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Evaluating the Impact of Interfaith Dialogue Between the Muslim EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF INTERFAITH DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE MUSLIM AMERICAN SOCIETY AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE FOCOLARE MOVEMENT, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF INDIGENOUS MUSLIM AMERICANS A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of The School of Continuing Studies and of The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies By Tariq S. Najee-ullah, B.S. Georgetown University Washington, D.C. October 30, 2017 Copyright 2017 by Tariq S. Najee-ullah All Rights Reserved ii EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF INTERFAITH DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE MUSLIM AMERICAN SOCIETY AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE FOCOLARE MOVEMENT, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF INDIGENOUS MUSLIM AMERICANS Tariq S. Najee-ullah, B.S. MALS Mentor: John Borelli, Ph.D. ABSTRACT In this age of intense polarization between liberal freedom and political correctness, on the one hand, and the demagoguery of religious extremists and politicians, on the other hand, there is unending argument, strife, and brinkmanship threatening the peace of our civil society. Religion is frequently used to polarize parties instead of bringing humanity together and invoking the better angels of human nature. Rather than helping bring agreement via dialogue, religion is used to create enemies. Religion is being used to wage war and evoke fears instead of establishing peace and building fruitful alliances. Interfaith dialogue represents a meaningful way to bring parties together peacefully in a way that resolves conflicts and creates friendships. Additionally, interfaith dialogue allows for spiritual sharing and spiritual companionship which opens pathways of communication that lead to opportunities for greater mutual respect and shared understanding. A July 2004 Special Report by the United States Institute of Peace presents a method for evaluating interfaith dialogue programs. It suggests a theory of social iii change whereby teachers involved in dialogue can impact change in the society.1 This thesis will test this hypothesis by conducting an analysis of interfaith dialogue between The Muslim American Society and The Catholic Church, especially through the Focolare Movement. The Muslim American Society was the name of the largest indigenous Muslim American community led by the late Muslim leader, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed.2 Focolare is an international Catholic and predominantly lay community founded and led by the late renowned leader, Chiara Lubich. Specifically, this thesis will apply the suggested analysis to assess and evaluate the meetings and interfaith dialogue between representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and Imam Warith Deen Mohammed and his associates. The foundational concept for this thesis is to analyze material resulting from this dialogue drawn from articles reporting and evaluating the meetings of the dialogues and from the testimonials of the participants. This analysis will allow scholars to understand why the dialogue was successful. Specifically, source materials for this thesis are drawn from articles written that historically document the meetings, programs, speeches, and nature of the relationship between the Imam, his associates, and different representatives of the Catholic Church. A number of the articles are written by my thesis mentor, John Borelli. Additional sources include articles from 1 Renee Garfinkel, "What Works? Evaluating Interfaith Dialogue Programs," United States Institute of Peace, July 13, 2004, (accessed June 2016, https://www.usip.org/publications/2004/07/what- works-evaluating-interfaith-dialogue-programs). 2 Muslim American Society was the name of the community association of Muslim American mosques led by Imam Warith Deen Mohammed at the time of the interfaith dialogues, which are the subject of this research. After a naming dispute with an unrelated non-profit organization , Imam Mohammed formally changed the name to the American Society of Muslims. iv Muslim Journal, transcripts of lectures by Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, interviews of participants, as well as those who participated in subsequent interfaith dialogues between the communities.3 Using the special report of the United States Institute of Peace to provide a methodology for evaluation, this thesis will apply this analytical method to the various meetings and dialogues between the two general parties. Conclusions and implications will be drawn from the analysis. 3 These were informal interviews conducted with verbal consent from the participants. The verbal consents included how the participants wished to be identified. Edited transcripts of these interviews are found in the appendices. