now come to the last Salaam alaikum
peace be with you welcome to the Dean
Shaw I am Eddie your host and you tuned
in for another great episode here on the
Dean show our next guests coming out dr.
ken who's with the US Department of
Education and we're going to be learning
how Muslims organizations such as Muslim
American Society Islamic circle of North
America and other organizations are
coming together to work together to make
communities a better place here in the
United States of America on the Dean
show we'll be right back
[Music]
welcome back to the D Shana detials
studio dr. ken Beto fidelity how are you
sir I'm great peace be with you
peace be with you how are you good it's
good to be here thank you for inviting
me it's good to be have you here with us
soon on the Dean show you like surprises
well not usually well I mean everyone
likes gifts so I got a gift for you oh
okay should I open this now you don't
have to open it now if you like I mean
sure I'll open this go ahead okay I saw
this from I thought since we've never
met officially okay you can know a
little bit more about the show and
myself through this gift here okay yeah
oh look at that
yeah so this is kind of a story about my
life and this is a gift to you from me
and so how do you fit from Danai from
dunya to dunya dunya
yeah from dunya to didi alright so I
hope you enjoy that well thank you very
much so now your your with the you
you're with the US Department of
Education that's correct for our viewers
that that have no idea what this is can
you tell us a little about yourself and
your history with the US Department sure
I work in the Department of Education
which is one of the agencies in the
United States government that it has an
area of faith-based and neighborhood
partnerships centers there are actually
13 different agencies that have these
offices or centers that work to bring
together faith-based organizations and
community-based organizations to support
the agendas of those offices the
Department of Education was formed as a
set
agency under President Johnson in order
to address the specific needs of the
country for supporting education
currently the Department of Education
provides about 10% of the budget that is
across the whole nation for education so
90% of the expenses for educating
children this is through high school
goes is taken care of by states and
local taxes and and other means and then
10% of the support comes from the US
Department of Education now before that
what did you used to do before you were
16 years something like that you led the
congregation you were you know yeah I'm
New York I'm an ordained United
Methodist pastor and have served
congregations in New York and Maryland
and in Ohio I've also worked as a
seminary professor where I worked in
actually communications in at a taught
communications at a theological school
this was back in the late 80s and early
90s and being we didn't have at the
seminary a studio that's this nicest is
your studio thank you so much sir how
did you get now involved with the US
Department of Education when when
President Obama was elected at the time
I was working for the United Methodist
Church in higher education the United
Methodist Church has a hundred and
twenty three colleges and universities
that are related to the church and I was
heading up that work and when the
President Obama was elected I contacted
some people that I knew that had worked
we're actually working in his transition
and I said I'd really like to work in
the faith-based area of what's going to
be happening in in education in your
administration now what do you mean when
we say faith-based what what does that
actually mean yeah we concentrate on
any organization that has a religious
basis so whether it's it's Muslim or
Jewish or Christian that organizations
that come out of that kind of faith
tradition and our goal is to connect
with them to provide them with resources
to facilitate their support of education
both at the level of high schools
elementary schools and high schools and
also colleges and and graduate schools
that's a beautiful thing that we live in
in such a wonderful country that's never
left God out of the equation that you
have on the dollar bill and god we
trust'
take oh you say I saw me swear to tell
the truth the whole truth so help you
write exactly so people coming together
working together for a better tomorrow
trying to live in peace and harmony and
and is this what this organization is
about and that's exactly you've got it
exactly right is to say there's there's
always been a kind of partnership
between different levels in our society
but from the families to organizations
like mosques and synagogues and churches
to state governments to school boards
and and the federal government and the
federal government is partner in what
we're all doing to work together for in
terms of education for our children now
let me get some I just want to I'm gonna
go off on a tangent just for a second
now we got love for everybody and tell
us now in your experience I mean you've
talked with a lot of people let's say
you talk with an atheist some who
doesn't believe in God
what kind of maybe you can share a
scenario that you ever had that you
tried to talk with someone and reason
with them about the existence of God
that we can learn from you ever had that
scenario yeah let me let me kind of come
at that like you said to have an in us
in a sideway is that my experience is
that every single person has
