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Archive: The Faith Divide
"Choose Your Own" Commemoration
Today's guest blogger is Becca Hartman, a Research Associate at the Interfaith Youth Core. Becca originally joined the IFYC as a Public Interest Program Fellow from Northwestern University, where she studied Philosophy and Religion and was active in organizing interfaith...
By Eboo Patel | March 11, 2009; 01:42 PM ET | Comments (0)
Holding Our Brothers, Fathers, Sons Accountable
From the most conservative traditionalists to Muslim pro-feminists, all along the spectrum there is a growing men's acknowledgment of the corrosive effects of this violence on our communities.
By Eboo Patel | March 2, 2009; 01:33 PM ET | Comments (25)
Then They Came for the Bahá'ís
An attack on the Bahá'ís is an attack on all of us who champion the cause of religious pluralism and freedom.
By Eboo Patel | February 18, 2009; 01:17 PM ET | Comments (4)
Waiting for the Second Coming of Sadat
Those of us who see no contradiction between being pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian listened for common ground.
By Eboo Patel | February 4, 2009; 02:33 PM ET | Comments (1)
Muslims Speaking Up for Islam and Peace
The report states that such peacemaking efforts are organic to the tradition of Islam itself, and Muslim intellectuals are increasingly articulating these dimensions of Islam both within Muslim circles and beyond them.
By Eboo Patel | February 2, 2009; 12:27 PM ET | Comments (88)
What Is the Difference Between Bravery and Courage?
Filmmaker and human rights advocate Ronit Avni is today's guest blogger; she is also the Founder & Executive Director of Just Vision, a non-profit that researches, documents and creates media about Palestinian and Israeli civic peace builders. Recipient of Auburn...
By Eboo Patel | January 14, 2009; 11:27 AM ET | Comments (3)
Barack Obama: Faith and Community
It's clear to me that the Obama administration means to engage the efforts of ordinary citizens in the long march to solving poverty.
By Eboo Patel | January 12, 2009; 09:35 AM ET | Comments (7)
A Different Kind of Conversation About the Middle East
"Step One is recognizing that this is a difficult dialogue ... That's crucially important... [And] when you realize that it's difficult but that you're willing to take it on, I think that's where the courage starts ..." -- Ola, Interfaith...
By Eboo Patel | January 9, 2009; 02:16 PM ET | Comments (3)
Status Quo vs. Solution for Middle East
The sad truth of the Middle East conflict is that many Muslims and Jews agree that the Solution Rulebook makes sense to them, but when the crisis escalates and hits the front page (like now), the old logic takes over and Muslim and Jewish organizations revert to the Status Quo Rules.
By Eboo Patel | January 8, 2009; 06:17 AM ET | Comments (51)
De-Militarizing Young Israelis and Palestinians
My encounter and recent events in Gaza have forced me to think seriously about the consequences of militarizing, year after year, entire generations of young people in Israel and Palestine.
By Eboo Patel | January 7, 2009; 11:32 AM ET | Comments (6)
US Jews, Muslims Need New Playbook
It's time for us to find a Gaza and Middle East solution together, not circle the wagons and shout talking points.
By Eboo Patel | December 31, 2008; 01:14 PM ET | Comments (157)
Rick Warren and Our Either/Or Culture
Win or lose, you have to go to work with people who believe (perhaps passionately) differently than you.
By Eboo Patel | December 19, 2008; 10:16 AM ET | Comments (50)
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: External Violence, Internal Turmoil
Today's guest bloggers are Joshua Stanton and Mirah Curzer. Joshua is a first-year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College. He is also founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue™ and a 2007 - 2008 Fellow of the Interfaith Youth...
By Eboo Patel | December 10, 2008; 12:29 PM ET | Comments (2)
Chaos and Intimacy in Mumbai
Today's guest blogger is Zeenat Rahman, a Senior Program Coordinator at the Interfaith Youth Core. She recently completed a tour of six countries in Western Europe, where she explored religious pluralism in the region. I have heard the phrase "this...
