Please note that page numbers are not accurate for the e-book edition.
Abd Allah, Umar, 20–21
Abdul-Ghafur, Saleemah, xx
Abdul Rauf, Feisal: about, xiv–xv; Bloomberg’s support of, 8, 12; embracing of American pluralism, xvi–xvii; reputation as too liberal, xviii; vision for Cordoba House, xvi–xviii
Abdur-Rashid, Talib, 3
Abu Talib (Muhammad’s uncle), 148–49
ACT! for America, 30
Acts of Faith (Patel), xx, 91–92, 145
AEI (American Enterprise Institute), 30, 32, 46
Al-Andalus, Spain, xii
Allen Hall, 116
Alliance of Civilizations, 69
Almost Christian (Dean), 140
Amanpour, Christiane, 65–67
America: attitudes toward religuous groups, 54–55; concept of sacred ground and, xxvii–xxviii; growing anti-Muslim movement after 9/11, 30–31; history of anti-Catholic prejudice, 37–40; as immigrant nation, xiv; interfaith literacy in, 95–96; measuring religious diversity in, 77; missing familiarity with Muslims, 55; pluralism in (see pluralism); progress made against racism and sexism, 68; social capital’s role in society, 74–76; Washington’s vision for, 14–15
American Enterprise Institute (AEI), 30, 32, 46
American exceptionalism, xxii
American Grace (Campbell and Putnam), 77
Anti-Defamation League, 9, 176n6
April (IFYC first staff member), 145–47
Armstrong, Karen, 69
Astin, Sandy and Helen, 118
atheists and interfaith work, 98–101, 125
Atlas Shrugs (blog), 30
Audrey (IFYC intern), 167–69
Awad, Abed, 50
Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk, The, 38
Baldwin, James, 159
Balkans, 113–14
Beecher, Lyman, 38–39
Benedict XVI, Pope, 35
Berea College, 125, 127–28
Bhagavad Gita, 150
Biden, Joe, 53
Blair, Tony, 70
Blake, William, 166
Bloomberg, Michael: case for American pluralism, 10–12; education in Islam, 8; personal experience with religious prejudice, 21–22; support of Cordoba House, 9–12; support of NYPD surveillance of Muslims, 177n24
Book of Lights (Potok), 159
Breivik, Anders, 163–64
bridged social capital, 76
Bush, George H. W., 109
Cain, Herman, 47
Campbell, David, 77
Campbell, Tom, 23, 24, 25, 26, 35
Cantwell Smith, Wilfred, 135, 137, 143
Cassie (IFYC staff worker), 131, 134–35, 138–39
Catholic Charities USA, 39–40
Catholic Church: Evangelicals’ dislike of Kennedy’s presidential candidacy, 41–46; John Paul II’s outreach to Muslims, 36; nation’s history of anti-Catholic prejudice, 15, 37–40; parallels between anti-Catholic and anti-Muslim rhetoric, 46–47; present-day attitude towards, 53–55; reaction to reports of pedophile priests, 50–53
Chemberlin, Peg, 92, 94
Chinese Americans, 25
civil rights movement, 17–19
Cizik, Rich, 66
Clementi, Tyler, 19
Clinton, Bill, 34, 72
Clinton, Hillary, 68
college campuses and multiculturalism: characteristics of the fringe movement, 111–12; diversity training for resident-advisers, 107–8; efforts to take race seriously, 109–11; focus on religious identity in the diversity framework, 114– 18; as illustration of state of interfaith movement, 124–28; interfaith cooperation and leadership opportunities creation, 102–3, 121–24; preparing students to be engaged citizens, 126; and Rodney King beating acquittal and aftermath, 109–10; teaching about religious diversity on campuses, 118–20
Cordoba, Spain, xii–xiii
