Interfaith Strong

By Ted Resnikoff

30DoL_22_Interfaith

30DoL_22_Interfaith

DAY 22: Stand with Those Who Face Religious Discrimination

Not long ago I read an article written by a young Muslim-American man who described the types of bias and discrimination that Muslim-American individuals experience on a regular basis. I figured as much - I saw how violence against people who looked Middle Eastern rose during the Iran hostage crisis in the 1970s, and then again after 9/11. What surprised and touched me the most in his story was when he reported discovering that his family members had had similar experiences but never shared their stories with one another, choosing instead to suffer in silence and keep it to themselves. No one should have to suffer, but especially not have to do so alone.

In his Ware Lecture at last year's General Assembly, Eboo Patel spoke of Unitarian Universalists as the natural denomination to lead interfaith efforts in our country. As he said, who could be better positioned to build the bridges necessary to find commonalities and span diverse beliefs than us?

Take a look at the excellent resources listed on today's Standing on the Side of Love blog post and consider engaging your congregation or community in this challenging and vital work. Even just sending a message of welcome and awareness to a religious community different than your own can have an effect. We need to find and engage in more ways to turn the word "love" into a verb in our neighborhoods; making connections with other faith communities, especially those who experience discrimination or ignorance, is a great way to start.

Visit Day 22 of the 30 Days of Love campaign on Standing on the Side of Love to learn more and for ideas on multigen activities.