By Eboo Patel | December 3, 2008; 03:55 PM ET | Comments (1)
The Carnivals of Mumbai Live On
Terrorism comes with a roar, also - an ugly, viscous snarl. But it is not the final sound we will hear. That privilege belongs to the nineteen million voices who make the carnival music known as Mumbai.
By Eboo Patel | December 1, 2008; 11:17 AM ET | Comments (105)
Music and the Possibility of Peace
Daniel Barenboim, the Argentine Israeli Maestro, is back in the United States this week for, among other things, a chamber concert with his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at the United Nations, working for peace.
By Eboo Patel | November 24, 2008; 10:11 AM ET | Comments (132)
Obama and the Old Guard
Barack didn't ask the permission of the Old Guard - in the black church, in the civil rights generation, or in the Democratic party. He understood that the past was further away and the future nearer than any of the Old Guard thought.
By Eboo Patel | November 17, 2008; 10:15 AM ET | Comments (20)
Saudi Hypocrisy or Saudi Tolerance?
Maybe King Abdullah, by articulating the central Muslim value of religious pluralism on the world stage, will find the citizens of his Kingdom demanding that he implement it at home.
By Eboo Patel | November 14, 2008; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (77)
Ultimate Truth & Interfaith Work
Today's guest blogger is Amber Hacker, a graduate of University of North Carolina Wilmington and a Leadership Associate at the Interfaith Youth Core. Amber manages the bridge-builders network, an online community for leaders of the interfaith youth movement. I believe...
By Eboo Patel | November 12, 2008; 04:11 PM ET | Comments (0)
Obama's New Weather Forecast
One place where the change in weather will be most welcome is on the U.S. relationship with the Muslim world.
By Eboo Patel | November 10, 2008; 09:52 AM ET | Comments (16)
The Joy of Alignment
My grandfather has this impossible-to-believe ability to find humor and positivity in any situation.
By Eboo Patel | November 6, 2008; 11:44 AM ET | Comments (1)
Faith as heritage, faith as recognition
Today's guest blogger is Remz Pokorny, a senior at Brandeis University, majoring in Political Science and Middle East Studies. He is also an IFYC Fellow and an active member of the Brandeis Baha'i Association. Let's start at the beginning: My...
By Eboo Patel | October 29, 2008; 12:37 PM ET | Comments (6)
Why Al-Qaeda is Endorsing McCain
If Al-Qaeda really thinks a McCain administration would both boost real recruiting AND help advertise the illusion that all Muslims are the enemy, it's no wonder they are pulling for him.
By Eboo Patel | October 27, 2008; 10:19 AM ET | Comments (64)
We Are Iraqi
My parents left Iraq in the 70's, and I've had the privilege of being born and raised in the United States. Yet I've realized that living in the States, so far removed from the situation, I am blind to many of the injustices that take place in Iraq, and I know that others are, as well.
By Eboo Patel | October 22, 2008; 11:23 AM ET | Comments (3)
Whose Religious Values?
As a young voter and interfaith activist, this is what I like to hear. For my peers, focusing on these urgent issues creates common ground for walking across the lines of faith. Without having to agree on the meaning of marriage, we can lobby together for health care and renewable energy.
By Eboo Patel | October 15, 2008; 02:22 PM ET | Comments (15)
Philanthropy for Fear
So now the Muslim-hating film Obsession has shown up in the mailboxes of students at the University of North Carolina. Add that to the 28 million copies the Clarion Fun sent out as an insert in Sunday newspapers in swing...
By Eboo Patel | October 10, 2008; 09:56 AM ET | Comments (16)
Religulous, or Just Ridiculous?
Maher's dogged pursuit of rationality in the face of the faithful is particularly fascinating because his end result - vehemently dismissing religious belief in all forms - is neither reasonable nor humble.
By Eboo Patel | October 8, 2008; 06:13 PM ET | Comments (158)
Whose Religious Extremists?
There is no such thing as your extremists or my extremists, Jewish extremists or Muslim extremists. There are only extremists.
By Eboo Patel | October 6, 2008; 10:04 AM ET | Comments (109)
Anti-Obama Smears About Religion or Race?
