Dr Thea Gomelauri and Oxford Interfaith Forum Awarded The 2024 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize

3 December, 2024

For immediate release

We are delighted to announce that Hofstra University in collaboration with the Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Charitable Foundation awarded the 2024 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize to Dr Thea Gomelauri and the Oxford Interfaith Forum.

Hofstra University administers the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize established with the endowment from the family of Sardar Ishar Singh Bindra and Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra, prominent Sikh Americans living in New York, USA. The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize in the amount of 50,000 USD is awarded biennially by a panel of distinguished judges. It reflects Sardar Ishar Singh Bindra’s longstanding dedication to interfaith harmony. The Bindra family is involved in philanthropic activities benefiting both the Sikh and non-Sikh communities.

The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize is one of the most highly celebrated honours conferred on scholars of the utmost distinction in Religious Studies. This prestigious award makes Dr Gomelauri the third female honouree whose unique contribution to interfaith education has been acknowledged by the international panel of distinguished judges [previous female awardees are Revd Dr Katharine Rhodes (2014), and Dr Karen Armstrong (2020)]. The Oxford Interfaith Forum is the first non-US organisation to have received the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize.

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Professor Eva Badowska, Dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in her congratulatory email to Dr Gomelauri, wrote: “Nominated by scholars across the world, your work through the Oxford Interfaith Forum exemplifies the spirit of the Guru Nanak Prize and serves as an inspiring beacon of harmony in our world. This award is presented in recognition of your and the organization’s contributions to promoting peace, interfaith understanding, and unity. Thank you for your exceptional work. The official ceremony will be held in New York. We look forward to honouring you in April.”

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In addition, Professor Julie Byrne, Monsignor Thomas Hartman Chair in Catholic Studies, and Chair of the Department of Religion at Hofstra University, commented: “The committee was deeply impressed by the work of the Oxford Interfaith Forum that brings together scholars for the sharing and production of new knowledge about religions and their interactions.“

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Dr Eboo Patel wrote in his congratulatory email: “What excellent news, Thea. Absolutely well deserved. You have done a terrific job building up the Oxford Interfaith Forum. Bravo!”

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Upon learning the news, Dr Gomelauri said: “Receiving the prestigious Guru Nanak Prize is an exceptional honour. We are grateful to Hofstra University in collaboration with the Bindra family, the distinguished Judges, and all our supporters for this high recognition of our contribution to interfaith education. We are delighted to be joining the esteemed laureates of the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize. We particularly acknowledge the 2012 awardee Dr Eboo Patel who influenced our work in more ways than he knows. The Prize comes at the most fortunate time as the inaugural post-holder of the Guru Nanak Junior Research Fellowship at Wolfson College undertakes research related to the traditions established by Guru Nanak. Bestowing the prestigious award in the name of Guru Nanak Dev Ji upon us inspires us to do more to promote universal peace through interreligious education at this critical time in our history.”

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Jyotveer Singh Gill, the first Sikh Fellow of the Forum, shared: “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Thea Gomelauri and the Oxford Interfaith Forum on receiving the prestigious 2024 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize. This is a remarkable milestone for the Oxford Interfaith Forum and a fitting recognition of Thea’s tireless work in advancing interfaith dialogue and harmony. As someone who has personally experienced the warmth and respect with which she embraces diverse faith traditions, I am deeply impressed by the breadth and depth of her initiatives, which embody the spirit of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s teachings of universal peace and understanding. The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize celebrates efforts that inspire unity across faiths, and Dr. Gomelauri’s visionary leadership in fostering interreligious education exemplifies this ethos. Her work with the Oxford Interfaith Forum has had an extraordinary impact, touching lives and promoting values that are central to the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. This award not only honours Thea’s achievements but also inspires us all to further the mission of interfaith harmony in our communities and beyond.”

Our Deep Gratitude To Our Supporters:

Professor Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Member of the International Academic Board of the Oxford Interfaith Forum, and Willard Prescott and Annie McClelland Smith Professor of History and Religion at the Department of Religious Studies, Brown University, welcomed this joyful news and, congratulated Dr Gomelauri saying: “You are doing extraordinary work!!! I am deeply honoured to be part of it. In these dark times, it feels like our work is daily ever more important.”

In her letter to the Guru Nanak Prize Judges, Professor Ashbrook Harvey wrote: “I can think of few scholarly entities that evoke such lively, constructive, and positive shared encounters as the Oxford Interfaith Forum. Its work opens deep treasures of wisdom, learning, and experience, across vast stretches of time and place. Its work is truly precious in the context of our present challenging historical circumstances. Here is a space where knowledge is shared and learning is valued; where communities are conjoined and minds and hearts are nourished. This is largely due to its visionary and capable Director, Dr. Gomelauri. She herself is an accomplished scholar particularly of Jewish biblical tradition, and at present, focusing on the history of the Jewish community in the Republic of Georgia. Dr. Gomelauri is an inspiring and gracious scholar, who has collected a truly stellar international team of scholars and religious leaders to host and guide the groups and events sponsored by the Oxford Interfaith Forum. Indeed, the Forum flourishes abundantly because of its participants’ goodwill and serious commitment, cultivated and encouraged by Dr. Gomelauri. This work merits the exceptional recognition of the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize.”        

