As part of last week’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations, chair of medicine at Creighton University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Syed Mohiuddin, received the Martin Luther King Drum Major Award for his leadership in Omaha’s Tri-Faith Initiative.
For the past five years, Mohiuddin has been working with leaders from the three Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – to plan the construction of a Tri-Faith Center in Omaha.
The Center will be home to Temple Israel, a new church for the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, a mosque for the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture and a fourth interfaith structure. The project will be located in West Omaha, and after years of planning, construction should be underway within the year.
The Martin Luther King Drum Major Award stems from the following quote from Dr. King, “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness.”
Since 2008, Creighton has been recognizing individuals who serve as leaders in the struggle for equality and justice, bring religious communities together and embody the spirit of Dr. King.
John Pierce, associate vice president for affirmative action and diversity outreach, introduced Mohiuddin at the Unity Prayer Luncheon and award ceremony.
“Dr. Mohiuddin is known throughout the Midwest as the face of competent and compassionate care,” Pierce said.
Upon accepting the award, Mohiuddin expressed his gratitude and insisted that he was accepting this award on behalf of the many people who have worked on this project and made it possible.
“Any award which carries the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is an awesome burden. It’s not easy to accept an award of such magnitude. I am humbled and certainly honored,” Mohiuddin said.
Helen Shew, the programming and community relations coordinator for the Center for Health Policy & Ethics, was a part of the selection committee for the Drum Major Award.
“This project has gained national and international attention and praise,” Shew said. “This is the only undertaking of its kind we know of in the world.”
“The ultimate message of this project is that all of humanity has a shared future, and the more we can work together and respect one another, the better,” Mohiuddin said.