Eboo Patel | The strategy of linking Obama's fictitious Muslim-ness with his dark skin might backfire, if Americans follow their creed.
By Eboo Patel | September 22, 2008; 10:14 AM ET | Comments (200)
On 9/11, Bowing and Clearing Our Heads
Eboo Patel | We are not at war with a religion. We are at war with extremists.
This is not a Muslim vs. Christian world, it is a Pluralism vs. Extremism world.
» Tim Shriver:
The Post-9/11 Task for All Faiths
By Eboo Patel | September 11, 2008; 11:57 AM ET | Comments (99)
Secularism Good for the Soul
Those of us trying to bridge the faith divide would do well to welcome the nonreligious.
By Eboo Patel | September 8, 2008; 08:57 AM ET | Comments (21)
Jerry Falwell's Ghost, Religious Right Revival?
There's been a lot of talk recently about the death of the religious right and the revival of progressive religion. Jim Wallis, a friend and mentor of mine, often says that the monologue of the religious right is over and...
By Eboo Patel | September 5, 2008; 10:02 AM ET | Comments (62)
Fearing Ramadan, Embracing Ramadan
Ramadan is the time to re-balance din and dunya, to set my life to the rhythm of the One rather than pretend that my hands are beating the drum.
By Eboo Patel | September 2, 2008; 09:50 AM ET | Comments (106)
Vodoo Helping to Heal New Orleans
Today's guest blogger is Erik Schwarz, founder of Interfaith Works, a nonprofit based in New Orleans, Louisiana and Washington, DC that partners a wide range of faith communities and other organizations around innovative social-change projects. He also serves as an...
By Eboo Patel | August 29, 2008; 05:19 PM ET | Comments (8)
Ramadan and Fasting in a Parallel Universe
What makes Ramadan markedly different in America is that it truly brings all faiths together.
By Eboo Patel | August 28, 2008; 10:46 AM ET | Comments (81)
What We Can Learn from Bahá'í Elections
In sports, violations are often imposed for unsportsmanlike conduct. In similar fashion, voters could discourage negative attacks between the candidates, through opinion polls and on Election Day.
By Eboo Patel | August 15, 2008; 01:57 PM ET | Comments (7)
Speak for Yourself
The peaceful and pluralistic must work to make their voices heard through actions that speak louder than those of the aggressors. American Muslims will find that voice through civic engagement.
By Eboo Patel | August 12, 2008; 06:38 PM ET | Comments (3)
Conflict or Cooperation? A Case for the Interfaith Youth Movement
The world would have us hate one another, but here we are coming together to do something we all care about. There must be something divine in that.
By Eboo Patel | August 11, 2008; 03:05 PM ET | Comments (0)
Darfur & the Olympics: A Jewish Lament
The hour is indeed dark for the women, children, and men of Darfur, but it need not always be so. If people of conscience are willing to dedicate themselves to ending the genocide in western Sudan, it can happen.
By Eboo Patel | August 8, 2008; 11:15 AM ET | Comments (67)
The New Interfaith Generation
Many older Americans still don't know someone from another faith, but their children do. The first "Interfaith Generation" in America is growing up.
By Eboo Patel | August 4, 2008; 10:56 AM ET | Comments (10)
Piecemeal Pragmatic Pluralism
How can we encourage interfaith dialogue on public policy issues without predetermined universal principles of adjudication?
By Eboo Patel | August 1, 2008; 02:16 PM ET | Comments (18)
Wall to Wall Obama
In an era where people from different faith backgrounds are in more frequent and intense contact than ever before, we cannot build walls that divide religious communities from each other.
By Eboo Patel | July 27, 2008; 11:04 PM ET | Comments (37)
Karadzic's Nation of Murderers
But there are few on Earth who deserve raw hate more richly than Radovan Karadzic.
By Eboo Patel | July 25, 2008; 07:13 AM ET | Comments (72)
Guest Blogger: How U.S. Jews Can Best Help Israeli Jews
Much as the American Muslim community can provide an example to its European counterpart, it might be possible for the American Jewish community to model intra-religious tolerance for Israeli society.
