InterfaithNews.Net

Introduction to the April 2006 edition of InterfaithNews.net, with editorial reflections on religious freedom and the importance of speaking out and sharing stories.

"Edgar expresses thanks for release of Christian Peacemakers, and
thanks Council on American Islamic Relations for support"

I did not at first follow at all the kidnapping of a Christian Peacemakers
Team (CPT) in Iraq, nor the execution of journalist Tom Fox. My immediate,
unfounded assumption was that this was a missionary group who shouldn't
have gotten in the middle of an Islamic civil war. I couldn't have been
more wrong. Quoting from the Mission of the CPT, "Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT) offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and
other forms of lethal inter-group conflict. CPT provides organizational
support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent alternatives in
situations where lethal conflict is an immediate reality or is supported by
public policy." I am humbled by the devotion to religious principle
that lead these four into Iraq. Truly Mr. Fox's passing is a martyr's
death.

The Pew Research Center recently conducted an opinion poll in the United States looking at public tolerance for religious groups and inter-religious cooperation. While they found that both evangelical Christianity and Islam are not well accepted in the U.S. compared to other groups, their analysis (presented below) shows that Catholics and Jews are seen much more favorably than they once were, suggesting capacity for a continued dynamism in the American public’s perception of religions.

Eboo Patel, Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, weighs in on the apparent conflict of loyalties between western free speech and Islamic religious practices, refusing "to fall prey to" the black and white mindset that insists on choosing one side over the other.

Following on last year’s ground-breaking conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace at the UN, which brought together members of governments, the UN, and NGOs, the Phillippine Mission announced last week the creation of the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace. The launch event was attended by representatives from more than 60 nations, UN departments, and civil society groups, including the five officers of the Committee of Religious NGOs (Soak Gakkai International, Temple of Understanding, Religions for Peace, Baha’is of the USA, United Religions Initiative).

Meeting from March 20 through 22nd, a group of 150 Jewish Rabbis and Islamic Imams gathered in Seville, Spain for dialogue and collaborative action planning, with the theme of "Islam and Judaism as instruments of peace - recognition and respect of others." Two of the participants, Co-Executive Directors of Children of Abraham, share their personal experiences of the conference, its conflicts, means, and results.

A student at the American University in Washington, DC, Fait Mahdini, calls on interfaith activists to do more to attract youth in their quest to counter messages of religious intolerance and violence. In so doing, he outlines a vision of using the arts to inspire and uplift the pluralistic message of interfaith activism, going beyond academic conferences and statements of unity.

On the first day of spring, March 21, Charles, Prince of Wales, spoke to a gathering at the University of Al Azhar in Egypt. He speech focused on the commonalities of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — all based in the Abrahamic traditions — and the need for all parties to look deeply at their understanding of the other, (re) learning to appreciate the strength of each and the examples history has for us of fruitful collaboration between the three.