Interfaith conference at Rutgers breaks down anti-Semitism, Islamophobia

Rutgers’ Muslims for Peace held their 10th annual "Prophet Muhammad Day (s) Interfaith Conference" yesterday at the Busch Student Center.

The event included speeches from multiple prominent figures of varying faiths and communities, such as Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-2) and Rabbi Marc A. Kline.

Muslims for Peace’s mission is to foster interfaith dialogue to combat Islamophobia in society, said Mansoor Rizvi, a graduate student in the School of Social Work and organizer of the event.

The goal of the event was to eradicate ignorance, create a discussion about coexistence and educate people who may be misinformed about Islam, he said.

"Events like this are important in working to break down barriers,” Rizvi said. “Islamophobia is rampant and unfortunately anti-Semitism is starting to creep up as well, so we want to be able to work with others who, individuals who may have been victimized but also individuals who are not sure of what’s right, what’s wrong in terms of what they hear in mass media."

Events like this are a good opportunity for students to learn about things they are not ordinarily exposed to, Rizvi said.

“The point is that it is not necessary that everyone has to agree, like I don’t have to agree with your ideology, you don’t have to agree with my ideology, but we should have a respect for one another and be able to work with the things that we have in common,” he said. “That’s what unity is.”

Gabbard is a major in the Army National Guard, has served two tours in the Middle East and is one of two female combat veterans to ever serve in Congress.

Despite the belief held by most of her fellow Democratic congresspeople that peace in Syria is contingent upon Assad leaving power, Gabbard said that the United States must stop funding rebel organizations in Syria who attempt to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

During a trip to the region in January, Gabbard met with Assad, which stirred up some political controversy.

When she began speaking at the event, multiple Syrian-Americans staged a demonstration against her meeting with Assad, calling him a “war criminal.”

The demonstrators were subsequently escorted from the conference, waving signs voicing their discontent and shouting “shame on you.”

One of the demonstrators was the mayor of Prospect Park, New Jersey, Mohamed T. Khairullah.

In her speech, Gabbard focused on the idea that without mutual respect amongst the varying cultures and religions of the world, there can be no foundation for peace.

"Here, our country's founding fathers invoked our inalienable, God-given right to life and liberty, and enshrined that right of freedom of religion in our U.S. constitution, recognizing that everyone must be free to follow his or her conscience without fear of persecution," she said. 

Gabbard continued on to say that the terror we see perpetrated in the name of religion today is a refusal to honor the inherent freedom of all people given to us by God. 

She promoted unity in the face of today’s political climate.

“We’ve got to remember also that nowhere, not even here in the United States, are we immune to the poison of religious bigotry,” she said.

Her speech ended with powerful words against threats to religious freedom experienced in the U.S. today. 

“Let us stand proudly as Americans, as defenders of our constitution, as defenders of freedom, as defenders of peace and as beacons of love,” Gabbard said. “Let us be brave and forceful in standing up for each other’s rights to live and worship freely, and let us not be afraid to say that whoever threatens that right for any one of us will have to face all of us together.”

Stephen Weiss is a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore majoring in philosophy. He is an associate news editor for The Daily Targum.