By Eboo Patel | July 23, 2008; 02:54 PM ET | Comments (5)
Education for a Better World
Eboo Patel | Teachers want to hear more about the importance of directly engaging religion and religious diversity in the curriculum.
By Eboo Patel | July 21, 2008; 09:51 AM ET | Comments (32)
An Interfaith Wedding
How many interfaith weddings did you attend this summer?
By Eboo Patel | July 18, 2008; 12:19 AM ET | Comments (29)
The Muslim-Jewish Tipping Point
A quiet revolution in Muslim-Jewish relations is taking place off the radar screen.
By Eboo Patel | July 14, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (75)
Progressives and Religion: Beyond Election Strategies
Progressives need deep thought about faith. This volume provides it.
By Eboo Patel | July 10, 2008; 11:19 PM ET | Comments (4)
Guest Blogger: Dutch Muslims?
Dutch Muslims don’t exist yet. There are the Turks and the Moroccans and there are the Dutch.
By Eboo Patel | July 8, 2008; 05:06 PM ET | Comments (8)
Obama Should be Bolder
Eboo Patel | The candidate's faith-based program should encourage good deeds within AND among different faith communities.
By Eboo Patel | July 6, 2008; 09:37 PM ET | Comments (19)
Guest Blogger: Blaxican and American
Langston Hughes says that America was never America to him. And in many ways, being a Blaxican (of Black and Mexican heritage) woman, I have felt the same.
By Eboo Patel | July 2, 2008; 11:31 AM ET | Comments (14)
The Great American Road Trip
On the road again.
By Eboo Patel | June 29, 2008; 11:08 PM ET | Comments (2)
Will McCain Stand Up to Prejudice?
What if Mr. McCain put on his homepage tomorrow that he doesn’t want the votes of people who proudly proclaim that they are not voting for Mr. Obama because they don’t like his name or the religion of his grandfather?
By Eboo Patel | June 26, 2008; 11:02 PM ET | Comments (326)
Guest Blogger: We Believe but God Knows
Respect for dialogue is captured in the seemingly paradoxical statement that the opinions of Hillel and Shammai were both the “words of the living God.”
By Eboo Patel | June 24, 2008; 05:57 PM ET | Comments (10)
The Emerging Interfaith Youth Movement
The interfaith youth movement takes a step forward.
By Eboo Patel | June 23, 2008; 12:49 PM ET | Comments (9)
A Palestinian Journey, An American Story
A Palestinian-American success story.
By Eboo Patel | June 19, 2008; 12:23 AM ET | Comments (26)
Muslims and the Destiny of America
American Muslims can no longer see themselves as primarily an immigrant group, but as a community indigenous to America.
By Eboo Patel | June 16, 2008; 08:03 AM ET | Comments (105)
A Real To-Do List for the Church
Does the Church do enough for the world?
By Eboo Patel | June 11, 2008; 11:09 PM ET | Comments (66)
God and Man at Dartmouth
What would William F. Buckley have thought of the Multi Faith Baccalaureate Service Ceremony at Dartmouth?
By Eboo Patel | June 9, 2008; 12:03 AM ET | Comments (43)
Putting Extremists Back in their Place
Eboo Patel | Religious pluralists are in the majority, but totalitarians have succeeded in convincing us to be afraid of each other.
By Eboo Patel | June 4, 2008; 10:50 PM ET | Comments (47)
Tony Blair's Bid to be a Faith Leader
Tony Blair has the chance to do for the interfaith movement what Al Gore has done for environmentalism: create a tipping point effect on one of the most important issues of the 21st century.
By Eboo Patel | June 1, 2008; 11:55 PM ET | Comments (38)
Islam and the Nazi Analogy
Eboo Patel | We Muslims want people to know that we hate Muslim fanatics as much as non-Muslims do. They kill us, too.
By Eboo Patel | May 28, 2008; 10:34 PM ET | Comments (206)
Schools that Build Peace
Eboo Patel | Religious extremists have schools that educate for hatred. Here's an example of one that teaches international peace.