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Dr Minlib Dallh whose academic research focuses on comparative mysticism in Islam and Christianity, remarked: “As an observer of the landscape of different interfaith organisations in the UK and North America, I had the pleasure of participating in the Oxford Interfaith Forum’s various programmes and witnessing their remarkable achievement in the field. The Oxford Interfaith Forum demonstrates outstanding skills and expertise in interfaith education which are evident at the University of Oxford and around the globe. They have consistently produced excellent lecture series that drew the expertise of exceptional and seasoned scholars. Outstanding work ethics, open and inclusive approach, and dedication make the Oxford Interfaith Forum stand out among similar organisations.”

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In his nomination for the Guru Nanak Prize, Revd Dr Andrew Gregory, Chaplain and Fellow at the University College, and Member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, remarked: “Dr Gomelauri’s strategic and visionary thinking, indefatigable energy, and ability to bring people together is at the core of the success of the Oxford Interfaith Forum.” After learning the news about the Prize, Revd Dr Gregory expressed his congratulations: “Congratulations on winning the award – you truly deserve it, and I’m very pleased to have been able to nominate you. Great news and well done!”

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Dr Mackintosh, Lecturer of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Winchester, said: “Congratulations to Dr Thea Gomelauri from a proud proposer who is in awe of the work Thea and the Oxford Interfaith Forum do.” She further noted that “the Oxford Interfaith Forum models the best interfaith harmony through education. It is a radically inclusive space that encourages a pluralism of ideas. [The work of] Dr. Thea Gomelauri and the Oxford Interfaith Forum not only animates Guru Nanak’s vision and values but also propagates them.”

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Charles Manson, the presenter of Karma Pakshi’s Memoirs, Past Lives, and Poetry at the Forum, shared his commendations: “Many congratulations to the Oxford Interfaith Forum for the well-deserved Guru Nanak Prize recognising the tireless work Dr Thea Gomelauri has done in encouraging research and presentations regarding interfaith scholarship. I was delighted my recommendation proved helpful, and hope the award will enable and encourage further developments in the important research done by interfaith scholars – བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས!“

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Professor Obenchain reflecting on her experience in intercultural studies, wrote: “My teaching and research have been focused on the multi-disciplined study of religion, and Christian engagement with people of other faiths. What distinguishes the Oxford Interfaith Forum from other interfaith organisations is the depth and range of its signature Thematic International Interfaith Reading Groups that encompass the diverse fields of Art, Eastern Christianity, Ecology, Eschatology, Manuscripts, Mysticism, Peacebuilding, Philosophy, Psalms, Sacred Literature, Science & Religion, and Womanhood. Open to the public, the Forum offers an entire library of interfaith presentations and responses from a veritable world of scholars, professionals, and policymakers, whose important work and scholarship shape our lives today.“

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Karenza Passmore, Lead of RE Hubs in North East, commented: “I was absolutely delighted to nominate Dr Thea Gomelauri and the Oxford Interfaith Forum for the Guru Nanak Interfaith Award. I honestly could not think of a more deserving organisation. That it has won, is a testament to its academic and generous contribution to learning in many sectors in the UK and beyond. I look forward to celebrating the achievements of the Forum as it goes from strength to strength in the future.” She also noted “the fact that the Forum’s resources are freely available to anyone democratises the work of the scholars engaged in interfaith education well beyond the academic framework from which it springs. In offering interfaith educational resources so generously and widely, the Forum celebrates academic freedom and actively promotes the transmission, advancement, and preservation of interfaith knowledge not only to those who relate to the Forum but also to those who have not yet had the benefit of engaging in interfaith dialogue.“

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Professor Syed Rizwan of the Catholic Theological Union congratulated Dr Gomelauri noting that “the Oxford Interfaith Forum would neither exist nor have the success that it has without you“. Describing his engagement with the Forum, Professor Rizwan stated: “The Forum’s innovative approach to interfaith education, designed by its visionary founder, has led to the formation of a transcontinental, interdisciplinary, and interreligious academic network that spans five continents and 119 countries. The signature programs of the Oxford Interfaith Forum are attended by members of nearly every university and college in the world. The Oxford Interfaith Forum intentionally coordinates events through an interreligious lens. I as a Muslim academic have had the pleasure of chairing presentations of Jewish and Christian scholars on a wide range of topics. On each occasion, I learned something new about subject matters that I may not have even considered otherwise. Perhaps the most important aspect of the Forum is the welcoming and collaborative environment it creates. The space is nurturing, helpful, and supportive for academics of all levels as well as the general public. I am truly grateful to the Oxford Interfaith Forum for motivating scholars from all disciplines and religious backgrounds to engage in interfaith learning.”

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This prestigious award underscores the Oxford Interfaith Forum’s prominence and special contribution to the scholarly conversation about InterReligious Studies and Peace.

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We warmly congratulate Rt Revd William Swing, Founder and Emeritus President of United Religions Initiative (URI), Emeritus Bishop of California (1980-2006), and co-winner of the 2024 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize.

Recipients of Hofstra University’s 2024 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize Announced

https://www.theindianpanorama.news/ny-nj-ct/recipients-of-hofstra-universitys-2024-guru-nanak-interfaith-prize-announced/