Northern Arizona University

On Friday, August 9, 2019, we participated in a program at Northern Arizona University. 

Strangers or Neighbors? Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Perspectives on Refugees by Bjorn Krondorfer

US hostage Kayla Mueller 'killed by IS', say ex-slaves (Links to an external site.) - Paul Wood - BBC News (September 2015)

Northern Arizona alum Kayla Mueller was taken hostage by ISIS in 2013 leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Syria and reported killed in a Tweet by ISIS in 2015. We have since learned from other released hostages of Kayla’s extraordinary courage, compassion and steadiness in the face of violence, torture, suffering and fear. Faith, spiritual disciplines, and knowledge of many different religious and spiritual traditions were the foundation of an inconvenient faith where the suffering of the other held a claim on Kayla’s life and even her pursuit of freedom. We will draw on Kayla’s story for a conversation on religious/spiritual commitment that fuels courageous compassion in the face of violent religious extremism.

Click HERE for a transcribed note by Kayla Mueller smuggled out of an ISIS prison. Click HERE for a copy of a 2016 speech given at the United Nations by Kayla's parents.