An afternoon of reflection, dialogue, and performance of “Unveiled”

The psalmist proclaims, “How good it is when God’s people dwell in unity (Psalm 133:1).”

Inter-religious dialogue and amity are values that many religious traditions pursue with purpose and creativity. Much has been accomplished in recent decades in forging strong relations between diverse religious traditions.

Sadly, though, the incidences of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have been on the rise in many communities, especially in recent years and the results have been tragic. What can be done about this? How might people of faith and good will promote a deep spirit of respect for the Other? Respect for those who worship in different ways. Respect for those who believe diverse notions about the divine. And respect for those whose day to day practices of prayer and religious observation vary. Mariandale embraces these concerns as we sponsor an afternoon of dialogue and reflection with two noted scholars and a theatrical presentation with an award-winning actor and playwright.

This program is offered on-site at Mariandale.

Presenters:

Dr. Mehnaz Afridi is Professor of Religious studies/Philosophy and Director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan University. She teaches courses on Islam, the Holocaust, Genocide, comparative religion, and Feminism. Her recent book Shoah through Muslim Eyes (Academic Studies Press, 2017) was nominated for the Yad Vashem International Book Prize for Holocaust Research and the Jacob Schnitzer Book Award. She co-edited Global Approaches to the Holocaust, (Nebraska University Press, 2025) and is currently working on a book, The Wounded Muslim, (Bloomsbury Press, forthcoming). In 2019 she was awarded the Costello Award for teaching excellence in the School of Liberal Arts at Manhattan College. Dr. Afridi obtained her PhD from University of South Africa, her MA and BA from Syracuse University.

Rohina Malik is a critically acclaimed, award-winning playwright, actress and solo performance artist.  She was born and raised in London, England, of South Asian heritage.  Her acclaimed one-woman play Unveiled has been produced at theaters across the country.  Rohina’s plays The Mecca Tales and Yasmina's Necklace were both nominated for Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best New Play. Malik was selected to receive the 2018 Lee Reynolds Award, given annually to a woman active in any aspect of theatre whose work has helped to illuminate the possibilities for social, cultural, or political change. Malik's plays have been produced at the 16th Street Theater, The Goodman Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, Crossroads Theater, Chicago Dramatists, Next Theater, Brava Theater, Voyage Theater Company, Silk Road Rising, Theater Project Baltimore, Mustard Seed Theater, New Rep in Boston, the Greater Boston Stage Company, Water Tower Theater in Dallas, TX and Premiere Stages in NJ.

At Iona University, Dr. Elena Procario-Foley holds the positions of Brother John G. Driscoll Professor of Jewish-Catholic Studies, Professor of Religious Studies, and Director of the Core Curriculum. Her research and teaching focuses on systematic theology and Jewish-Christian relations, and she has served as chair of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations, as well as secretary of the College Theology Society and a board member of the Catholic Theological Society of America. In addition to her many scholarly articles, she has edited three volumes, including Frontiers in Catholic Feminist Theology: Shoulder to Shoulder (Fortress 2009) and Righting Relations After the Holocaust and Vatican Two: Essays in Honor of John Pawlikowski (Paulist Press 2018).