Our Policy? Service

This post was originally published by the Interfaith Youth Core on April 28, 2011.

The U.S. is a large, democratic society with great religious diversity, and the commitment to religious freedom is a hallmark of America’s greatness. If American citizens can demonstrate consistent and positive interaction among America’s many religious communities we can serve as a model of interfaith cooperation for other nations.

In this model, Christians and Jews come together to provide food for the hungry in their communities. Muslims and Sikhs embark on joint efforts to clean up contaminated water sources. These would be the narratives that define our national conversations about religion, not suicide bombings and the burning of sacred texts. In this world, cooperation between members of diverse faith communities would be the norm and not the exception.

Imagine a world where members of diverse faith communities work together to make this world a better place: where religious youth come together to combat social ills instead of each other. This is the world that interfaith leaders are building.

It is more important than ever for U.S. leaders and policymakers to take the lead in promoting interfaith cooperation, domestically and abroad.

In March, President Obama announced a national initiative called the Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. This initiative challenges students and administrators from campuses across the country to submit plans incorporating creative ideas and strategies to make interfaith cooperation a reality on their campuses in the 2011-2012 academic year. Institutions will publicize their efforts, and the White House’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will publicly recognize outstanding programs in the summer of 2012.

The Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge is a significant step in the right direction. The next step is to incorporate interfaith initiatives into U.S. foreign policy.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted recently in Foreign Affairs that global problems like violent extremism and climate change require cooperation on a global scale. The core mission of the U.S. Foreign Service is to use diplomacy to combat challenges on a global and regional level.

Secretary Clinton has also stated that the State Department must utilize new methods to reach broader audiences in foreign nations: “Increasing global interconnectedness now necessitates reaching beyond governments to citizens directly.” According to Secretary Clinton, the information age has given new weight to public opinion, as non-state actors play a more influential role in current events than ever before.

I believe one of the ways foreign missions can both tackle global problems and interact directly with citizens is to harness the zeal of religious youth worldwide in interfaith service projects for the common good.

As Secretary Clinton notes, there has been a profound shift in thinking in the field of U.S. foreign policy. Globalization has given rise to a global community that transcends the traditional system of nation states. The days when political leaders could decide the course of a nation behind closed doors are gone.

In this era of interconnectedness, it is in the best interest of the U.S. to promote the best interest of the global community. Large-scale interfaith service projects throughout the world could play a key large role in promoting global stability and peace.