Transcript of live chat with Eboo Patel, a Muslim scholar and activist

Note: Feel free to post questions here in advance!

i watched CNN's God' Warrior yesterday on Jewish warriors. In that, one christian minister in Florida says that the equates Islam and other religions as Pagan practices, close to satanic worship. Considering such deep bias against Islam, do you think interfaith dialogs help bridge the gap?? How can you have a positive dialog when the other side thinks that ur faith and culture is less then theirs??

Great question, bhumika ghimire, and you're first inline...

*listening now* You can stream it online at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/ - the conversation is currently about how Osama Bin Laden and other totalitarian leaders are effective at recruiting youth...

Note to MH - sorry, we were posting at the same time. Your question for the live chat is recognized and on deck!

The on air show is just ending now, and Eboo Patel will be with us shortly and staying in the live chat until 11:30a CT or 12:30p ET.

Please share your questions!

Hi,

I'm a Roman Catholic and an avid reader of Karl Rahner. In Theological Investigations he talks about the "anonymous Christian." This Anonymous Christian is a person who particpates fully in God's grace without recognizing the Christian God or calling God by a different name.

I love Rahner's theology but worry about the wording of the theology. As a young person, how to I bring out the idea that we all have the potential to particpate in God's grace regardless of our religious beliefs without being offensive?

I am a Lutheran Christian trying to understand the Koran. Mostly I read "fire and Brimstone" readings such as 23:63 "but the unbelievers' hearts are blind to all this; their deeds are of a different sort, and they are bent on doing them. But when We visit Our scourge upon those of them that live in comfort, they will cry out for help..."

Could you direct me to quotations that demonstrates tolerance and plurality in the Koran?

Thank you for your work.

One moment - Eboo is logged in.

bhumika ghimire's question is being read and reviewed in the studio now.

Hi, I have an 18 year old daughter going into her senior year of high school. We are Atheists, but we are none the less very good people. My daughter has a mild form of Autism called Aspergers Syndrome, and she enjoys public speaking.

We would like her to learn about the positive sides of all faiths, and be a positive reflection of our lack of religious faith. Would your Interfaith Youth program be something that would accept her? and could she be a positive addition to the conversation you are having?

Thanks for having this needed conversation !!

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To Bhumika

thank you for your question. I take a lesson from Martin Luther King Jr on this - in his struggle for racial equality, he was facing people who totally dehumanized people of his race. His response was to show just how human he and other African Americans were. He did this by promoting the songs and art of the African American tradition, and showing the clear pain that African Americans suffered when confronted with fire hoses and police dogs on civil rights marches. People watching those marches and seeing that art - even people who started from an extremely racist perspective - were often slowly changed. King thought this was the only way forward - you have to give people the opportunity to change. There really is no other option - if you disengage, or participate in mutual dehumanization, it doesn't make you more human, it just further erodes the possibility of a world where people live in equal dignity and mutual loyalty.

the way we engage at the Interfaith Youth Core is by interfaith service projects. We believe that people who are building a house or tutoring children next to others from different backgrounds get a glimpse into the full, beautiful humanity of everyone. And when they dialouge and hear how different religions inspire service, they get an understanding of the shared values between all religions. that doesn't promote agreement, but it does promote pluralism. see more at www.ifyc.org

King's sermons and articles are readily available online. Taylor Branch's three volume series is also excelent.

thanks for your question.

Eboo--

I don't have a question, just a greeting. I"m not sure if you remember me as your professor, but wanted to let you know that I enjoyed listening this morning.

Best wishes,

Tracy Ore
Associate Professor

Mr. Patel,
The short poem that you cited at the end of the program intrigued me. Unfortunately, I missed most of it's content and who wrote it. Would you mind forwarding this poem to me?

All the best,
Kevin O'Rourke

Thank you, Mr. Patel. It looks like MH's question is up next.

