In the Fall of 2008, The Dialogue Institute led the three-week orientation seminar for the Fulbright Interfaith Community Action Program (ICAP). This program brought together ten religious leaders, scholars of religion, and/or community leaders from Saudi Arabia, India, Israel, Indonesia, Pakistan, France, Malaysia, Lebanon, England, and Burkina Faso.

Following their program with the Dialogue Institute, the participants departed for individual host universities and theological schools across the country, where they engaged in a semester-long U.S. experience that included courses, discussion, projects, and collaborative learning centered on promoting dialogue and cooperative efforts.

Through this orientation seminar, the Dialogue Institute was able to help participants achieve the following outcomes:

• Training in the methodology of interreligious dialogue in the U.S. context
• Creation of a community of support and a network for future cooperation among the ICAP participants
• Mutually-instructive interaction with numerous university and Philadelphia-area leaders and religious/community organizations engaged in interreligious and cross-cultural dialogue.
• Introduction to and learning from the rich religious resources of the Philadelphia region and particularly its historic legacy in the arenas of freedom of religion, religious tolerance, and interfaith community action and cooperation.

Leadership for the seminar was provided by DI staff and graduate interns. Guest speakers included Prof. Reuven Firestone, Hebrew Union College–Jewish Inst of Religion, Zainab Al-Zuwaij, Executive Director, American Islamic Congress, and Professor Steven Gross, School of Education, Temple University.

2008 ICAP Fulbright Participants included the following:

• Dr. Fahad Abdulrahman Alhomoudi, Saudi Arabia
• Dr. Ziad Elias Fahd, Lebanon
• Mr. Ghassan Abdel Salaam Manasra, Israel.
• Mr. Akhtarul Shaukat Ali Hairat Wasey, India.
• Mr. Muhammad Modassir Ali, Pakistan.
• Fr. Serge Hyacinthe Moussa Traore, Burkina Faso.
• Dr. Fatimah Husein, Indonesia.
• Fr. Michael Chua Kim Wah, Malaysia.
• Mr. Khedimeliah Moussa, France.