Interfaith Cooperation In America Summary

Patel begins his book by discussing how a majority of Americans view his faith, Islam, as very or somewhat different. Because Patel is involved in an interfaith organization called the Interfaith Youth Core, Patel wonders if his effort to bridge the gap between faiths in America is effective. Was his organization helping American citizens understand that Islam is not a faith of violence or a bomb of destruction? Afterwards, Patel talks about how his organization trains the younger generation from all different types of faiths in order to create interfaith projects. As a result, Patel strongly believes that interfaith cooperation is the key to abolishing hatred in America. Also, with the help of young ambassadors in his organization, Patel sought to inculcate religious diversity as a positive aspect through the work of interfaith volunteering projects. Then, Patel references …show more content…
This was an example of interfaith cooperation hundreds of years ago that lead to an academic growth and enlightenment period of history. Therefore, Patel places such great importance on interfaith cooperation in America, because he believes that interfaith cooperation has the power to help a society flourish academically, economically, and socially just as Al-Andalus did hundreds of years ago. Although Patel states that Jews were hated throughout Europe during this time, Hebrew poetry was rediscovered and flourished again by the works of a great Jewish philosopher named Maimonides. Consequently, one can see how even though a faith was being hated on by an entire country, the power of interfaith cooperation led to the birth of great social progress. Furthermore, Patel mentions how although Europe was experiencing the Dark Ages, Muslims scholars were commentating on Aristotle's texts that eventually lead to