As an American Muslim woman activist, I’m letting out a resounding, “Let’s chill out!”

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s statement that Great Britain should consider accommodating aspects of Islamic law (or Shari’ah law) into its civil law was not a declaration against women or liberty. Rather, he merely proposed his own solution to the ongoing processes of reconciling the integrity of a secular state with the widely-held religious beliefs of people within that state, which may include certain legal provisions. This is, by definition, complicated, and different nations have offered different solutions. While we can disagree with the Archbishop’s conclusions, by simply (and without sufficient knowledge) disparaging Islam and Islamic law, we are frankly missing the point of this larger debate.

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The Question: Pope Benedict's recent baptism of a well-known Italian Muslim has prompted criticism in much of the Islamic world. Has Benedict done enough to build bridges to Islam?

While Pope Benedict has consistently signaled his desire to extend a hand of respect and dialogue to the Muslim community, he has routinely acted without caution, thus impairing the bridge-building work of innumerable Catholics and Muslims. This is true in the case of the Magdi Allam baptism. Read my earlier post on this issue.

The Catholic Church has certainly supported a number of important interfaith initiatives. For example, high-level Catholic and Muslim leaders recently established the “Catholic-Muslim Forum” to foster dialogue. The first Seminar of this ongoing Forum, initially proposed by 138 Muslim scholars globally, will center on the theme “Love of God, Love of Neighbor.” Though this Forum represents a significant step sponsored by the Vatican, Pope Benedict has not yet lived up to former Pope John Paul II’s legacy of consistent and sincere outreach to Muslims.

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The Question: Jeremiah Wright's sermons continue to be an issue in the presidential campaign. Why? What do you think of his preaching style? What do you wish you understood better about it?

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s recent reemergence in the media is generating intense coverage solely because of his connection to Senator Barack Obama. Equally interesting, however, is the gap between Americans on Wright and his so-called “black preaching,” a gap which reveals the extent to which race and religion still divide our country.

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