Segments
This weekend, tune in to State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, to find out why interfaith efforts matter more now than ever before; to gain insight on some of the very real fears of indiscriminate Islamophobia experienced by fellow Americans after Boston; and to hear why one Catholic deacon wrote a letter to the surviving Boston bombing suspect. Also this week: a word from Welton about the lessons of Boston, and a tribute to the late Rev. Bob Edgar, a friend and ally of Interfaith Alliance. 
After Boston: Why Interfaith Efforts Matter More than Ever
All week long, details of the Boston marathon bombing, the investigation, and the arrest of the surviving suspect have dominated the headlines. An ongoing source of concern has been the revelation that both Tsarnaev brothers self-identified as Muslim. The response to that has ranged from renewed Islam-bashing on the part of some, to fears of renewed Islamophobic bias and violence, to declarations by several Muslim leaders that the suspects could not have been true followers of that faith. For those of us who work for interfaith understanding, these are indeed challenging times. Eboo Patel, a popular Muslim writer and organizer who founded the Interfaith Youth Corps in 2002, joins Welton this week to discuss why interreligious work is so crucial right now, as he described in his Huffington Post op-ed, 3 Reasons Interfaith Efforts Matter More Than Ever. CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED INTERVIEW VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT
After Boston: Fear of Indiscriminate Islamophobia
Filmmaker and civil rights activist Valarie Kaur has been working to counter faith-based prejudice since the attacks of 9/11. As a third-generation Sikh-American, she knows well that as inappropriate as indiscriminate Islamophobia always is, it also doesn’t prevent society’s fear and hatred of Muslim-Americans. As the founding director of Groundswell at Auburn Theological Seminary, she wrote an insightful piece for The Washington Post, For Sikhs and Muslims, fear after a terror attack on the very real fears some of our fellow Americans are experiencing since the revelation that the Tsarnaev brothers identified as Muslim. Valarie is on State of Belief this week with a broad view of what the events in Boston are likely to mean for all of us. CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED INTERVIEW VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT
After Boston: A Letter
“Dear Dzhokhar, You don’t know me, but you tried to kill my family,” begins the letter written by Rev. Mr. Michael Rogers, S.J. that has made the rounds in print and online after originally being posted on Facebook. The letter written by Deacon Rogers is a thought-provoking response to last week’s tragedy that demonstrates profound empathy and forgiveness. Just a few weeks away from his ordination as a Jesuit priest, Deacon Rogers joins Welton on State of Belief this week to discuss his inspiration for writing the letter. CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED INTERVIEW VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT
After Boston: A Word from Welton
How do we best understand the impact of these developments on our Muslim friends and neighbors? How do we best stand with them? And how do we respond to the inevitable challenges from some non-Muslims who are taking this opportunity to challenge the entire premise of interreligious cooperation? Welton reflects this week on these questions and more on State of Belief as he looks back at the bombings and ahead to life after Boston. CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED INTERVIEW VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT
A Tribute to Rev. Bob Edgar
It is with profound sadness and shock that we learned of the death of Rev. Bob Edgar, a dear friend of ours, an avid supporter of Interfaith Alliance, president of Common Cause, former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, and a former member of Congress. This week, we take a moment to remember Bob, who will be missed by many of us who now, far too soon, grieve his death and who always will be grateful for his life.
