“I don’t believe in interfaith events!”

This sentence was posted on Facebook in response to a discussion of incidents of harassment and violence against Muslim and Jewish people in our country; a discussion that included many misconceptions and unfounded fears.

Now, as the pundits say, let’s try to “unpack” that statement.

Does the writer believe people of different religions or races shouldn’t come together and try to get to know each other? If so, why?

What is there to criticize about interfaith efforts? Isn’t it better to learn from each other than to stay in our separate comfort zones, remaining ignorant and continuing to harbor irrational, debilitating fears, which will only fester and grow?

When we interact with those who are different from us we learn that most all people, of whatever race or religion, have very similar concerns and aspirations for themselves and their children. If we could just view each other as people (parents, grandparents, teenagers, doctors, teachers, neighbors) and not as part of a religion or race that has been scapegoated and falsely blamed for all our ills, we’d be well on our way to a more peaceful world.

During WWII, Dr. Seuss drew racist, anti-Japanese cartoons. Japan was the enemy, after all. Around 1953, however, he visited Japan, talked to the children, and came away with the inspiration to write “Horton Hears a Who” to teach us all the lesson of equality he had just learned.

Horton the elephant says, “A person’s a person no matter how small!” Whether they’re the Who’s floating on a dust speck or the Japanese we bombed, they deserve to be heard and protected.

We cling tenuously to our own dust speck in an enormous universe. Listening to each other and cooperating will help us survive. Division will destroy us!