Cordoba House: anti-Muslim reactions to, xix–xx; Bloomberg’s support of, 9–12; concept of sacred ground and, xxvii–xxviii; exposing the limits of religious tolerance in America, xxii–xxiii; Gingrich’s joining of the campaign against, 31–33; initial community support for, xvii–xviii, 175n7; interfaith cooperation and, 91; politicians’ positions on, 8–9; vision for, xvi–xviii
Crimes of Intolerance, 43
Crozer Theological Seminary, 151–52
Dalai Lama: efforts to educate himself about Islam, 96; and interfaith literacy as basis of his teachings, 95–96; “preaching to the choir” as strategy for effectiveness, 88, 93–94, 97; and science of interfaith triangle, 92–94; story of patient clock repairer, 97–98
Damhorst, Greg, 121–22, 124
Davis, George, 151
Dawkins, Richard, 125
Dawoud, Monir, 133
Day, Dorothy, 91
Dean, Kenda, 140
Demi (author), 161
Dennett, Daniel, 125
DePaul University, 124–25, 126–27
DePree, Max, xxvii
Eck, Diana, xiii, 70, 118, 142
Education as Transformation, 119
Egyptian Americans, 132
Elliott, Andrea, 133
Ellison, Ralph, xxv
Elmasry, Tarek, 81–83
Encountering God (Eck), 118
Evangelicals: dislike of Kennedy’s presidential candidacy, 41–46; example of support of Muslims (see Roberts, Bob); “fact sheet” about Catholic Church, 44; “fact sheet” about Muslims, 167–69; history of progressive change, 55–56; pandering to, by Gingrich, 47–49; present-day support for Catholic politicians, 53–54
Faith Council, xx, 69
Faitheist (Stedman), 98–101
Faith Foundation, 70
Faith of Other Men, The (Cantwell Smith), 135, 137
Faiths Act Fellows program, 70
Falwell, Jerry, 29
Fee, John G., 127
fiqh, 49, 50
Fisher, Frederick Bonn, 151
Flushing Remonstrance of 1657, 13–14
Ford Foundation, 69, 70
Fox News, xviii, xix, xxii
Fredericks, Frankie, 100
Gabriel, Brigitte, 30
Gallup, George, 41
El-Gamal, Sharif, 175n7
Gandhi, Mohandas, 114, 150–52, 167
Geller, Pamela, xix, 30, 31, 89, 92, 163
Generation Islam (CNN news show), 65
Geoghan, John 50–52
Giddens, Anthony, 159
Gingrich, Newt: author’s feelings about, 29–30; Catholic faith of, 35–36, 37–40; failure to empathize about religious prejudice, 40, 46; irony of his life, 33–34; joining of campaign against Cordoba House, 31–33, 89; pandering to Evangelicals, 47–49; and support of Muslim practices, 27–29, 34
God Is Not Great (Hitchens), xi
Gomes, Peter, 125–26
Good Samaritan story, 143–45
Graham, Billy, 43
Graham, Franklin, 54, 89
Grand Island, Nebraska, 129–30
Great Commission, 136
Ground Zero mosque. See Cordoba House
Hamdani, Mohammad Salman, 11–12
Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh, xxiii–xxv
Hannity, Sean, 31
Hanson, Mark. See Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh
Hart, Edward, 13, 14
Heath, Chip and Dan, 89
Heschel, Abraham Joshua, 151, 164
Hitchens, Christopher, xi
Hodgson, Roger, 13
Hornady, Margaret, 129
Hughes, Langston, 17
Hutaree, 164
IFYC. See Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC)
Immigration Act of 1965, 17, 137
Ingraham, Laura, xviii
interfaith cooperation. See interfaith work
Interfaith in Action, 122–23
interfaith literacy, 86, 93, 95–97, 120, 166
interfaith triangle, 86, 92–94, 101, 124
