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Politics

The History of American Pluralism

The History of American Pluralism
This speech was delivered at a White House gathering celebrating and protecting “America’s Tradition of Religious Pluralism.” The speaker was Vanita Gupta, the head of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Obama’s Interfaith Challenge to 3 Million Collegiate Students

The administration of President Barack Obama has generously fostered interfaith cooperation, especially through the inclusionary language of public speeches and gestures and the day-to-day work of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the 14 agencies with faith-based offices.

Countering Islamophobia: A Jewish Testimony

In the summer of 2010, as the American midterm election season was heating up, one of the most controversial subjects of debate was the planned construction of an Islamic community center in lower Manhattan. Misleadingly dubbed the “Ground Zero Mosque,” it became the focus of an ugly campaign to impugn the motives of those behind the Park 51 project, especially Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Islamophobic hysteria, playing on the pain of 9/11, was generated by the project’s critics as part of a calculated strategy to scare voters into voting for right-wing candidates in the November elections. This political aim was confirmed when the propaganda campaign was abruptly terminated following Election Day.

Vignettes from Iran

‘A small group of Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians walked into a mosque in Iran ...’ sounds more like the start of a bar-joke than reality. But it happened in early June. We met, among others, with university professors, students, and clerics, even a high ranking Grand Ayatollah, in travels to Isfahan, Qom, Kashan, and Tehran.

The Stunning Resurgence of Progressive Christianity

The Swinging Pendulum in American Religion

Marianne Williamson and Me

She may be a New Age Guru, But There’s Nothing “Woo woo” about Her Politics

How the State Department Is Getting Religion

Collaborating to End Poverty and Conflict

Democracy and Good Governance

Democracy and Good Governance

Sub-Themes at World Assembly

Costa Rican President and Religions for Peace Launch Nuclear Disarmament Resource Guide for Religious Leaders and Communities

Costa Rica Partners with RFP for Nuclear Disarmament

Track II Diplomacy at Work: Religious Leaders Advance Korean Security

Editorial

Why Democracy Needs the Interfaith Movement

Why Democracy Needs the Interfaith Movement

An Interview with Fr. John Pawlikowski

I Do Gay Marriage

Finally, Goodness Affirmed

Employment Non-Discrimination Act 2013: The ‘T’ In LGBT Protections

Ignoring the Transgendered

Minnesota Marriage Equality: Top Ten Reasons this Victory Is So Sweet

Multifaith Action Paves the Way

A Mystic Vision with a Social Conscience

Marianne Williamson – A Profile

A Faithful Democratic Response to Immigration Reform

The intersection of citizenship and immigration is finally coming to the fore in national conversations. President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union message forcefully addressed immigration. On its heels came the Group of Six’s immigration reform bill. Pieces in The New York Times and The Nation, respectively on immigration and workers’ rights and deportation and detention halts, stand out as worthy markers.

Religious Freedom, Meet Secularism — Your Best Ally

In what could go down as one of its most notable reckonings of the era, the Supreme Court heard arguments next week in two major gay marriage cases. As the advocates and justices prepare to spar over California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, important constitutional principles had a much-needed day in the sun.

40 Years of Interfaith Activism as Political Lobby

Disagreement seems to be the norm in politics these days. From what to do about the fiscal cliff and the right way to balance budgets to foreign policy decisions and health care, consensus is nowhere to be found. Compromise is a teeth-grinding, inch-by-inch process.

Religion, Politics, Freedom, Faith & Making Movies in America

College-educated American women asked me at the dinner table, “But why would you want to do a film about Muslims?” “You know they’re out to get us.”

Interfaith Misunderstanding in America

There was a U.S. senator’s wild allegation about Islamic extremists infiltrating the American government.