USC to host interfaith memorial


Members of the USC community will gather at Bovard Auditorium on Sunday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 and to kick off a yearlong community service initiative.

Reflecting · Ifrah Sheikh, a sophomore majoring in fine arts, paints a representation of chapter nine, verse 11 of various religious texts for the “9:11” art display opening Sunday. - Jen Schultz | Daily Trojan

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni and Undergraduate Student Government President Monish Tyagi will be among the speakers at the service, which begins at noon in Bovard. The ceremony will remember those who died and be a time for reflection on the decade that has passed.

“This is an opportunity for us — members of the Trojan Family — to show our unity,” Nikias said in an email to students, faculty and staff.

Sunday’s service also marks the official start of USC’s involvement in the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge.

The challenge, announced by President Barack Obama in March, aims to bridge religious divides and build understanding while giving students a chance to contribute to their communities. The initiative asks colleges to provide plans to get students of all religions — or no religion — involved in community service for a year. USC is one of more than 300 colleges participating in the campus challenge.

“There’s a national consciousness around interfaith community services on college campuses and especially amongst your generation of college students,” Soni said.

The idea of “interfaith” is to bring together people of any and all religious backgrounds. Though the campus service challenge is being put on with the help of the Office of Religious Life, students need not be religious to participate.

“It’s about building relationships among students with different faith backgrounds, learning about each other’s traditions, respecting them and doing that through working together,” said the Rev. Jim Burklo, the associate dean of religious life.

After the service Sunday, the Office of Religious Life and the student-run Interfaith Council will pass out cards for students to write down what positive action they intend to take this year in memory of 9/11. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in interfaith dialogue and service.

Students and others are invited to visit the University Religious Center after the remembrance service for the opening of an art exhibit done by Ifrah Sheikh, a sophomore majoring in fine arts. Sheihk has painted seven pieces, all capturing chapter nine, verse 11 of various religious texts.

“There are a wide variety of ways people respond to 9/11 — hope, beauty, fear, repulsion — but I wanted to show this in the most beautiful way possible,” Sheikh said.

Sheikh, a Muslim, said 9/11 led to many false perceptions about her religion, and she hopes her exhibit promotes religious tolerance and understanding.

“All religion is holy in some way,” she said.

Sheikh and other members of the Interfaith Council believe the display will be a good way to open a dialogue about interfaith principles.

“Students will have lunch as they hear about the display on 9/11 scriptures, then we will have small group conversations among students of different religious backgrounds about what motivates them to serve in their different religious traditions,” Burklo said. “It’s a way of learning about faith.”

Students will embark on an interfaith service project, the first of the campus service challenge. Sunday, student volunteers will be packing food for A Community Place, which distributes lunches to the poor and homeless.

So far, five service events are planned for the fall and five for the spring, and the Interfaith Council has planned an ongoing effort to teach local high school students about religion. All students are invited to participate in any of the service opportunities, regardless of religious affiliations or opinions.

“USC is one of the most diverse campuses, and with that comes plenty of different religions and traditions,” said Jem Jebbia, a senior majoring in business administration, religion and Japanese and the president of the Interfaith Council. “We need to find shared values.”

The memorial service is free and open to the public, though attendees are asked to RSVP online through the USC website. Doors open at 11:15 a.m.

Sheikh’s art show, Chapter 9, Verse 11, will remain open and on display weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 30.