a place that they're coming from that
that their their faith is maybe their
faith could be Christian and sometimes
people will say well I'm not part of any
faith but as you talk to them what you
discover is that they have strong
beliefs or that they have commitments
and maybe they'll say well well I think
that what's happening to the environment
needs to be addressed very seriously or
maybe let's say I'm concerned about all
these wars or where I'm concerned about
people who were in prison that only had
maybe a small amount of marijuana and
yet they're separated from their
children and in their families and so
what what I've discovered there many of
us like myself who come from a Christian
have a particular faith grounding that's
that's in a tradition but then even
people who say well I don't have a
tradition still there's something in
them that is there of their belief and
and that determines their values like I
said love for all but I have you ever
heard this one there's no atheists in
foxholes well I've heard that we're
gonna take a break and we're good
continue on talking about this program
you're with the US Department of
Education so which occator people we can
work together I'm making our place that
we live in our communities a better
place here on the d show we'll be right
back you say that you're not believe in
Jesus you have stepped outside of this
then you can not be a Muslim is that
ended our faith to believe in and love
Jesus Christ
I would say this thing that you just
told me it's not in the scripture and
they would say a marginal note added by
a scribe yeah okay we know that and I'd
be thinking if you know this is not the
Bible why are you preaching it as if
it's gospel truth and if we're gonna
worship something I figured I might as
well worship the Creator instead of any
of the creations now in upon
investigating the villages I remember
finding out the meaning of what Islam is
what Muslim is those who surrender their
self to God is a Muslim those who
surrender submit to God God's will die
see Islam was pure it was just you just
praise her God your Creator
[Music]
back here on the D show with dr. ken and
we were talking about this program that
the US Department has why do they have
this program now again why at the US
Department of Education this faith-based
program why is it sure let me illustrate
that with two specific examples of
things that that we're doing one is a
program that's called together for
tomorrow and I think when you see what
the program is then it becomes obvious
why we have it together for tomorrow's a
program that asks communities to work
together particularly in low performing
schools we know that about 10% of the
schools in America are producing more
than half of our high school dropouts
and so that what Arne Duncan the
Secretary of Education has said is if we
can fix those bottom 10% will greatly
decrease the number of high school
dropouts and increase the overall
quality of our American schools and so
what together for tomorrow does this
challenges communities to put together
plans to work on attendance behavior
course performance and college
accessibility and for sometimes it's
it's churches and YMCAs and mosques and
synagogues say what kind of programs can
we have can we have after-school
tutoring programs can we have parents
making sure that their safe passage to
school can can we help with the
nutritional needs of the students so so
together for tomorrow is a program that
is encouraging and facilitating
community groups and faith-based
organizations to really make a
difference in what's happening and in
our schools so I think that really
answers there the reason for it is
because it can really make a big
difference in what's happening in this
position is it making a difference
what's been the response
yeah that's far yeah
we're we're seeing the initiation of
programs in cities and across the
country and they receive it there's some
of them that are in smaller towns and in
rural areas where people are saying okay
we really we're ready to to make a
difference now so far there hasn't been
time to see if if it's having a an
impact on the dropout rate because that
that's going to take three or four years
but in terms of programming we can
already see the increased activity and
programming and another example deem is
something we're doing with college
students and this is a program that we
actually we didn't call it the president
initiated this President Obama
challenged he called the president's
interfaith and Community Service campus
challenge and this is a program that the
president sent a letter to every college
president and said I challenge you to
set up interfaith and community service
projects on your campus either to expand
what you have doing or to initiate
programs and in here last year this just
started a year ago we've had over 270
institutions of hundred seventy 270
colleges that there were a hundred and
eight that were liberal arts colleges
with less than 5,000 students and there
are 40 of them that have more than
20,000 a broad spectrum of institutions
across the country that have initiated
these programs and they range all the
way from where students like there's a
project here in Chicago that is the
bridges is taking the leadership on we
making it happen with students from
Trinity Christian College working with
Muslim organizations here in Chicago and
and they've been doing a project that
had to do with cleaning up a trail and
working together where there
