Pluralism in Peril: Challenges to an American Ideal

PLURALISM IN PERIL: CHALLENGES TO AN AMERICAN IDEAL IDEAL AMERICAN AN TO CHALLENGES PERIL: IN PLURALISM PLURALISM IN PERIL: CHALLENGES TO AN AMERICAN IDEAL Report of the Inclusive America Project Report of the Inclusive America Project the Report Inclusive of January 2018 • Washington, D.C. Steven D. Martin – National Council of Churches THE ASPEN INSTITUTE JUSTICE AND SOCIETY PROGRAM 11-024 PLURALISM IN PERIL: CHALLENGES TO AN AMERICAN IDEAL Report of the Inclusive America Project January 2018 • Washington, D.C. Meryl Justin Chertoff Executive Editor Allison K. Ralph Editor The ideas and recommendations contained in this report should not be taken as representing the views or carrying the endorsement of the organization with which the author is affiliated. The organizations cited as examples in this report do not necessarily endorse the Inclusive America Project or its aims. For all inquiries related to the Inclusive America Project, please contact: Zeenat Rahman Project Director, Inclusive America Project [email protected] Copyright © 2018 by The Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute 2300 N Street, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20037 Published in the United States of America in 2018 by The Aspen Institute All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 18/001 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ..............................................v Executive Editor’s Note .........................................vii Letter to the Reader . ix Introduction ...................................................1 PART 1: EMERGING FIELDS OF PRACTICE Effective Relationship Building to Bridge Faith and Cultural Divides by Brie Loskota.................................................7 Religious Literacy and Inclusion in Education Settings and Youth-Serving Organizations: Opportunities to Grow the Field by Allison K. Ralph and Seán Rose ...............................17 Local Solutions to Global Challenges: Building Resilient Communities by Sarah Morgenthau ..........................................45 PART 2: TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS AND ADVOCACY An Overview of Data on the US Muslim Community’s Capacity to Advocate for Inclusion by Dalia Mogahed .............................................63 Metrics for Success in Pluralism Projects by Edina Lekovic ..............................................71 Muslims and Philanthropy at the American Crossroads by Shariq Siddiqui .............................................77 Out of Many, One: Defining the Opposite of Extremism by J.M. Berger.................................................89 Civil Society’s Renaissance: America’s Hope to Counter Extremism by George Selim . 95 PART 3: VISIONS FOR 2028 Christian Commitment to Pluralism Should Not Waiver by Shapri LoMaglio ...........................................105 The Party of Lincoln and of Reagan by Suhail Khan ...............................................111 The Freedom of Speech and The Obligation to Listen: How to Save Political Discourse on American College Campuses by Rabbi Yehuda Sarna ........................................117 Faith in the Time of Tribalism by Rev. Terry Kyllo ...........................................125 Colleges as Models for Interfaith Cooperation by Eboo Patel ................................................133 Appendix A: A Sampling of Best Practice Models ..................137 Appendix B: Further Reading ...................................141 Appendix C: Contributor Biographies............................143 Appendix D: Distinguished Panel ...............................153 Appendix E: Staff Biographies ..................................155 About the Aspen Institute and the Justice and Society Program ......157 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to acknowledge and thank the El-Hibri Foundation of Washington, DC for its support of this writing project. Without this support, this publication would not have been possible. The Carnegie Corporation provided additional support of this publication. Thanks also to the other supporters of the Inclusive America Project: Martin Budd, Richard and Sylvia Kaufman, and the Pillars Fund. Early supports of the Project were The Hearst Foundation, The David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation, Nina and S.A. Ibrahim Foundation, Honorable John L. Loeb Jr., and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. We also thank the following individuals for their invaluable support in research and editing: Michael Green, Marni Morse, Zeenat Rahman, Seán Rose, and, especially, Editor Allison Ralph. For their inspiration and guidance, we thank Madeleine Albright, David Gergen, Robert Putnam, Shakeeb Alam, Joseph DeMott, Farhan Latif, Imam Mohamed Magid, Shaista and Ray Mahmood, Eboo Patel, and Kashif Shaikh. We’d also like to thank David Campbell, Diana