The globe’s largest and oldest interfaith gathering, Parliament of the World’s Religions will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in October 2015, the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions has announced.
On Tuesday, Parliament representatives announced the upcoming meeting at a news conference, noting that it will be the first time in 22 years the conference will be held in the United States. Previous Parliament cities span the globe from Cape Town, South Africa, to Barcelona, Spain, and Melbourne Australia.
Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, chairman of the Parliament’s board of trustees, explained that Utah’s capital, only the second U.S. city ever to host the gathering, was chosen for three reasons: Because it is “a welcoming and hospitable city,” it can accommodate large assemblies, and it has an established core of interfaith activists.
The imam specifically noted the work of the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable, established in conjunction with the 2002 Winter Olympics, which continues to this day.
The Parliament expects 10,000 or more attendees from 80 countries and 50 faith and spiritual traditions, the imam said.
And, if tradition holds, the gathering may attract Nobel laureates and other luminaries. Previous speakers have included former South African President Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President Jimmy Carter, Queen Noor of Jordan, anthropologist Jane Goodall, Swami Vivekananda, Rabbi David Saperstein, theology professor Hans Kung, and Amma the Hugging Saint.
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Dr. Arun Gandhi, 5th Grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, Author, President of the Board, Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute, Trustee, Parliament of the World’s Religions speaks at press conference Tuesday Septmember 9 for Parliament of the World Religions, announces that the global interfaith gathering has chosen Salt Lake City for its October 2015 meeting. Further right are: Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chair, Parliament of the World’s Religions Board of Trustees, Andrew Himes, Executive Director, The Charter for Compassion International, and Dr. Mary Nelson, Executive Director, Parliament of the World’s Religions. ·