acting and doing a service project but
also sharing in something that's really
important to us a little bit about this
project that you mentioned they were
working together on yeah well so this
this is a just an excellent example of
the kind of thing that's it's happening
across the country where the Trinity
Christian college president Steve
Timmerman's received an invitation like
5,000 other presidents did and he
organized the partnership was organized
between then himself and Muslim
organizations here in the Chicago area
and it's making it possible then for
students from both in both cases to to
be together to work on a common activity
somewhat unlike what's happened in many
institutions then the leadership of
these organizations including the
president of the college and have been
involved in actually helping the
students to participate in there so
Americans are getting involved they're
accepting this invitation and they're
getting involved with this program and
already for next year we have a hundred
and thirty new institutions that have
said that they want to join the the
others the 270 that participated last
year so so it's a it's a growing we're
already well over five percent of
American colleges that are saying this
is part of what it means to have a
college program to to educate college
students as interfaith working with
community service now this program is
started with Obama that's correct now if
he will it still continue if he doesn't
get reelected or feat obviously if he
stays it stays but does it does it
disappear then if he doesn't get elected
it is his program I it's my dream that
but it's a that it's something that now
people will see well this is
this is worth continuing that this and
the end that it'll be regardless of the
president if President Obama is not
elected or if if he's after four years
that the what he's done is said is made
it evident that this is the kind of
thing that's going to bring this
discussion with people who are would not
necessarily otherwise talk to each other
now the doctor can these organizations
in Chicago they have a particular main
to meet AB or something that's that's
correct which is actually the first
letter of the various organizations that
are working together with college
students as part of the president's
interfaith and community service campus
challenge and it was really the
president of Trinity Christian College
Stephen Timmerman's and then dr. abdel
al-rahman groups the mosque and and I
see na and the Arab Spring for Syria and
the bridges organization were joined
together with the with the college and
students from both Muslim students then
and the students from the college work
together on the on a project to clean up
a trail that and and then to in the
process they share together about their
faith and why that's important and what
what it means to be working on something
that's going to make the community a
better place and be very important for
the community so you mentioned mass
ignite the Trinity Trinity College then
the Arab Spring for Syria and bridges
all of them were working together to
clean up this is here in Chicago this is
here in Chicago and it's an excellent
example of the kind of thing that's been
happening across the country and on
campuses okay we're going to take a
break there we'll be right back with
more with dr. ken here on the Dean show
everybody in deep down they believe that
there is a God yes and as much as they
deny penis some truth
in life it comes to you the truth and
the attribute of the one who created you
that he's one and alone running this
universe that he doesn't become born he
doesn't die he doesn't eat and go to the
bathroom this is not God problem cares
yeah it's this it doesn't make sense
who was Jesus worshipping as this is
recorded in the Gospels despite all of
the other issues about the gospel you
put those aside with the Saints
mentioned there with Jesus
back here on the D show with dr. ken
from the US Department of Education and
we've been taught we were talking about
this department in particular but there
are also other agencies that are working
to bring people together from other
faith-based organizations right
that's exactly right every that the
president has in an executive order set
up work in departments of Agriculture
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Health and Human Services
and all of in all these cases their role
is to help people and the community
level in their churches and mosques and
synagogues and community organizations
like Boys and Girls Clubs and Boy Scouts
to work on the same agendas that those
agencies have so in HUD there are
efforts to increase the quality of life
of people who are living in house in
public housing and in federally
subsidized housing and Health and Human
Services their programs to help
communities understand how they can
benefit from federal programs such as
various children's health programs and
also they'll be programs to help explain
what the Affordable Health Care Act
means for for everyone at the Department
of Agriculture one that in education
we've actually worked with they have a
program to help provide food for
students during the summer and so a
mosque can get money that pays for the
food and then they prepare the food and
make it available like a lunch program
because so many students that are in
school during the school year that's
their major source of food is while
they're in school and then during the
summer time they don't have a good
