EVANGELICAL INTERFAITH Fuller Theological Seminary FALL EVANGELICALS AND ISLAMOPHOBIA: Critical Voices and Constructive Proposals 2016 At a Glance 04 10 12 Douglas Johnston Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Howard A. Cohen Combating Islamophobia in The Relationship Between the America’s Unique Constitutional America Muslim World and the United States Framework and the Fit of Islam and the Root of Islamophobia in America 14 16 18 David Belt Elijah M. Brown David L. Johnston How U.S. Social Conservatives Minority Report: Christian American Evangelical Islamophobia: Created Political Unity in Islam Persecution in Muslim-Majority A History of Continuity with a Hope Fearmongering Countries for Change 20 22 24 Rick Love Joseph V. Montville David McAllister-Wilson National and International Religious The Moral Ties Within the Family of Beyond Cooties and Crushes: The Freedom: An Essential Part of Abraham: A Primer on Shared Social Potential for Evangelical Leadership Christian Mission in the 21st Century Values in Judaism, Christianity, and in Christian Engagement with Islam Islam 26 28 30 Catherine Orsborn Jihad Turk Elias Ghazal Standing Shoulder to Shoulder Islamophobia and the Evangelical American Evangelicals and Against Anti-Muslim Bigotry: Community: One American Muslim Islamophobia: A Middle Eastern Interfaith Activism in America in a Leader’s Perspective Perspective Time of Crisis 31 32 34 Mark Labberton Richard McCallum Juan F. Martínez Counter-Currents to Islamophobia Islamophobia: A View from the UK Latino Evangélicals and Latino Muslims: A Potential Bridge Across the Chasm of Fear? 35 37 38 Kathryn Kraft Louis Schweitzer Ronald J. Feenstra A Woman’s View of the Grassroots Les Évangéliques et L’Islamophobie Christian Engagement with Muslims: en France Don’t Compare Our Best with Their Worst 39 40 42 Jul Medenblik Tony Richie Paul Sanders The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly A Pentecostal Take on French Evangelicals and Islamophobia Islamophobia FALL 2016 Founding Board Consultants Summary Statement Volume 7 • Issue 1 Carrie Graham Martin Accad This issue of Evangelical Interfaith Dialogue, provides Matthew Krabill James Butler articles and responses to a conference which had four Melody Wachsmuth Erin Dufault-Hunter main objectives: (1) to examine the present challenge of Cory Willson Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen Islamophobia in America, with particular attention to how C. Douglas McConnell it relates to evangelicals and Muslims; (2) to provide a Vision Statement Editor Richard J. Mouw biblical, historical, legal, and political rationale for greater This journal seeks to create space for evangelical scholars Matthew J. Krabill Evelyne Reisacher tolerance across religions; (3) to develop (and lay the and practitioners to dialogue about the dynamics, Cory B. Willson J. Dudley Woodberry foundation for) a long-term strategy for evangelicals and challenges, practices, and theology surrounding interfaith others to address Islamophobia in the United States; and work, while remaining faithful to the gospel of Jesus and Design (4) to develop tools for implementing that strategy. his mission for his Church. Randall Cole On the Cover: Views expressed in Evangelical Interfaith Dialogue do not Bharat Choudhary, The Silence of “Others” necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the seminary. (see back cover for more on the artist). Produced in limited quantitites. © Copyright 2016 Fuller Thelogical Seminary. > www.fuller.edu/eifd Introduction Matthew J. Krabill and Cory B. Willson Matthew is a PhD candidate in Fuller’s School of Intercultural Studies. Cory is Jake and Betsy Tuls Assistant Professor of Missiology and Missional Ministry at Calvin Theological Seminary. EVANGELICALS AND ISLAMOPHOBIA: Critical Voices and Constructive Proposals As every day passes, we are subjected to new acts of horrific violence. The list of cities continues to grow: Dhaka, Grand Bassam, Orlando and Nice. Violence and extremism in the name of Islam are saturating the lion’s share of the global news. A conflation of issues, including the ongoing mass movement of people across borders, a resurgence of nationalist ideologies in western societies, the long-arc of western foreign policy and the rhetoric of political campaigns have created environments where Islamophobia is thriving. Within a hyper-Islamized-American context, evangelicals have responded to Islam in a myriad of ways. On the one hand, some evangelicals have responded through expressions of fear and condemnation. This is a response which views Islam as terroristic, violent and a threat to “Western values.” This type of response tends to demonize Islam as a religion and Muslims as a people. Yet another reaction is confusion and paralysis. This is harder to concretely identify