Love is a Verb May 6, 2020 By Collegeville Institute Leave a Comment In this episode, hear a Muslim-Catholic dialogue about faith and action for the common good. How do our faith communities grapple with injustice and inequality? Are our financial budgets moral documents? And what do the Koran and Bible say about advocating for the oppressed? Listen to an unlikely conversation between Tamim Saidi and Joe Kruse as they discuss social justice, economics, and the call to love in their respective Muslim and Catholic Worker communities. Tamim and Joe are Twin Cities religious leaders in the Collegeville Institute’s Multi-Religious Fellows program who model friendship and collective action across religious boundaries. Topics discussed in this episode: What Muslim and Catholic traditions teach us about social justice Stereotypes and diversity of belief within faith communities How to get started in advocating for the common good Resources mentioned in this episode: Learn more about the Minneapolis Catholic Worker The Islamic Resource Group (IRG) provides opportunities to learn about Islam from American Muslims Bios: Joe Kruse is a co-founder of the Minneapolis Catholic Worker community in south Minneapolis. He is also butcher at a south Minneapolis cooperative grocery store and a union steward with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663. Joe is studying theology at St. Catherine University and is a member of the Spirit Catholic Community. Tamim Saidi was born in Afghanistan and, as a teenager, fled to Pakistan as a refugee. He came to the US in 1990 and has called MN home ever since. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from U of MN and currently works as a Consultant Pharmacist. He was a Bush Fellow in 2018 and has served extensively in the Muslim community, including as co-founder of the NWICC Board (Masjid Al Kareem, in Plymouth). He serves as the president of a newly forming organization called Noursury, which aims to provide no-interest micro-loans to eligible borrowers. Ellie Roscher is a writer, theology teacher, and host of the Unlikely Conversations podcast. She is a board member at the Collegeville Institute and the author of 12 Tiny Things, Play Like a Girl, and How Coffee Saved My Life. Ellie holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and an MA in Theology from Luther Seminary. She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse and sons. Find out more about Ellie on her website and follow her on social media at @ellieroscher [Twitter, Instagram, Facebook]. Matthew Ian Fleming edited the audio for this podcast. You can find Matthew on Instagram at @matthewianfleming and his other podcasts at www.alterguild.org. Next Steps Follow the work of the Collegeville Institute on social media at @collegevilleins [Twitter, Instagram, Facebook] and subscribe to our email newsletter Share the podcast and use the following discussion questions with your small group for further conversation Further Conversation Do you see your budget and bank statements as moral documents? How does your faith affect your view of money and our capitalist society? How do you live out your faith in the world actively? After listening to Tamim and Joe, what are you curious to learn more about? Happy Tangents If you are interested in learning more about micro-loans, dig through KIVA’s website. The ELCA also has a venue to support women through micro-loans here. Watch this 3 minute trailer on Dorothy Day to find out more about the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. Like this post? Subscribe to have new posts sent to you by email the same day they are posted.