source of food so the President Obama
has set the
centers up in a whole range of agencies
and and all of us working together we
actually talk on the phone every day to
share what we're doing and to
collaborate so that we can work together
to facilitate local work and and to
facilitate faith-based then and other
community groups to be able to cooperate
with government programs now before we
come to an end so how can the people who
want to get involved in their community
they want to make the community a better
safer place how can they get involved
with their contact where they get in
touch with sure as I as I just mentioned
we're all of us in contact so it's
possible that we can even if you have an
interest that might be you know some
someone might be particularly interested
in in health if you can contact us at
the Department of Education and we can
help you find the place to go an email
can go to it's quite an easy email
address it's Edie Edie dot gov govt
/then Edie partners Edie pa rt
and ers so and gov /add partners or you
can visit the that's our website okay so
so going there let get you connected to
to see and there there's actually a link
to all of the other agencies that are
involved and you can move around it send
an email to us at Edie partners at Edie
gov so it's just turned around
Edie partners at Edie gov yeah it's an
email well I'm really thankful that you
were with us so when do people get
involved they can the Muslims can meet
the Christians in their community and
other people of different faiths and
they get to share their face and talk
about the commonality
and other things that bring people
together yeah wonderful beautiful tell
us you know one thing comes to mind
before we leave is is just a beautiful
quote that Jesus had said peace be upon
him in the Gospel of Matthew 19:16 where
one approached him and said good master
what good thing can I do that I may have
eternal life get to paradise right yes
so he Jesus replies says why do you call
me good when there's none good but the
one God so he says and if one wants to
enter into eternal life one must keep
the commandments so then the man said
what are they thou shall not murder
thou shall not commit adultery thou
shall not steal thou shalt honored their
father and mother and thou shalt love
your neighbor as you love yourself so
isn't this that's the catalyst to that
loving your neighbour like you love
yourself but exactly yeah well thank you
that's exactly right good very much
thank you very much and thank you for
tuning in to another episode here on the
Dean show we had our special guest dr.
Ken from the US Department of Education
sharing with us how Muslims Christians
are working together to make society to
make the communities a better place
organizations such as Islamic circle of
North America gain peace Muslim American
Society and other Christian
organizations and other faith-based
organizations that are working together
to make communities better and that is
what our Deen is teaching us this
beautiful way of life that was practiced
by all the messengers of God teaches us
to work towards making humanity a better
place for all and the beautiful thing is
when we're out there we're getting
involved we get to know our neighbors
opportunities come up to share the
message of peace with the world to help
people understand us a little bit better
to know that hey Muslims are those who
have submitted to the will of God
we worship only one God the Creator not
his creation and we love Jesus
and we get to share with our neighbors
letting them know that we care about all
of mankind and we love Jesus that we
believe that no Muslim is a Muslim
unless he believes or she believes in
Jesus that he was one of the mightiest
messengers of God we get to share this
because we're involved with our fellow
neighbors and our colleagues and they
can see that we're not the Anti Christ
that we love Christ that we believe in
him and sharing with them that we love
his mother Mary who there's a whole
chapter named after her in the Koran did
you know that many of them don't know
that
so through working together for a better
tomorrow and collaborating sitting
together the bridges will be built the
walls will come down and this is what
will make tomorrow a better place and
people see that Muslims aren't
Antichrist Muslims love Christ that's
right no Muslim is a Muslim unless he
believes in this mighty message of Jesus
peace be upon him that he was one of the
mightiest messengers of God and he came
with the same message as Moses Noah
Abraham and the last and final mission
to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon them
all they came with the same message
worship the Creator and not the creation
simple as that and do good deeds and do
good deeds and this is how we can get
closer to the crater by doing these good
deeds making the communities better
safer for all of mankind so we can live
in peace working together for a better
tomorrow get involved get involved and
feel like we have to say give us a call
if you have any other questions about
the Deen if you want to learn more 1 800
662
we hope that you do good you're being
good and you're developing yourself to
be the best human being that you can be
and that's by God's gameplan and that's
the best game plan but to get that game
plan you've got to ask for the game plan
so make sure every day that you're
asking because when you ask you shall
receive
asking God alone for the guidance and
we'll see you next time peace
[Music]