interfaith work: art of interfaith cooperation, 101–2; college campuses’ role in, 102–3; consideration of the effectiveness of, xxvi–xxvii; example of an Evangelical’s support of Muslims (see Roberts, Bob); examples of interfaith leadership, 165–69; growth in, worldwide, 68–71; IFYC and (see Interfaith Youth Core); interfaith cooperation and Cordoba House, 91; involving young people in, 70–71; meaning of interfaith, 138; mistake of presenting as science, 86–87; motivations for getting involved in, 91–92; and need for focus on building relationships and knowledge, 80; one person’s path to interfaith leadership, 98–101; percentage of Americans who view Islam as different from their religion, xi; “preaching to the choir” as strategy for effectiveness in, 88–90, 93–94, 97; and reciprocity regarding how peoples’ rights are respected, 17–19, 22; and view that religious prejudice is un-American, 68
Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC): approach to fund-raising, 71–72; critique of program’s effectiveness, 81–83; focus of, xi–xii, 84–85, 124; framework for pluralism, 71; inspiration of Cordoba, xiii; questions about effectiveness, 66–67, 73–74; success in involving young people, 69–71; view that young people are committed to being bridge builders, 121
Iowa Republican caucus, 48–49
Islam. See Muslims in America
Islamic Free Market Institute, 34
Islamophobia, 19, 22, 30–32, 46, 55, 163, 165
Jackson, Jesse, 15–16, 17
Japanese American Citizens League, 18
Jersey City, New Jersey, 132
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 50
Jews, 14, 50
Johnson, Daryl, 164
Johnson, Mordecai, 152
Jurgensmeyer, Mark, 164
Kampeas, Ron, 50
Kazanjian, Victor, 119
Kennedy, Jacqueline, 46
Kennedy, John F., 40, 41, 45, 54
Kerry, John, 53
Khadija (Muhammad’s wife), 7, 147–48
Khan, Daisy, xvii, xviii, 10
Khan, Suhail: association with Bob Roberts, 61; background, 23–25; hiring by Campbell, 25–26; hosting of Muslim khutba, 27; and Speaker’s agreement to give Muslim employees a prayer room, 27–29
King, Martin Luther Jr., 17, 149– 52, 166–67
King, Rodney, 108–10
Kinnamon, Ron, 72
Know Nothing Party, 39, 40
Kopp, Wendy, 85
Kugler, Sharon, 119
Ku Klux Klan, 40
La Convivencia, xii
Land, Richard, 49
Law, Cardinal, 52
Lazarus, Emma, 20
Lerner, Michael, 92, 94
Levitt, Joy, xvii–xviii
Liberty Walk, 100, 101
Lincoln, Abraham, 39
“Little Man at Chehaw Station, The” (Ellison), xxv
Long Loneliness, The (Day), 91
Luz (author’s nanny), 154–55
Lyons, Gabe, 56
Malcolm X, 16
malnutrition program in Vietnam, 89–90
Manji, Irshad, 66
Mattson, Ingrid, 92, 94
McCormick Theological Seminary, 130
McLennan, Scotty, 119
McVeigh, Timothy, 164
Menocal, Maria Rosa, xiii
Mernissi, Fatema, 7
Merton, Thomas, 93
Millennium Development Goals, 70, 72
Milosevic, Slobodan, 114
Mineta, Norman, 23
moralistic therapeutic deism, 140, 141
Mormonism, 68
Mueller, Joanne, 50–52
Muhammad (Demi), 161
Muhammad (The Prophet), 7, 22, 147–49, 158, 166
multiculturalism on college campuses. See college campuses and multiculturalism
Muslims for America, 34
Muslims in America: Americans’ missing familiarity with, 55; Evangelicals’ dislike of, 89, 167–69; framing of felt prejudice as a civil rights issue, 16–18; growing anti-Muslim movement after 9/11, 30–31; Islamophobia, 19, 22, 30–32, 46, 55, 163, 165; “moderate Muslim” term, xviii–xix, xx–xxi; Muslim society in Cordoba, xii–xiii; parallels between anti-Catholic and anti-Muslim rhetoric, 46–47; percentage of Americans who view Islam as different from their religion, xi; proposed interfaith center (see Cordoba House); public petitions for holy days as school holidays, 3; recipients of support, 17–19; sense of victimhood, 16; some leaders’ desire to be insular, xv–xvi; worries about growing anti-Muslim bigotry, xxi–xxii
