On November 3, 2007, University of Louisville humanities professor, Dr. Riffat Hassan, led fourteen Muslims scholars from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to the Abbey of Gethsemani for an interreligious dialogue with a group of Trappist monks led by Abbot Damien Thompson. This is the third time that Dr. Hassan had brought Muslim religious leaders and scholars from South Asia to the Abbey of Gethsemani. The first two groups of participants in the University of Louisville’s Islamic Life in the United States Program came in 2004 and 2005. Building on the success of this program, Dr. Hassan organized another program, "Religion and Society: A Dialogue, in 2007.

Abbot Damien welcomed the Muslims and invited them to have lunch with some of the monks. After sharing their meal, the monks and the Muslims shared their individual faith journeys with one another. They expressed their belief in God’s nearness to us and the need for us to keep being conscious and oriented to God and to always be grateful to Him. They agreed that we must imbibe in our personality the qualities or attributes of God such as His mercifulness and graciousness.

There was much discussion on the subject of consciousness and action. Consciousness said one of the participants does not necessarily lead to action. Another participant added that it is love that moves a person from consciousness to action. Everyone strives to work for peace; however, justice is a precondition to peace, so we also must struggle for justice. To be able to take action we must have courage. One of the participants quoted from the Koran: Shame on those who pray but do not take action.

They also discussed the subject of knowing oneself and knowing God; seeing God’s hand in everything that happens to us-whether good or bad, and seeking the presence of God in everything. The human spirit, said one participant, is from the spirit of God. Wherever you are God is with you. If we are representatives of God, our remembrance of Him must be constant.

Dr. Hassan expressed her deep gratitude for the opportunity of coming to Gethsemani. Her fellow Muslim scholars also appreciated the monks’ hospitality and the peaceful and beautiful grounds of Gethsemani. They said that before entering the church for the None prayers, they stopped and wondered whether they should take off their shoes. They remembered Moses taking off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground before God. On behalf of the monks Abbot Damien also expressed much gratefulness to the Muslims for visiting Gethsemani and engaging in dialogue with the monks.