URI Global Council trustee Marianne Horling brought 14 people of diverse cultural backgrounds together for monthly meetings in mid-April, introducing URI and hoping to create more Cooperation Circles. Marianne also had the opportunity to report her findings from the URI Global Council Meeting she attended in San Francisco in March.
Founder and President of URI Germany Sheikh Bashir, as well as Karimah Stauch, URI European Coordinator, were also on hand to help familiarize attendees with URI’s history and work in Germany. There were many questions from the participants about the structure of URI, its aims and finance, as well as the function of URI’s grassroots network. The dynamic German audience seemed skeptical that URI was not its own independent faith-based organization, therefore the meeting was an essential outlet for the diverse group to connect, communicate, and learn to respect each other.
In a similar effort, Marianne holds monthly interfaith meetings in her home so that individuals can learn about each other’s traditions through discussion and in sharing performances such as music, poetry, and artwork.
Marianne says, “Only through these personal connections can interests grow, and respect and friendships can be built.”