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am thankful to Almighty G’d, Allah, for the inspiration and providing me with the fortitude of commitment to complete this task. I am thankful to my parents for raising me with a love of community and strength of faith. To my family and relatives, thank you for the encouragement. I thank Sister Nuurah Muhammad for teaching me to take religious studies seriously. I am thankful to the remarkable community here at Georgetown University who challenged me in ways that forced me to grow. I met some amazing faculty members, colleagues, and friends along the way. Special thanks to John Voll and Yvonne Haddad for encouraging me to pursue my passion in my research and guiding me in their courses. Thank you for your friendship. A tremendous thanks to John Esposito and Jonathan Brown for their leadership at the Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding. Thank you ACMU staff for all of your help. To Emad Shahin, thank you for introducing me to the world of political science; you are much appreciated! We pray for change to come to Egypt and that you have a safe return home. To Patricia Biermayr-Jenzano who taught me qualitative research methods, thank you so much. To Mohammed Ahmad, thank you for reigniting my passion for reading Arabic literature and speaking fusha! My prayers are with you and your family in Syria. To Ori Soltes, thank you for the brilliance of your intellect. I appreciate your help in understanding the great historical arch of the Middle East. Let’s keep in touch. Thank you to the School of Continuing Studies and the entire Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program staff. Thank you, Dean Anne Ridder, for everything. To all the librarians, staff, researchers, student vi volunteers, classmates and colleagues, thank you. To my employer, thank you for the flexibility to pursue this dream. To Imam Earl El-Amin, Laila Mohammed, Dr. Mikal Ramadan, Imam Ronald Shaheed, and the late Amatullah Sharif, my interview subjects, thank you for your time and feedback; you helped us make history. Thank you to Ayesha Mustafa and Muslim Journal staff. Thank you to Mr. Wallace Muhammad II and the offices of The Mosque Cares, WDM Publications, and The Ministry of Imam W. D. Mohammed for selling the books and publications necessary to complete this work. To the community masajid that I have called home, my interfaith colleagues and supporters, thank you for helping to finance the completion of this education process. We did this together. Special thanks to the International Institute of Islamic Thought. We genuinely appreciate your strong financial support! A very special thank you to my mentor and thesis advisor, John Borelli. Thank you so much! I am in your debt! I dedicate this thesis to my late father-in-law, Imam Maajid Faheem ‘Ali. Thank you for your help and encouragement. It pains me that you are not here physically to witness its completion. Your life was a living testament to the true power of faith and dialogue following the model Imam Mohammed demonstrated for you. I pray that we are able to live up to that example. This thesis project and five- year graduate school journey was made possible because of the TREMENDOUS support of my loving wife, Muslimah and the patient understanding of my three young children: Tanzeelah, Yusriyyah, and Mubeen ‘Ali. Thank you, Tariq S. Najee-ullah vii TABLE OF CONTENTS COPYRIGHT…...……………………………………….…………………………….ii ABSTRACT……………………………………….…………………………………..iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………….……………………vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS………………………….……………………………...xi INTRODUCTION……………………………………….…………………………….1 Review of Related Literature Summary……………………………………..…3 The Procedure………………………………………………………………….4 CHAPTER 1: HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF CATHOLIC-MUSLIM RELATIONS..6 The Islamic Genetic Memory among Enslaved Africans in America….………6 Enslaved Africans Experiences with American Christianity…………….……10 African Americans and The Catholic Church: A Brief History .......................11 African Americans in the Twentieth Century: Social Conditions, Civil Rights Movement..……………………...………………………………………..…...16 Pope Paul VI and The Second Vatican Council………………….....………...19 The Black Muslim Movement: The Nation of Islam, Hon. Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali..……….........................................................23 The Year 1965: The Raging Sixties, A Changing America…………………...28 CHAPTER 2: IMAM WARITH DEEN MOHAMMED, A MAN OF PEACE AND DIALOGUE..………………………………………………………………………….32 viii Raised Inside The Nation of Islam……………...……………………………..33 Gradual Movement Towards Mainstream Al-Islam…………………………..36 Organizational Challenges and Legal Problems………………………...…….37 Early Progresses……………………………………………………………….39 Imam Mohammed Embraces Interfaith Dialogue……………………………..46 Imam Mohammed Challenges Racial Religious Thinking with C.R.A.I.D…..47 An Ever-Growing Community………………………………………………..49
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