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre community on Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, where approximately 7,500 persons are in residence on any day during a nine-week season, and a total of more than 100,000 attend scheduled public events. Chautauqua is dedicated to the exploration of the best in human values and the enrichment of life through a program that explores the important religious, social and political issues of our times; stimulates provocative, thoughtful involvement of individuals and families in creative response to such issues; and promotes excellence and creativity in the appreciation, performance and teaching of the arts. The Institution celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2024.
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