The Colloquium is sponsored by the Global Dialogue Institute, and will feature presentations by Edward Masters, former U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, Theodore Friend, former President of Swarthmore College and the Eisenhower Foundation and expert in Indonesian affairs, and Alwi Shihab, Professor of Islamics at Harvard University and Co-founder of the "People's Awakening Party" of Indonesia. All three have been in Indonesia very recently. 

The evening will be begun by Professors Leonard Swidler, Temple University, Religion Department, and Ashok Gangadean, Haverford College, Philosophy Department, Co-Founders/Directors of the Global Dialogue Institute. Both have spent over thirty years developing inter-religious, inter-ideological and inter-cultural dialogue, culminating in their jointly created Deep-Dialogue technology. 

Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world (180 million out of 200 million population), having more Muslims than all Arab countries together! Moreover, despite the recent ethnic violence precipitated by the economic and political turmoil, Indonesia's form of Islam is the most irenic and dialogic in the world. 

Indonesia is poised for immense economic advances and leadership of the Muslim world in the direction of a Deep-Dialogue with the other religions and ideologies of the world. In fact, it will host the next International Scholars Annual Trialogue (Jewish-Christian-Muslim). It is likewise preparing for its first truly democratic elections in May, 1999, which will help set the stage for all the other advances. 

These are the issues that the panel of experts will present and discuss among themselves and with the audience. 

Come and join the dialogue!
 

Professor Leonard Swidler, Tel: 215-204-7251; Fax: 215-204-4569 
E-mail: dialogue@vm.temple.edu 

Professor Ashok Gangadean, Tel: 610-896-1030; Fax: 610-896-1224; 
E-mail: agangade@haverford.edu