Eck, Intisar Rabb, Alec Hill, Rabbi David Saperstein, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, and technical advisors Gregory Epstein, Deborah M. Lauter, and Daniel W. Sutherland. Thanks too, to all the young people who at dem- onstrations, through collaborations, and in their tapestry of relationships stand against hate and for American unity. v Pluralism in Peril: Challenges to an ameriCan ideal Voice of America Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Pakistani Americans, raise their pocket Constitution and speak during the 2016 Democratic National Convention about their son, United States Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in 2004 during the Iraq War. vi EXECUTIVE EDITOR’S NOTE When we began collecting the essays for this book just after the 2016 election, we could not have predicted Charlottesville, the Muslim travel ban, or that the President of the United States would disseminate and amplify Britain First’s sickening falsehoods and provocations. There is ample cause for worry. At the same time, for those in the interfaith movement it is a time of hope. Petty quarrels are dissolving in the face of a unifying threat. We are turning more to one another and reflecting on our shared humanity as a counter-narrative to the one of polariza- tion being foisted on us. If the Inclusive America Project staff had more time, this collection would be double the length. There are gaps, and for those the fault is all mine. We have not included essays from writers of non-Abrahamic faiths, or the growing voice of the “nones” and unaffiliated. We have not been able to delve into the role of social media, the arts, and especially comedy as social forces for both good and ill in this sector. What we hope we have done is to offer some guideposts. We have highlighted best practices, offered some tips for framing arguments, and lifted up the voices of some of the folks working hardest and smartest in this sector. We hope that by 2028, the vision set out in the final section of the book will be far closer than it is today. Meryl Justin Chertoff Executive Director Justice & Society Program | The Aspen Institute Pluralism in Peril Executive Editor December 13, 2017 vii LETTER TO THE READER Dear Aspen Friends and Partners, From the days of our founders, American constitutional democracy has been committed to protecting the right of all Americans to practice their faiths in freedom and security. As we head into 2018, we reflect on how easily the blessings of liberty may be lost. The protections of the Constitution, independent courts, and equal justice under the law appear fragile. In times like these, we recognize how essential they are. I am proud that for the last six years Secretary Madeleine Albright and Professor David Gergen have guided the Inclusive America Project, which addresses recent challenges to this ideal of respect for our diverse faith traditions. With their leadership, the Project’s Distinguished Panel and Aspen Institute staff have built a national network that includes many of the most highly qualified experts and advocates in this field. In 2013, the Inclusive America Project released its first report, Principled Pluralism, which examined strategies for managing America’s religious diversity in a way that promotes informed respect and social cohesion. This second report goes deeper and examines new challenges religious pluralism faces today and emerging tools. Experts delve into and provide their perspective on a variety of topics, from interfaith allyship to resilience to youth-serving organizations and more. The Inclusive America Project exemplifies the Aspen Institute’s mission to foster values-based leadership and address critical social concerns. Its work will help strengthen our nation’s social fabric and increase our resilience in the face of adversity. ix Pluralism in Peril: Challenges to an ameriCan ideal As I depart the Institute, I continue to believe these will be defining issues in the years to come. I hope that you will be inspired by what you read here, and will help make religious inclusiveness an individual, community, and national priority. Walter Isaacson President and CEO, The Aspen Institute November 28, 2017 x INTRODUCTION In 2013, the Inclusive America Project, under the guidance of its Distinguished Panel, published Principled Pluralism: Report of the Inclusive America Project. Troubled by the rise of Islamophobia, a growing divide between different faiths, and between believers and non- believers (or “nones”), and intrafaith disputes among those of different denominations, we recommended models for bridging difference. We built on the work of Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam, whose scholarship showed that the creation of interpersonal relationships— what he calls the “My Pal Al” phenomenon—reduces not only harmful stereotyping

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