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Imam Yahya Hendi during the press conference (photo album) (Photo: Yacouba Soro/US Embassy)

Imam Yahya Hendi Calls for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Tolerance

Imam Yahya Hendi, the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University who is currently on a week-long visit to Côte d’Ivoire, called for inter-religious dialogue. Speaking on June 12, 2009 at a press conference in the American Embassy in Abidjan, he said: “I have come to Cote d’Ivoire to promote dialogue between religions as well as between Cote d’Ivoire and the United States.”

Imam Hendi, who arrived in Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday, June 11th 2009 under the State Department’s IIP Speaker’s Program, delivered a strong message on religious tolerance after taking part in Friday’s prayer in a Mosque in the Ivorian economic capital, Abidjan. Many other local radios echoed his message in which he called for peace among religious groups.

Widely known as an expert on comparative religions and inter-religious dialogue and relations, Imam Hindi will be meeting with Cote d’Ivoire’s Muslim leaders in Abidjan and the central city of Bouake. He is also set to speak to the youths, women groups and students on several topics including: “Education and religion”; “Youths and Islam in America”; “Women and Muslim” and “Islam as an engine of peace.”

Imam Hendi wrote numerous publications on many topics, including women in Islam, women and gender relations in Islam, the coming of the Messiah, Islam and biomedical ethics and religion and Islam in the United States. A sought-after speaker, Imam Hendi has presented a multitude of interfaith and general lectures in the USA, Asia, Europe, central Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East over the past eight years and he has been to more than 63 countries and 47 US states for conferences.

He was one of the Muslim leaders who met with the President of the United States in the aftermath of the September 11 tragedy. Imam Hendi also met the President of the United States many times after September 11th. Imam Hendi often visits and lectures at churches and synagogues hoping to create a new positive relationship between the followers of the three Abrahamic religions. Imam Hendi focuses on issues related to gender relations, world peace, political justice and inter-religious and interfaith issues.