Religious Intolerance Creates Opportunities

Terry Jones and his threat to burn copies of the Koran, the proposed Islamic Cultural Center near Ground Zero in NYC, the burning of a mosque in Murfreesboro, TN, and numerous other symbols of religious conflict and intolerance represent opportunities for healing, collaboration, intercultural understanding, and even a sense of unity. The Chinese pictograph for the word crisis consists of two symbols, one meaning danger and the other opportunity.
Recent PEW surveys illustrate how we might take advantage of this opportunity. We can hunker-down and insulate ourselves from religious diversity. Or we can open up. PEW found that basic Islamic literacy is absent among many Americans. Even more troubling, a majority of Americans do not even know a Muslim.
Opportunities abound. We can discuss what it means to be an American in our classrooms and communities. We can find out more about religious differences and more importantly, similarities. We can diversify our inner circle and get to know people who at first might make us uncomfortable. And we can create an “action plan” at work, outlining what we need to do to become more aware and respectful of our customer’s and coworker’s religious differences. On this anniversary of 911, I cannot think of a more fitting tribute.