The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Imam Abdullah Antepli

Duke University
Durham, NC

Sponsor: Rep. David Price, (D-NC)
Date of Prayer: 10/04/2017

One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:

Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce today's guest chaplain, my friend, Imam Abdullah Antepli.

Imam Antepli has been a pioneer in Muslim Campus Ministry, serving since 2003, in chaplaincy roles at Wesleyan University, Hartford
Seminary, and Duke University. He was also a founding member of the
Muslim Chaplains' Association.

During his time in the chaplaincy, Imam Antepli counseled students and adults of all faiths and provided an Islamic perspective to discussions of faith, spirituality, social justice, peace, and cultural exchange. He effectively built bridges and promoted an understanding across religious and cultural divides. That was his mission, and it continues to be his mission to this day.

Imam Antepli's eadership roles at Duke University currently include chief representative of Muslim affairs at the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and senior fellow in the Office of Civic Engagement. He has also served as associate director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center.
Imam Antepli also serves as senior fellow of the Jewish–Muslim Relations at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

He joined Secretary John Kerry's Office of Faith–Based Community Initiatives and Secretary Hillary Clinton's religion and foreign policy team to bring a religious perspective to major foreign policy issues.
He traveled around the world as an informal ambassador to engage on
issues of religious diplomacy.

I am honored to welcome Imam Antepli back to the House of Representatives. He is a prophetic voice for peace and justice, an engaging teacher and counselor, a gifted interpreter of his faith, and an effective promoter not merely of interfaith tolerance, but of positive engagement.

I am happy to count him as a friend and, along with my colleagues, wish to express appreciation for his words of inspiration today.

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

The holy One, as Your creation, we call You by different names, experience You through multiple paths. Our human diversity is from You.

As the creator of all, You made us different. Enable us to understand, appreciate, and celebrate our differences. Teach and guide us to turn these differences into opportunities, richness, and strength. Prevent us from turning them into sources of division, polarization, hate, and bigotry.

The most merciful One, this incredibly diverse Nation of ours is one of the most successful attempts to understand Your wisdom in creating us different. We are far from being perfect, but came a long way in creating a multicultural, multi–religious, and pluralistic society by making in America "you will be judged by what you do, not by who you are" as one of our foundational promises.

The most compassionate One, help us to preserve our achievements in this regard. Do not let the destructive forces of division and exclusion erode our ideals, our firm commitment to diversity and pluralism. Empower us and these legislators to further improve the culture of inclusion and welcome to all in our Nation and beyond.

The most forgiving One, if and when we forget You, do not forget us.

In Your most holy and beautiful name, we pray. Amen.

To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory