Many hands were needed to help in the transition for the immense number of Afghans that fled Afghanistan with the fall of the government there to the Taliban last year. Among those answering the call was Sahar Taman, providing legal assistance to the 13,000 Afghans located to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, last fall. The personal situations & the legal requirements were complex, demanding deeply dedicated work of both the heart and head.

Amar Ahmad is a young Muslim who has been working with Mass Peace Action the past 2 years, serving as co-chair of the Legislative/Political Committee as an organizer with the Fund Health Care, Not Warfare project, and wit

Bahareh Zare Bahari is distinct in so many ways - as an Iranian woman who, in her early 20's, started her own school, soon shut down by the regime in Iran, who then moved to the Philippines to become a Doctor of Dentistry, and who won 3 beauty queen crowns, using the opportunity to both hold up the beauty & power of the Iranian women and people. Because of her witness, she has been threatened, nearly abducted, and had her nose broken.

Michael Birkel is a Professor of Christian Spirituality at ESR (Earlham School of Religion) who became a self-taught friend of the Qur'an. In addition to the courses he has taught at ESR and Earlham College, he led a week-long workshop called Reading the Qur'an as Friends as part of the 2019 FGC Gathering.

The women's rights effort in Egypt looks different from that of the USA, with some overlap, addressing things like FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and child marriage, but also economic, employment, & other civil rights. Reda Eldanbouki is the founder & executive director of the Women’s Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness (WCGLA), working to ensure that women enjoy all of their human rights. Reda has faced attacks & violence because of his support for women & women's rights.

Will the issues every stop repeating themselves? Everything is not about the Bible, but a good share of everything is in the Bible, at least if you look with the discerning eyes of Peterson Toscano, a gay man who produces the monthly Citizen's Climate Radio blog, and Liam Hooper, a North Carolinian trans man of Ministries Beyond Welcome.

Ecologist Huda Alkaff is a founding member and director of Wisconsin Green Muslims, a volunteer environmental justice group based in Milwaukee. She uses her advanced education and her Muslim faith to educate others and forge interfaith collaborations in the service of sustainability.

Accompanied by the amazing violin & talent of Katie O'Neill, Idris Phillips weaves heart-enlivening music, both his own & that of others, live at the 2018 FGC gathering in Toledo. Inspired by music greats like James Taylor, Paul Simon, and his friend, Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, Idris writes, sings, & plays music of the deep.

On this Spirit in Action, we'll get past propaganda and agendas by sharing first-hand Israeli & Palestinian stories of the Occupation.

In an atmosphere where so often there is religious intolerence & distrust, it's beautiful to see diverse spiritual communities sharing deeply together. At Eau Claire's Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace & Unity, conceived by Bob Lesniewski, a Benedictine oblate, prayers were shared from Presbyterian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Ba'hai, Catholic, & Quaker representatives. It was a rich sharing of diverse faiths, warming a cold winter night. The next Eau Claire Interfaith Prayer Service will be May 23, 2018. When will yours be?