A story of mutual cooperation

2. A story of mutual cooperation • Bosnian Muslim who was the Chief Librarian of the National Museum • In 1941, he hid the Haggadah, A Jewish text of the retelling of the exodus from Egypt of Moses and the Jewish people from the Nazis • Saved a Jewish girl named Mira Papo in 1942 by bringing her home and passing her off as a Muslim servant. • Korkut has a daughter, Lamija. In 1999, as Kosovo started to slide toward war, Mira helped evacuate Lamija and her children to Tel Aviv. 2

3. The increased challenge of religious diversity Factors driving the challenge of religious diversity Possible responses to the challenge of religious diversity • Global Religious Revival 1 • Youth Bulge 2 • Increased Interaction 3 • Rise of Religious Extremism 4 • Polarized Discourse 5 • Bomb of destruction 1 • Barrier of division 2 • Bubble of isolation 3 • Bridge of cooperation 4

4. Possible responses to religious diversity Response Sentiment “Religious diversity calls me to oppress or destroy anyone who doesn’t believe exactly what I believe” 3 1 2 4 Bubble Bomb Barrier Bridge “The differences between religions are so vast that we can only disagree or choose not to talk at all” “My community needs to be protected from religious diversity, so we’ll seal ourselves off from contact with the other” Why It Matters: IFYC is trying to build a world where “the bridge,” or “religious pluralism,” is everyday practice (a social norm) Religious Pluralism: “My tradition calls me to value and work with those of other faith traditions”

5. Most people, today, are standing on the faith line and have yet to commit to either… Faith Line Religious Pluralism Religious Extremism OR “We must learn to live together as [sisters and] brothers… …perish alone as fools.” -Martin Luther King Jr. OR What’s Next? • What do we really mean by Religious Pluralism? • What can we do with it?

6. The power of religious pluralism US Civil Rights Movement Indian Independence Movement Gandhi , a Hindu, claimed he learned non-violent resistance from the teachings of Jesus, even as he partnered with Badshah Khan, a Muslim leader. Dr. King was deeply inspired by Gandhi’s work and marched arm in arm with the Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Why It Matters: Religious pluralism offers people of faith an opportunity to create real social change by tapping into their traditions’ call to mercy, compassion and justice.

7. Principles vs. Practice Islamic Principles of Conflict Resolution-Quranic Citations “If I asked for people to die for the sake of God, I would have them lining up at my house; but when I ask people to live for the sake of God, I can’t find anyone.” – ShaykhAbdallah bin Bayyah Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah Quote Reflecting Practice “Unto every one of you We have appointed a (different) law and way of life. And if God had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community: but (He willed it otherwise) in order to test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto you. Vie, then, with one another in doing good works. Unto God you all must return; and then He will make you truly understand all that on which you were wont to differ.”  (Quran 5:48)

8. Youth leaders through our history have demonstrated the power to unite or divide across the faith line Age when started Accomplishments • 24 years old • Major leader in the Civil Rights movement • Why It Matters: • Powerful religious leaders on both sides of the faith line started their careers young with great success • Today, we need to make sure that potential young religious leaders are getting the right kind of influence and training • Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Martin Luther King • 19 years old • Central political and spiritual leader in the Indian Independence Movement • Founded the philosophy of Satyagraha Mohandas Gandhi • 22 years old • Responsible for the September 11th attacks • One of the founders of Al-Qaeda Osama Bin Laden

9. An interfaith leader is someone who transforms unengaged religious diversity or outright religious conflict into religious pluralism Interfaith leaders Need In order to… Vision- Interfaith leaders see the world in terms of religious pluralism and interfaith cooperation, and are able to frame it that way for others Speak Out – When so much of the conversation about religion is dominated by bigotry and discord, interfaith leaders tell a different story about cooperation and shared values • Knowledge Base- • Know stories from various traditions that speak to religious pluralism • Know how broader communal narratives speak to cooperation • Have significant religious literacy Mobilize– Interfaith leaders know that indifference is not an option, and inspire their peers and networks to be active in religious pluralism • Skill Set- • Inspire people to get behind their vision • Transform diversity into pluralism • Bring together diverse people for common action Sustain – Interfaith leaders seek to religious pluralism a part of the communities and institutions they influence in order to multiply their impact

10. Meet Some IFYC Interfaith Leaders Moustafa Rachel & Nadeem Anand & Ansaf Interfaith Medical Shipments Abroad Rally Against Hate Fast-a-thon for Hunger

11. Interfaith Youth Core Stay engaged: Connect with IFYC to learn more • www.ifyc.org • Bridge-Builders Network • http://bridge-builders.ning.com • Contact Zeenat Rahman: zeenat@ifyc.org