Wearing an earpiece and speaking through an interpreter, a provincial council member from northern Iraq described the Islamic faith as a way of life and said the Koran guides believers to study and learn.

"All other faiths and religions have equal rights in the eyes of Allah," said the man, whose first name is Hasan. "When it comes to our religion, Islam teaches us to be peaceful with others, not to be hostile, and to coexist with others."

Hasan and four other government leaders from the Province of Kurdistan in northern Iraq spent their morning at Carroll College, where they discussed interfaith dialogue, human rights and secular versus religious education.

Participating in the International Visitor Leadership Program funded by the U.S. State Department, the delegation included a member of the Dohuk government council, two Mosul provincial council members and two members of the Kurdistan National Assembly.

The delegation's first question to the panel of Carroll professors surrounded the college's exchange program, and if it included students or professors from the Arab world.

Michelle Lewis, director of International Programs at Carroll, said the school currently lacks an exchange program in the Middle East, although it remains interested in establish one.

"It's something I would like to explore," Lewis told the delegation. "I think it would be a natural fit. I would also like to bring back an Arab language course."

Another member of the Iraqi delegation then asked what scholarly expertise members of the college had in teaching Islam in their classrooms. The college touches on the Muslim faith through comparative religion or philosophy, and through Middle Eastern history.

Berry Ferst, a professor of philosophy at Carroll, teaches one such course on Islam each semester. It is, he said, one of his most popular courses. Ferst told the panel he attempts to bring an Islamic scholar to assist in the teachings.

"Helena, as a community, is fascinated by the Islam faith," Ferst said. "We are looking forward to a major interfaith conference here as part of our centennial."

The conversation turned to the topic of interfaith dialogue. Both sides used their own religious background - Islam and Catholicism - to describe the values and methods they apply when dealing with those of different faiths.

One Iraqi council member suggested that when discussing interfaith dialogue back home, panel members must ask themselves where the conversation should begin, and what commonalities can be agreed upon beforehand.

"I started approaching the government of Kurdistan on a professional level to start emphasizing the importance of dialogue between the different sects in my region," he said. "Quite frankly, there (are) a lot of obstacles and differences and difficulties, even to start and establish this sort of dialogue, because we're not even agreeing on whom the other is. We are trying to focus on coexistence and not irritating the other, and that's where we have the difficulties."

As the discussion turned toward human rights, Jim Cross, a theology professor at Carroll, referred to Pope John Paul II and his Gospels of Life to suggest that every human, regardless of belief, has a moral duty to make the world a place of peace and justice, where all people are equal in dignity.

Searching for those elusive commonalities referred to by the Iraqi council member, Cross asked if the United Nation's declaration of human rights could be a starting point.

"Do you see it as a possible basis of dialogue, and a good basis of dialogue, because it includes moral principles that people of all religions can respect and live by?" he asked.

In response, one council member spoke of a recent speaker in Iraq who addressed the American constitution where, he said, "individuals have an abundance of rights."

Sometimes, he continued, the rights enjoyed by Americans contradict the moral and social standards in Iraq. The council member referred to civil unions as an example.

"These issues are against everything we believe in, and that's why we have strong reservations when taking them to that extent," the council member said. "We are supporting individual rights, but it should not and should never contradict the laws and religions in place that we have."

As a whole, the council member added, Iraq is a state that has no reservations when it comes to human rights declarations. Most, he said, stand behind such civil liberties.

Carroll College President Thomas Trebon carried the discussion further, suggesting that such moral debates are also present in American society, where they often manifest through politics.

"We see this in such issues as civil unions, the role of women, English as prominent language, the matter of abortion," he said. "We respect a huge diversity of values and histories in the U.S., but we also know we come from a multicultural background, and they often have tensions, and they reflect themselves in political arenas."

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com