By Eboo Patel | May 27, 2008; 03:43 AM ET | Comments (24)
Interfaith Work Fit for a Queen
Queen Rania inspired me when I met her. Now she's inspiring the world.
By Eboo Patel | May 22, 2008; 09:18 AM ET | Comments (65)
Success and Significance
What do you say to a group of young people embarking on their lives?
By Eboo Patel | May 18, 2008; 09:02 PM ET | Comments (6)
Obama and the Muslims
My American Muslim friends support for Obama has nothing to do with the Muslim part of their identity, and everything to do with the American part.
By Eboo Patel | May 14, 2008; 11:13 PM ET | Comments (40)
Israel/Palestine: Which Side Are You On?
Families from both sides suggest an alternative to the endless cycle of gloom and blame in the Middle East.
By Eboo Patel | May 12, 2008; 01:07 AM ET | Comments (64)
Films that Divide, Films that Unite
What would happen if we had a day devoted to films that told the story of a common life together?
By Eboo Patel | May 7, 2008; 10:52 PM ET | Comments (51)
Smearing Muslims
Debbie Almontaser was on her way to being the principal of an innovative new school -- until Daniel Pipes found out she was Muslim.
By Eboo Patel | May 4, 2008; 10:37 PM ET | Comments (110)
Jeremiah Wright, Revisited
Eboo Patel | I say this with great sadness: When I talk about people who embody the transcendent love of the African-American tradition, Jeremiah Wright will not be one of them.
By Eboo Patel | May 1, 2008; 07:55 AM ET | Comments (86)
The Real Jeremiah Wright
Eboo Patel | The 12 words we know about Jeremiah Wright don't begin to define the man or his nearly four-decades of ministry.
By Eboo Patel | April 27, 2008; 11:24 PM ET | Comments (169)
Pope Sets a Clear Path for Interfaith Dialogue
The Pope raised the cosmic questions. And offered his answers.
By Eboo Patel | April 18, 2008; 09:19 AM ET | Comments (25)
Salam Alaykum, Pope Benedict
He is not my spiritual leader, but I welcome the sacred gifts this Pope brings.
By Eboo Patel | April 17, 2008; 11:40 AM ET | Comments (61)
Obama at the Compassion Forum
Eboo Patel | Obama finally discussed his positive experiences with Islam in Indonesia. It's a hopeful start.
By Eboo Patel | April 14, 2008; 07:41 AM ET | Comments (107)
A Muslim Among the Evangelicals
Eboo Patel | At a conference of 500 evangelical Christians, I asked: "Am I, a Muslim, part of the Beloved Community you talk about?"
By Eboo Patel | April 10, 2008; 11:37 AM ET | Comments (37)
Belfast Beyond Catholic and Protestant
Eboo Patel | Little bits of the world are starting to make their way to Belfast. And if this city gets it right, it will be a powerful message to other sectarian conflict zones.
By Eboo Patel | April 6, 2008; 10:18 PM ET | Comments (31)
Who Claims Martin Luther King Jr?
King’s ultimate vision was not just about race or nation, but new relationships – between people from different backgrounds, between America and the world, between humanity and God. That is why people from every country and faith derive inspiration from his legacy.
By Eboo Patel | April 4, 2008; 08:42 AM ET | Comments (16)
Diversity and its Discontents
Eboo Patel | Can diversity be bad for democracy? If we don’t embrace it, we leave a vacuum often filled by extremists or bigots.
By Eboo Patel | March 30, 2008; 09:40 PM ET | Comments (89)
Who Sings for Islam?
Eboo Patel | Muslim music lifts the heart and lights the world.
By Eboo Patel | March 26, 2008; 10:23 PM ET | Comments (46)
Racism: America's Original Sin
Obama's race speech recognized that if America wants to believe in its promise for the future, it had better deal directly with the original sin of its past.
By Eboo Patel | March 23, 2008; 11:58 PM ET | Comments (42)
Faith and Interfaith in New Orleans
A group of young college women who could have been worshipping themselves in Cancun or Daytona Beach during this Spring Break season, instead choosing to worship God by cleaning the feet of an elderly woman from New Orleans.