(Clickable link: www.ifyc.org)

Hi, I consider myself "agnostic", my short description being:"Whether or not there is a creator is unknowable at this time with our limited knowledge. Either truth doesn't change the fact that I work to live an ethical life." After years of experiencing bigotry and misunderstanding from believers, I read the Pew study on religion and fear/bigotry which showed clearly that above all other groups, Atheists and Agnostics are feared and distrusted by Americans. I hope your interfaith group is addressing this bigotry directly. I thank you for your on air response to the listener's question of a similar note.

Early in your conversation it occured to me that in the US we rely on families, organized religion and schools to fulfill what our children need relating to purpose, meaning and respect/usefulness. This need of direction and belonging is often lacking, so other entities, such as gangs, supremacy groups, and other organized groups including other religious groups, step in. In other parts of the world, the lure or intervention is made in similar ways. Is there some way we can better engage our young people during this vulnerable time to pre-empt them being co-opted for use by those with nefarious hidden agendas? A way to innoculate them against those groups? (I believe your interfaith organization to be one way.) This would have to include children of parents who are not engaged in parenting, or whose methods of parenting alienate their kids.

To MH

An excellent question - I think the American story is a story of people who build institutions based on their own religious inspiration that serve the common good. I think this is part of what is remarkable about America - people's particular identities promote the pluralist common good; and the more you participate in the pluralist common good, the more room you have to engage with your own particular identity. An excellent example of this are America's elite universities - Harvard, Princeton, Georgetown and many others were founded by religious communties, but they serve all people. In fact, all of those universities have excellent programs in Interfaith Relations and/or World Religions.

I'm wondering how you view our current political system in the United States as it relates to "Empire and Nationalism." Do you see our county's pervasive (and sometimes strongly unconscious) nationalism as a new kind of "religious extremism"?

We pay taxes like a reflex when 55% or more of it goes to fund a war that 75% of us do not want. We "uphold the laws" that are sometimes unjust or discriminate against the poor, religious and sexual minorities, etc. How do you see youth playing a part in the "Great Turning" from "Empire to Earth Community" when such radical change must happen (in light of Global Climate Change, increasing trade deficits, global peak oil approaching, etc..)?

Okay, trying to get to lots of questions ...

To Tracy Ore - OF COURSE I remember you! You were one of my favorite professors, a defining part of my college experience. I remember you meeting me for a cup of coffee in Chicago during the summer after my 2nd year in college - it felt like such a "grown up" thing to do for a kid from the suburbs. thank you for deeply believing in young people, and possibility of progressive change. I write about my experiences at U of I in my book, in a Chapter called "Identity Politics". I imagine you will recognize much of it, laugh at some, and dissagree with much!

Hi, I was raised Lutheran in Minnesota and have been dating a first generation American whose family is from India and are of the Jain faith. We both have similar values and goals for the way we wish to live our lives, raise children etc. but have faced many challenges with his family. My family, however, has been very open to him from the beginning of our relationship. What is your view of interfaith relationships? I have always tried to approach relationships with other's based on similar values and shared beliefs toward a common good versus a relationship based on shared religion (dogma). With this interfaith approach, especially aimed at youth, do you anticipate any challenges with interfaith relationships that may develop? If so, how should people approach these challenges?

Why is it that you are comparing the likes of Bin Laden to groups like the CBN 700 club? They have proven time and again to aid people of all faiths in their disaster relief efforts all over the world. Why are the open targets for painting as dangerous radicals Eboo?

Note to all: There are many questions here, and unfortunately we have limited time... please understand that Mr. Patel might not have time to address each question.

Let me try to address a few questions at the same time:

Re theological models of "the other" and Karl Rahner's "anonymous Christian", you may want to also check out the work of Paul Knitter and Wesley Ariarajah. Truth is, there are tons of books of Christian theology on how to think about the other. Again, I find myself returning to King on this, and his statement that 'the Buddhist-Muslim-Christian-Jewish-Hindu belief is that love is the supreme unifying principle of life." And remember, King was a DEEPLY devoted Baptist.