but anyone who has consistently interacted with evangelical Christians in pulpit and pew recognizes this sentiment is widespread (common?). As a result, many evangelicals have opted for a posture of silence. In this case, the most urgent and pressing questions among evangelicals remain dormant—relegated to conversations over dinner with friends or following a board meeting with like-minded people. In October 2015, the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD), Peace Catalyst International (PCI), and the Dialogue Institute (DI) convened a conference at Temple University designed to help evangelicals and others understand the consequences of and develop thoughtful responses to Islamophobia in the United States. The conference had four main objectives: (1) to examine the present challenge of Islamophobia in America, with particular attention to how it relates to evangelicals and Muslims; (2) to provide a biblical, historical, legal, and political rationale for greater tolerance across religions; (3) to develop (and lay the foundation for) a long-term strategy for evangelicals and others to address Islamophobia in the United States; and (4) to develop tools for implementing that strategy. This issue of the journal contains voices representing Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions. In addition to the featured papers from the Temple Conference, we include global responses to the topic from evangelicals and Muslims representing cross-sections of their respective faiths. Please note that each featured article is accompanied by an abstract. Other than Johnston’s introduction, each feature article continues online, accessible by the following link at the bottom of the page: www.fuller.edu/eifd/ islamophobia. This format is consistent with our continuing shift to a more significant online presence. Also located online are the full footnotes. Lastly, the English translation of the Louis Schweitzer article is available online. EIFD • Fall 2016 3 Featured Article DOUGLAS JOHNSTON Douglas Johnston is President and founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy. COMBATING ISLAMOPHOBIA IN AMERICA To address the mistreatment of Christian minorities in Muslim-majority countries and that of American Muslims in the United States, the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD) brought 19 Pakistani and American religious and civil society leaders together for a week in Nepal in January 2014, to establish an Interfaith Leadership Network (ILN). The purpose of this network was to build relationships between and among American and Pakistani interfaith leaders, and to design and pursue collaborative initiatives that would ease the plight of religious minorities in Pakistan, and counter the impact and spread of Islamophobia in the United States. Toward this latter goal, ICRD engaged Peace Catalyst In October 2015, the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD), Peace International (PCI) and the Dialogue Institute (DI) at Catalyst International (PCI), and the Dialogue Institute (DI) convened a conference at Temple University as partners in convening a three-day Temple University designed to help Evangelicals and others understand the conference to address Islamophobic sentiments within consequences of and develop thoughtful responses to Islamophobia in the United States. The conference had four main objectives: (1) to examine the present the conservative Evangelical community in America. The challenge of Islamophobia in America, with particular attention to how it relates to effort was underwritten by the William and Mary Greve Evangelicals and Muslims; (2) to provide a biblical, historical, legal, and political rationale for greater tolerance across religions; (3) to develop (and lay the foundation Foundation and Halloran Philanthropies. for) a long-term strategy for Evangelicals and others to address Islamophobia in the United States; and (4) to develop tools for implementing that strategy. Background: the Rise of Islamophobia in America ABSTRACT: In this essay Douglas Johnston briefly describes the increase in Islamophobia in The first clause of the First Amendment to the America and how it is being used to prey on people’s fears and anti-Muslim Constitution of the United States of America is sentiment. Understanding the complexity of the Islamophobia phenomenon within fundamental to the effective functioning of our republic– its cultural, religious and political backdrop was critical to the shaping of the Temple Conference. Secondly, Johnston provides an overview of the insights provided by “Congress shall make no law respecting an selected representatives from the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish traditions, who establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise came together to address the various