National Association of Evangelicals, 42
Nelson, Janet Cooper, 119
Newberger, Carol, 52–53
Nhat Hanh, Thich, 151
Nick (IFYC intern), 19
Niebuhr, Reinhold, 33
Norway Massacre (2011), 163–64
Novak, Michael, 34
Obama, Barack, xiv, xx, 9, 54, 68, 69, 120
Ockenga, Harold, 45
One Day, All Children . . . (Kopp), 85
Ornament of the World, The (Menocal), xiii
Paladino, Carl, 8
Palin, Sarah, xix, 68
Park51. See Cordoba House Park Street Church (Boston), 45
Patel, Eboo: consultant’s critique of his effectiveness, 82–83; delight in racial role reversal in college, 107–8, 111–12; father’s advice about religious identity, 113–14; feelings about Newt Gingrich, 29–30; Hamza Yusuf’s advice to, xxiv–xxv; labeling as terrorist, xx; panel interview on CNN, 66–67; and questions about effectiveness of IFYC’s work, 65–67, 73–74; realization that IFYC’s work is unfocused, 84–85; shame over efforts to fit in, 110; teaching his son about Islam, 154–56, 160–63
Patel, Zayd (author’s son): curiosity about Muslim traditions and stories, 157–58; expectation that a friend would share in his traditions, 160–61; influence of Catholic nanny and school, 154–56
Patterson, David, 9–10
Peale, Norman Vincent, 43–44, 46
Pearl, Daniel, 12
Pelosi, Nancy, 53
pluralism: in America, xiii–xiv, xxv, xxviii–xxix, 12–15, 101; applied to religion (see religious pluralism); Bloomberg’s case for, 10–12; civil rights movement and, 17–19; distinction between diversity and, 70–71; embracing of, by Islamic leader, xvi–xvii; involving young people in interfaith work and, 70–71
Potok, Chaim, 159
Princeton Theological Seminary, 138
The Prophet (Muhammad), 7, 22, 147–49, 158, 166
Prothero, Stephen, 95
Putnam, Robert, 54, 74–75
al-Qaeda, 10, 164
Q conference, 56
Quakers, 13
Qur’an, xviii, xix, xxvii, 49, 66, 147–49
Quraysh tribe, 148–49
Rabin, Yitzhak, 113, 114
Race Matters (West), 108
racism: civil rights movement and, 17–19; colleges’ efforts to take race seriously, 109–11; diversity training on college campuses, 107–8; Rodney King beating acquittal and aftermath, 108–10; progress made against, 68
Ramadan, xix, xx, xxi, 7, 8, 130, 147–49
Rediscovering God in America (Gingrich), 34
Religion of Peace? (Spencer), 163
religious diversity: anti-Muslim sentiment in America, xi, xxii–xxiii; articulating religious identity in a world of diversity, 127, 141–43; Cantwell Smith’s observations about, 137–38; Catholic Church’s respect for other religions, 36; and illustration of how people don’t know their own culture, 153–54; learning about and respecting others’ religions, 158–62; likelihood of negative attitudes with knowledge gap, 79–80, 86; looking for Christian language that addresses religious diversity, 124–27, 139–41; measuring, in America, 77; religious conflict issues in a Midwestern town, 129–32; social capital and, 74; teaching children about diversity of faith traditions, 154–56
religious freedom, 11–15, 34–35, 44, 131
religious identity, xiv, 17, 20, 113–14, 117–18, 141
Religious Literacy (Prothero), 95