By Eboo Patel | March 20, 2008; 02:27 PM ET | Comments (8)
New Orleans: Recover, Rebuild, Rebirth
Eboo Patel | Young people want to get involved in the great issues of our time, and post-Katrina New Orleans is one of the best places to do that.
By Eboo Patel | March 16, 2008; 09:59 PM ET | Comments (221)
The Spell of Islamophobia
Eboo Patel | Has there been a spell cast on people that causes them to link Islam and violence, and tune out other voices?
By Eboo Patel | March 12, 2008; 11:33 PM ET | Comments (411)
Who's Talking About Religion?
Eboo Patel | People tell me all the time that they’re afraid to talk about religion – they don’t have the knowledge, the language or the courage.
By Eboo Patel | March 9, 2008; 10:40 PM ET | Comments (116)
God and Man at TED
Karen Armstrong has an idea. Let's put compassion into action.
By Eboo Patel | March 5, 2008; 09:55 PM ET | Comments (8)
The Cult of TED
I got inside the famous TED Conference and found to my surprise ... God.
By Eboo Patel | March 2, 2008; 10:29 PM ET | Comments (31)
Interfaith: The New Campus Movement
Shouldn't campuses engage religious diversity with the same energy they engaged race?
By Eboo Patel | February 28, 2008; 01:14 AM ET | Comments (19)
The Most Important Voice in the Middle East
Imagine if people in the Arab world knew who the Crips and the Bloods were, but had never heard of Barack Obama, and still acted like they were experts on America.
By Eboo Patel | February 24, 2008; 11:38 PM ET | Comments (78)
A Restless Generation in the Middle East
The energy gathering at this intersection of youth, religiosity, changing socio-economic patterns and increased interaction can go multiple directions.
By Eboo Patel | February 20, 2008; 09:20 PM ET | Comments (18)
The Jim Wallis Generation
Eboo Patel | He challenges people of good faith to find spiritually-based pragmatic approaches that solve problems of climate change, poverty and violence.
By Eboo Patel | February 17, 2008; 04:35 PM ET | Comments (79)
America vs The Clash of Civilizations
Eboo Patel | The world needs an example of a nation where people from different backgrounds live together in equal dignity and mutual loyalty.
By Eboo Patel | February 14, 2008; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (130)
The Headscarf in Turkey
Imagine university officials in America preventing students wearing Christian crosses from taking classes, or requiring people to cut off their “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets to take exams.
By Eboo Patel | February 11, 2008; 12:01 AM ET | Comments (86)
Religious Youth: Bridges or Bombs
Young people can and do reject religious extremism in places like Sharon, Mass. -- but only if there's money to pay for interfaith activities and adults take a back seat.
By Eboo Patel | February 6, 2008; 11:36 PM ET | Comments (120)
No Peace Without Pluralism
Eboo Patel | The violent ethnic tensions in Kenya -- and in Muslim nations -- are one possible future for the world. There is another.
By Eboo Patel | February 4, 2008; 06:21 AM ET | Comments (44)
Mourning a Lost Mentor
How do you pay back someone who gave you your start? I guess by making sure you give the same to others.
By Eboo Patel | January 31, 2008; 10:07 AM ET | Comments (26)
Arguing Identity: Race, Religion and Beyond
Eboo Patel |It’s a shame, considering that billions of people are religious, that the only goal aggressive atheists have for the tent of religion is to burn it down.
By Eboo Patel | January 27, 2008; 11:41 PM ET | Comments (284)
Our Faith Talk is in the Gutter
Eboo Patel | If you insult race or ethnicity in this day and age, you are treated like a pariah. If you insult religion, you are nominated for a National Book Award (as Christopher Hitchens was).
By Eboo Patel | January 24, 2008; 01:40 PM ET | Comments (251)
On Arun Gandhi
The rules of a civil and illuminating conversation on religion apply to everyone - all writers, all audiences, right?
By Eboo Patel | January 20, 2008; 09:54 PM ET | Comments (81)
A $100 Million Bet on Pluralism
Eboo Patel | The multicultural jet set shifts into constructive, youth-oriented action to counter the so-called Clash of Civilizations.
