Photo: Jalen Michael
SUNY Old Westbury hosted a Multifaith panel at the Recital Hall in the Campus Center on February 21. The panel consisted of six guest speakers: Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi who discussed Judaism, Reverend Marcus Tillery who discussed Christianity, Mohammed Hafeez Abdullah who spoke on Islam, Sarabjit Kaur who spoke on Sikhism, Dada Rainjitananda who discussed Neo-Humanism with a background in Hinduism, and OW’s very own professor Christine Keller, who not only discussed the core principles of the six different religions but also spoke about Buddhism/Hinduism.
The panel was put together by Honors College students Sonya Babakhanova and Daniella Mullokandov. The discussion was moderated by Babakhanova and touched on themes of self-responsibility, community values, and the ideals of being a good person within each religion.
Babakhanova’s goal was for this event to inspire students to learn about different religions. “The purpose of this panel was to bring faiths together,” she said. “We wanted to educate students and hope that they continue to learn more afterwards.”
The students appeared to be very engaged in the discussion. One OW student, Kenny Adams, believed the panel to be very useful. “I liked seeing different people’s perceptions of religion and the slight differences,” he said. “I found it very interesting.”
The forum was very successful with many students attending. “Not what we were expecting honestly,” Mullokandov said. “We had one hundred free shirts to give to students, and we ran through them quickly. I am very happy with the outcome.”
Babakhanova added that even though the time was limited, she was still very satisfied with the result. “Time only allowed me to get through three questions,” she said. “But they were three very important questions and I am happy with the outcome also.”
The event promoted OW’s Interfaith Center. Mullokandov described the center as “a safe space for students to pray, discuss, and hang out.”
The Interfaith Center is located in the Student Union in room 326.
