An interfaith response to 'troubling times'

Before the presidential election, the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia had started planning to bring college students and faculty from across the region together to work on interfaith cooperation.

That was before a new immigration ban targeted several Muslim-majority nations. And before Jewish cemeteries were vandalized and bomb threats were called in to Jewish community centers.

There's no question that the events of the last several weeks gave the gathering at St. Joseph's University on Tuesday special meaning.

"These are troubling times. There's just no two ways about it," said Eboo Patel, a national leader in fostering interfaith collaboration on campuses.

Patel, an American Muslim who founded Interfaith Youth Core and served on President Barack Obama's faith council, said he hoped the event that drew 150 participants from 20 area campuses will nurture future leaders who can "build bridges of understanding and cooperation among people of different faiths," adding the nation needs them more than ever.

"There are clear statements being made that certain people don't belong, and not only is that a violation of the dignity of those identity groups, it's also a barrier to their contribution, and America is built on the contributions of diverse people," said Patel, 41, who was born in India and raised in Chicago, where his organization is based.

He showed picture after picture of leaders who bridged faiths and drew support for social justice issues: The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Dorothy Day, a social activist who helped establish the Catholic Worker Movement, which aided those on the margins of society. Even the folksinger Woody Guthrie, holding his guitar inscribed with, "This machine kills fascists."

"This image has kept me sane for the last three months," Patel said of the Guthrie photo.

All the figures, he said, "responded to aggressions far worse than what we're talking about now with magnanimity, and people, in part because of their response, were attracted to their vision. … We can make the choice to be that kind of leader now."

Among the local colleges and universities with students participating were Bryn Mawr, Chestnut Hill, Villanova, Temple, Pennsylvania, Immaculata, Holy Family, Gwynedd Mercy, St. Joseph's, Neumann, Haverford, Eastern, Drexel, and Cabrini.

Students said they attended the event to learn more about how they can help.

"There definitely needs to be discussion," said Maria Kotsiras, 20, a junior at St. Joseph's. "If people don't even want to talk, then there can't be any progress."

Michael Zappone, 18, a freshman at Alvernia College in Reading, said the event left him wanting to get more involved with interfaith and social justice efforts. "It was inspirational …, powerful," he said.

After hearing Patel's speech, participants split up into groups and worked on ways to improve interfaith relations, including how to respond to relatives, friends, or coworkers who make bigoted statements.

"We feel like our work is more and more urgent in these times," said the Rev. Nicole Diroff, associate executive director of the Interfaith Center, who led the event.

Nicholas Rademacher, an associate professor of religious studies at Cabrini University, said he was glad to have participated. Cabrini is revising its social justice minor to include interfaith studies.

"This kind of thing energizes us and inspires us to go back and stick to it," he said.