religious pluralism: Cantwell Smith’s observations about, 135–37; Dalai Lama and, 92– 94; diversity vs. pluralism, 70–71; Evangelicals’ struggle regarding virtue in others’ religions, 134–35; future of, in America, 101; and Good Samaritan story, 143–45; IFYC’s advocacy of, 19, 70, 71; interfaith literacy in America and, 95–96; key leverage points, 80; King’s practice of interfaith cooperation, 149–52; moralistic therapeutic deism, 140, 141; politicians’ positions on, 35; religious communities vs. religious systems, 137–38; science of interfaith cooperation and, 86–87, 92–94; as part of Republican Party values, 35; theology of interfaith cooperation and, 145–49; and understanding difference, 159
religious prejudice: basis of success of anti-Muslims, 89; Bloomberg’s personal experience with, 21–22; Anders Breivik’s religiously motivated massacre in Norway, 163–64; against Catholics, 37–40, 46–47, 53–54; and Good Samaritan story meaning, 143–45; history of battles between pluralism and prejudice, 12–15; impact of relationships and knowledge on prejudice, 77–80, 86; and reaction to an Egyptian Christian family’s killing, 132–33; using Christian beliefs to justify religious bigotry, 146; using religious language to divide people, 133–34; view that religious prejudice is un-American, 68
Renewing American Leadership, 48
Republican Party: Evangelicals’ membership in, 49, 54; Suhail Khan’s membership in, 23–26, 35; percentage of members against Cordoba House, 9; Speaker’s support of Muslim practices, 27–29, 34
Roberts, Bob: advocacy of building relationships with Muslims, 60–62; early anti-Catholic education, 56–57; humanitarian work in Vietnam, 57–59
Robertson, Pat, 29
Romney, Mitt, 68
Rubenstein, Howard, 10
Rudolph, Eric, 114
Rumi (poet), 20
Sacks, Jonathan, 69
sacred ground concept, xxvii– xxviii
Sageman, Marc, 164
Santorum, Rick, 53–54
Save the Children, 89–90
Schlesinger, Arthur Jr., 37–40
Seixas, Moses, 14
seminaries: learning interfaith cooperation in, 140–47; religious conflict issues in a Midwestern town, 129–32; using religious language to divide people, 133–34
sexism, 68
Shama, Fatima: choice of Islam, 20–21; influenced by sociology of religion class, 6–7; position on mayor’s staff, 3–4, 8, 21, 22; upbringing, 5–6
Shane, Scott, 164
sharia law: about, 49–50; banking rules under, 34, 177–78n5; Jewish alarm over, 50; as seen by anti-Muslims, 31, 32, 177–78n5; state-level efforts to ban, xxiii, 32, 53
Sherman, Brad, 48
Smith, Al, 40
Smith, Benjamin, 114
Smith, Christian, 140
social capital, 74–76, 123
Sojourners, 56
Somali Muslims, 130
Sorensen, Theodore, 46
Soul Searching (Smith), 140
Southern Baptist Convention, 49
Spencer, Robert, 30, 89, 163
Stanton, Josh, 100
Statue of Liberty, 20
Stedman, Chris, 98–101
Sternin, Jerry, 89–90
Stuyvesant, Peter, 13
Switch (Heath and Heath), 89
Talking Points Memo, 31
Tateishi, John, 18
Taylor, Myron, 42
TED Prize, 69
That Strange Little Brown Man of India, Gandhi (Fisher), 151
This Week (news show), 65
Tironi, Eugenio, 102
Tocqueville, Alexis de, xxviii, 34
Toward a True Kinship of Faiths (Dalai Lama), 93, 96
Truman Commission on Higher Education, 126
Truth about the Protestant Situation in Spain, The, 43
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 38
United Nations, 68, 70
University of Illinois, 110–11
Ursuline Convent, 39
US Conference of Catholic Bishops, 43
Values Voter Summit, 32–33
Varshney, Ashutosh, 76
Wallace, David Foster, 153
Wallis, Jim, 56
Walzer, Michael, xiii
Waraqa, 148
Washington, George, 14, 15
West, Cornel, 108
What It Means to Be an American (Walzer), xiii
Whitman, Walt, xxviii, 18
Who Will Teach for America? (Kopp), 85
Will, George, 65
World Trade Center, xv, 113
Yerushalmi, David, 89