Re questions about IFYC interfaith service learning programs, please go to www.ifyc.org or send an email to amber@ifyc.org .

KP's question is interesting, and I'd love to hear *many* people's ideas.

KP wrote: "As a young person, how to I bring out the idea that we all have the potential to particpate in God's grace regardless of our religious beliefs without being offensive?"

We're running over on time... Mr. Patel, please just let us know when you need to exit the chat.

Re interfaith relationships ... this is a complicated area. I actually tell several stories about this in my book, _Acts of Faith_, and at the risk of shamelessly promoting that, I would actually suggest that people interested in this area read the book.

Why do I compare bin Laden and Pat Robertson? let me be clear - I am NOT saying that Pat Roberston is a terrorist. I am saying that he, like bin Laden, is a totalitarian. A totalitarian is someone who wants only his group to dominate and every other group to suffocate. totalitarians use many tools, the most heinous of which is terrorism. here is my litmus test for a totalitarian - would I want to send my children to the schools if that group was in charge? the Hindu totalitarians in Indian - the BJP/RSS/VHP - took power largely through elections. and once they got power, they started slowly and deliberately promoting their idea of Hindu supremacy, especially in the schools, by doing things like erasing or twisting the Muslim contribution to India and teaching the alphabet through Hindu symbols (A is for Arjuna, etc). letters that didn't correspond to a Hindu symbol didn't get taught. see Martha Nussbaums' _the Clash Within_ for more on this.

The short poem that I cited at the end is from Gwendolyn Brooks' "Boy Breaking (or Breaks?) Glass"

Last response, re the American empire question ...

My hope for America is that we seek to embody images like John Winthrop's "City on a Hill" and Martin Luther King Jr's "Beloved Community". My particular emphasis is on the fact that America is the most relgiously diverse society in human history and the most religiously devout nation in the west in an era of global religious conflict. I believe we can provide a model of how different religious communities engage each other on the basis of understanding and cooperation. I think focusing on that will do more good, cause less damage and drain fewer resources than American wars on the other side of the globe.

I'd like to suggest that people check out the IFYC website, www.ifyc.org and consider attending our conference in late October, www.ifyc.org/conference

thanks again, and salaam.

That's all for time and the chat is now closed.

Thank you to our guest, Eboo Patel, and to everyone who brought questions and thoughts to the chat. I will update the article shortly and let everyone know when the archived audio from today's Midmorning is available for review.

-Julia

Eboo, thank you for your conversation on midmorning this morning. I found the topic very interesting and extremely apropos for the world in which we are living in.

The term "Cultural Pluralism" is one which has been accreting more and more scholarly and public attention partly, I feel, because whatever "Cultural Pluralism" is promises to hold the key for peace and prosperity in our age of undeniable globalization. Cultural Pluralism and peace are inseparable as a true cultural homogeny is impossible if "Cultural Pluralism" were to be taken at its simplest definition to mean a multitude of cultures interacting in close quarters. People working together within a plural society acting from their similarities seems to be a good and peaceful way forward.

So here's my question: in your interfaith model where people are working from a common set of shared values, how are impossible and logically incongruent conflicts and differences resolved? For example, the tenets of many religions demand that one missionizes in order to recruit new converts. If two or more faiths are working in the same neighborhood, who gets to convert whom?

In my Christian belief, I interpret Jesus to say to "love your enemies" and that we are to forgive "seventy times seven" or infinitely. I do not see the practice of Islam a sin. I interpret these to mean that I am to demonstrate tolerance, understanding, support, etc. to all my brothers and sisters in creation. I pray that such sentiments are expressed somewhere in the Islamic faith. I wish you all the best in your spiritual quests.

I'm sorry Jordan, Eboo Patel couldn't stay, but if you're open to it I'd love to continue the dialogue here.

this was a very interesting post. I learned as much from the comments as I did from the article and links!