By Eboo Patel | January 16, 2008; 06:24 PM ET | Comments (50)
Muslims are Europeans, not Foreigners
Eboo Patel | Europe’s Muslims -- no longer foreigners -- can view their faith as a bridge just as easily as they view it as a bubble or a barrier.
By Eboo Patel | January 14, 2008; 03:47 AM ET | Comments (132)
Tribal Religion, Transcendent Religion
Eboo Patel | If tribal religion wins, it means that people like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris are right – religion will destroy everything.
By Eboo Patel | January 6, 2008; 04:45 PM ET | Comments (118)
Murder on the Subcontinent
Eboo Patel | The heinous assassination of Benazir Bhutto has overshadowed an equally dangerous cocktail of murder, religious identity and national fate next door.
By Eboo Patel | January 2, 2008; 10:49 PM ET | Comments (422)
My Resolution: Shine More, Bleed Less
Eboo Patel | Kids and poetry for New Year's.
By Eboo Patel | December 30, 2007; 11:38 PM ET | Comments (68)
American Muslim Leaders: Past, Present and Future
Eboo Patel | Thanks to pioneers like Maher Hathout, our generation is working to build a coherent, relevant American Muslim identity.
By Eboo Patel | December 20, 2007; 12:52 PM ET | Comments (522)
An American Hajj
Eboo Patel | My wife's parents are making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Their journey reminds me of the best in both Muslim and American history.
By Eboo Patel | December 17, 2007; 12:38 AM ET | Comments (131)
Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Muslim Dirty Laundry
Eboo Patel | Too many mainstream Muslims believe they have only two options in response to questions about Islam: angry indignation or stony silence.
By Eboo Patel | December 13, 2007; 09:50 AM ET | Comments (360)
Mitt Romney's American Religion
Eboo Patel | It says something about America that we offer a special microphone and a powerful stage to people from marginalized communities.
By Eboo Patel | December 10, 2007; 12:23 AM ET | Comments (53)
America's Real Power
Eboo Patel | Hard power focuses on what we are against. Soft power emphasizes what we are about. America has ignored the latter, and that has reduced us.
By Eboo Patel | December 5, 2007; 11:36 PM ET | Comments (84)
To Iran with Bridges, Or Bombs
By Eboo Patel | December 2, 2007; 10:30 PM ET | Comments (9)
Making Peace with Each 'Other'
Eboo Patel | At some point, some group of politicians is going to draw a line somewhere in the Middle East and call one side Palestine and the other side Israel. Then what?
By Eboo Patel | November 29, 2007; 07:49 AM ET | Comments (11)
No Child of God Left Behind
Eboo Patel | Tim LaHaye's endorsement of Mike Huckabee took the form of a battle cry. Unfortunately, he is fighting the wrong war.
By Eboo Patel | November 26, 2007; 08:51 AM ET | Comments (62)
American Thanksgivings
Eboo Patel |, This range of Thanksgivings is a metaphor for America: Different expressions on shared values.
By Eboo Patel | November 21, 2007; 03:03 PM ET | Comments (87)
Children of Jihad
Our newspapers, television screens and bookstores are full of conjecture on a simple and seemingly terrifying question: “What are youth in the Muslim world up to?"
By Eboo Patel | November 19, 2007; 11:40 AM ET | Comments (19)
Embracing Evangelicals
Too many of my secular liberal friends think Evangelicals are like snakes. Any time an entire group of people is written off as the enemy, it’s time to get a little closer.
By Eboo Patel | November 15, 2007; 11:13 AM ET | Comments (63)
Interfaith Conversation
We need models of mutually enriching conversations between people from different backgrounds committed both to the preservation of their tradition and a world of pluralism.
By Eboo Patel | November 11, 2007; 11:55 PM ET | Comments (6)
Rudy and Pat: Hate Expectations
Eboo Patel | Did Rudy Giuiliani persuade Pat Robertson that hating Muslims is more important than hating homosexuals?
By Eboo Patel | November 8, 2007; 11:59 PM ET | Comments (121)
City (of Immigrants) on a Hill
Eboo Patel | America's gift to the globe in the 21st Century could be our successful experience being an immigrant society.
