Synopses & Reviews
There is no better time to stand up for your values than when they are under attack.After 9/11, then-President Bush declared that Islam was a religion of peace, making a clear distinction between an act of terrorism and a religion. But in recent years, anti-Islamic sentiment has been growing in the U.S., stoked by pastors, politicians, and pundits from Pamela Gellar to Newt Gingrich. The implication of their rhetoric is clear: being Muslim is somehow incompatible with being an American.
In Sacred Ground, renowned interfaith leader Eboo Patel reminds us that religious tolerance, as well as religious prejudice, has been with us since the colonial era. And over time, many once-despised groups, like Catholics, have come to be seen as part of the American mainstream. But we live today in an ever more religiously diverse country, and it is increasingly important to actively foster interfaith cooperation in order to prevent violence. How then, Patel asks, in this critical moment, we can best promote interfaith understanding and cooperation?
Explaining the growing science of interfaith cooperation, Patel interweaves ideas with stories of Christians and Muslims and Jews and Buddhists working to build bridges among their communities and dispel fear and ignorance. He asks us to share in his vision of a better America -- a robustly pluralistic country in which our commonalities are more important than our differences, and in which difference enriches, rather than threatens, our religious traditions.
Sacred Ground demonstrates how we can all work in service of positive social change in our daily lives and offers an inspiring call for us to take responsibility and help make America a beacon of pluralism - because ultimately, we are all at the frontlines of social change. As Patel writes, "I believe every inch of America is sacred ground. I believe we make it holy by who we welcome and how we relate to each other."
Synopsis
A "thought-provoking, myth-smashing" exploration of American identity and a passionate call for a more tolerant, interfaith America (Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State)
There is no better time to stand up for your values than when they are under attack. Alarmist, hateful rhetoric once relegated to the fringes of political discourse has now become frighteningly mainstream, with pundits and politicians routinely invoking the specter of Islam as a menacing, deeply anti-American force.
In Sacred Ground, author and renowned interfaith leader Eboo Patel says this prejudice is not just a problem for Muslims but a challenge to the very idea of America. Patel shows us that Americans from George Washington to Martin Luther King Jr. have been "interfaith leaders," illustrating how the forces of pluralism in America have time and again defeated the forces of prejudice. And now a new generation needs to rise up and confront the anti-Muslim prejudice of our era. To this end, Patel offers a primer in the art and science of interfaith work, bringing to life the growing body of research on how faith can be a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division and sharing stories from the frontlines of interfaith activism.
Patel asks us to share in his vision of a better America--a robustly pluralistic country in which our commonalities are more important than our differences, and in which difference enriches, rather than threatens, our religious traditions. Pluralism, Patel boldly argues, is at the heart of the American project, and this visionary book will inspire Americans of all faiths to make this country a place where diverse traditions can thrive side by side.
Synopsis
There is no better time to stand up for your values than when they are under attack.
In the decade following the attacks of 9/11, suspicion and animosity toward American Muslims has increased rather than subsided. Alarmist, hateful rhetoric once relegated to the fringes of political discourse has now become frighteningly mainstream, with pundits and politicians routinely invoking the specter of Islam as a menacing, deeply anti-American force.
In Sacred Ground, author and renowned interfaith leader Eboo Patel says this prejudice is not just a problem for Muslims but a challenge to the very idea of America. Patel shows us that Americans from George Washington to Martin Luther King Jr. have been “interfaith leaders,” illustrating how the forces of pluralism in America have time and again defeated the forces of prejudice. And now a new generation needs to rise up and confront the anti-Muslim prejudice of our era. To this end, Patel offers a primer in the art and science of interfaith work, bringing to life the growing body of research on how faith can be a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division and sharing stories from the frontlines of interfaith activism.
Patel asks us to share in his vision of a better America—a robustly pluralistic country in which our commonalities are more important than our differences, and in which difference enriches, rather than threatens, our religious traditions. Pluralism, Patel boldly argues, is at the heart of the American project, and this visionary book will inspire Americans of all faiths to make this country a place where diverse traditions can thrive side by side.
Video
About the Author
Eboo Patel is the founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core and the author of Acts of Faith. He was a member of President Obama’s inaugural faith council, is a regular contributor to the Washington Post, Huffington Post, CNN, and public radio, and speaks frequently about interfaith cooperation on college campuses. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two boys.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I
Ground Zero
The Muslim Menace
The Evangelical Shift
Part II
The Science of Interfaith Cooperation
The Art of Interfaith Leadership
Part III
Colleges
Seminaries
American Muslim Child
Conclusion
Afterword by Martin E. Marty
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index