Community Corner
Interfaith Advisory Council Created In Howard County To Combat Religious Intolerance
The Interfaith Advisory Council has been created to combat religious intolerance and includes 16 members chosen from the community.
HOWARD COUNTY, MD — An Interfaith Advisory Council has been created to combat religious intolerance. The 16-member council will meet to review and provide recommendations on best practices to address religious intolerance in the county.
“The Howard County Interfaith Advisory Council is not just an advisory body; it is a testament to our commitment to build bridges among faiths,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said at a news conference. “It represents our collective resolve to confront intolerance, to end hate and to serve every member of our community with the dignity that they deserve. This council will play a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of life for all our residents and better connecting us all.”
Ball initiated the creation of the Interfaith Advisory Council to help combat hate around Howard County, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. The members of the Council also will help address social and community issues, and assist at-risk populations who are suffering from homelessness, addiction, mental illness, domestic violence, food insecurity and poverty.
Additional duties of the council will include considering issues of hate and religious intolerance facing religious communities, making recommendations to streamline and coordinate services among religious institutions, advising the County Executive on ways to recognize major holidays for different faiths and making recommendations on how to better serve and equip faith institutions in the support of government services.
The 16 members of the council include:
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- Rabbi Craig Axler
- Naresh Chandra Das
- Reverend Rafe A. Ellis, MA, MBA-OD
- Pastor Dewaine Frazer
- Rabbi Gordon Fuller
- Reverend Paige Getty
- Rabbi Jennifer Greenspan
- Rabbi Susan Grossman
- Pastor Tyrone Jones
- Reverend Dae Park
- Dr. Salih Savilgan
- Reverend Denise Schiavone
- Reverend Mary Sulerud
- Reverend Dr. Robert Turner
- Pastor Mandy Sayers
- Elder Gary Wimbish
The council members’ terms will end on June 30, 2025.
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