By Eboo Patel | November 5, 2007; 09:03 AM ET | Comments (149)
The Next Generation of Faith Heroes
Eboo Patel | There is no guarantee that young people of faith will work for freedom and justice. The foot soldiers of religious extremism are young as well.
By Eboo Patel | October 29, 2007; 08:54 AM ET | Comments (44)
Anti-American Patriotism
Eboo Patel | There are people who want you to believe that hating Muslims is your patriotic duty. I wonder what country they think they live in.
By Eboo Patel | October 25, 2007; 12:54 PM ET | Comments (886)
Mormon Social Radicals?
Eboo Patel: Reading the mainstream press, one would think that there are no Mormon Democrats, forget Mormon social radicals.
By Eboo Patel | October 22, 2007; 09:51 AM ET | Comments (54)
From Mississippi to Monrovia
Eboo Patel: What would inspire a working class guy from Eastabuchie, Mississippi who had never been out of the deep south to go to, of all places, Liberia?
By Eboo Patel | October 16, 2007; 10:29 AM ET | Comments (48)
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Vs. the West
Eboo Patel: To make a hero of Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- as Salman Rushdie and Sam Harris would do -- violates principles of the Enlightenment that these people laughably claim Ali is championing.
By Eboo Patel | October 11, 2007; 11:09 AM ET | Comments (530)
Poetry and Prejudice
Eboo Patel: May we always have poets to reveal our prejudices, and turn them absurd.
By Eboo Patel | October 6, 2007; 09:38 AM ET | Comments (14)
"Aliens in America" About All of Us
Eboo Patel: Sitcom-writers are singing this most American song: When we treat our neighbors and guests of a different faith as strangers, we become the aliens in America.
By Eboo Patel | October 2, 2007; 09:02 AM ET | Comments (209)
The Gospel According to Bill
Bill Clinton should have been a preacher. Nobody finds the poetry to connect private lives with public purpose the way Clinton does.
By Eboo Patel | September 29, 2007; 03:43 PM ET | Comments (52)
Muslim Civil Rights
Here is the question for Muslims as they become a broadly politically active community: are they interested in the American promise only for themselves, or will they seek to expand it for everyone?
By Eboo Patel | September 26, 2007; 08:47 AM ET | Comments (196)
The Jena 6 and Iraq
By Eboo Patel | September 24, 2007; 07:01 AM ET | Comments (82)
Jews and Muslims: Poetry and Possibility
By Eboo Patel | September 21, 2007; 07:09 AM ET | Comments (21)
On Muslim Antisemitism
Eboo Patel: Muslim antisemitism exists and it is ugly and it is vile. It also is a violation of the ethos of Islam and of what it means to be fully human.
By Eboo Patel | September 18, 2007; 11:10 AM ET | Comments (361)
Middle East Divide Reaches Middle America
Some American Muslims and Jews are building enmity instead of constructive relationships. It's a dangerous dynamic determined largely by politics abroad.
By Eboo Patel | September 17, 2007; 11:33 AM ET | Comments (42)
Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah
Eboo Patel: A central problem with the Jewish-Muslim divide is that many people think Jews and Muslims were always in conflict and will always be.
By Eboo Patel | September 14, 2007; 11:46 AM ET | Comments (73)
Ramadan and Remembrance
Eboo Patel: Ramadan is not a normal time. This is a month, in my view, not primarily about restraint, but about remembrance.
By Eboo Patel | September 13, 2007; 08:12 AM ET | Comments (340)
A Grief and Hope Found Only in Poetry
Eboo Patel: Rumi and Whitman remind us of the radical love, overflowing openness, and unquenchable aspiration to be better that is America at its best.
By Eboo Patel | September 11, 2007; 01:10 AM ET | Comments (21)
The Muslims of Jesus Camp
Eboo Patel: What to do with the billion-plus Muslims who are committed to following the example of mercy and monotheism set forth by Jesus and all of God’s messengers?
By Eboo Patel | September 10, 2007; 08:59 AM ET | Comments (96)
