Who is eboo patel

One is, there's a set of people who view this, as I like to say, as an afternoon coffee issue, but not a morning coffee issue. By that I mean afternoon coffee is something that is nice to have, but morning coffee, a lot of people think is a need to have, and I think part of the goal of the Interfaith Youth Core is to spread the message that interfaith cooperation is actually a morning coffee issue. I think a second reason that some people are…look [suspicious of] interfaith work is…[based on] some version of a purity test.

They say…basically they only want to work with people who are different in the way that -- with differences that they like. And as they like to point out, diversity is not just the differences you like, there are also the differences you don't like, and a very important part of interfaith cooperation is working with people who have views that you actually don't really like.

As I have taken a say, I'm not going to buy a cookie from the KKK Bake sale, but I'm certainly going to engage with somebody who voted differently than I did because otherwise, I'm not really engaged in diversity work. Sahil: Interesting. For these challenges, any suggestions or even direction you would offer as to how the world can address them in innovative ways, not tried before? Eboo: I think a lot of these things have been tried before, and one of the things we like to point out at Interfaith Youth Core is that we stand up on the shoulders of giants which is to say that…we frequently look into history at the work of people we admire and find things in those moments of history that we can follow ourselves.

One thing that I would say to [your audience] is to think times in your life when you have found yourself enriched or inspired or cooperating with somebody who had a viewpoint that you just really disagree with. Maybe it was a lab partner in a science experiment. Maybe it was somebody at a science contest. Maybe it was a teacher, but I think, thinking at our own lives, when have we found ourselves enriched or inspired or cooperating with somebody who we disagree with…can help us recognize that this is possible and that, if we think about it in the right way, we can actually increase the numbers and types of circumstances in which we cooperate in that way.

Sahil: You often mention, and you make a case that a good model for effectiveness for interfaith cooperation is the Interfaith Triangle -- attitudes, relationships, and knowledge. Facilitating positive meaningful relationships and advancing appreciative knowledge in combination improves people's attitudes. You cite Putnam's book, American Grace, in which he argues that if individuals have more positive interactions with, or even more knowledge, of certain religious groups their attitudes actually improve towards them.

In fact, attitudes improve towards all religious groups in general. So how can up and coming interfaith leaders better utilize and scale this model, that is to use, better use the interfaith triangle? Eboo: It's a great question. I think, keeping the interfaith triangle in mind is a very useful tool and using it as a quick evaluation is also useful.

Design an activity in which meaningful relationships are facilitated, appreciative knowledge is shared, and attitudes are likely to improve. So a good example of the kind of activity that is not likely to accomplish that is a debate on a very divisive issue. That is not likely to spread appreciative knowledge. It's not likely to develop meaningful relationships.

It's simply likely to increase the polarization. Anybody thinking about their interfaith activity through the prism of the interfaith triangle is likely to design something that is different than in debate.

Quite different. Sahil: So how do we increase interfaith action on the other hand in particular? I know you say that universities should start interfaith student organizations focusing on service, and you actually work directly with universities, but what advice or ideas can you give for those outside the university or school context? Eboo: Starting to see yourself as an interfaith leader whose vocation is connected to building interfaith bridges and creating interfaith spaces, I think is really important.

As we like to say here at Interfaith Youth Core, "There's no environmentalist movement without environmentalists. There's no human rights movement without human rights activists. There's no interfaith movement without interfaith leaders. Sahil: I'd like to now to talk about pluralism, a concept deeply related with interfaith work.

At the Interfaith Youth Core, you define pluralism in three factors. You say, respect for individual religious identities, positive relations between different communities, and a commitment to the common good. But what factors are actually negating or overwhelming the spread and understanding of pluralism in the world today? Eboo: I think that, first of all, defining pluralism is hard, but actually living into it is really, really hard because diversity is not just samosas and egg rolls and other things that taste good.

Diversity is a whole set of differences that are not easy and that you might not like. Respecting somebody's identity, even when there's a dimension of it that you deeply disagree with. It's is not an easy thing to do. If forming a relationship with them despite disagreement and finding other inspiring things to work on, that's an ethic and a skill set. I think probably the most important things that stands in the way of accomplishing pluralism, is thinking that it's going to be easy.

I think that…we need to recognize from the beginning that this is going to be hard and be prepared to do that work. Sahil: How do you recommend the spread of it? How do you recommend its promotion?

Eboo: I think telling the story of pluralism is really important. Focusing on the science of interfaith cooperation and the art of interfaith leadership, these students engage religious diversity, shift the public narrative on religion from division to pluralism, and empower students nationwide to build the movement for interfaith cooperation and become life-long interfaith leaders. Patel's beliefs resonate strongly with the Benedictine values that have defined Saint Martin's for more than a century.

One of the core Benedictine values is hospitality, and as that value calls us to do, we enthusiastically welcome students, staff, faculty and community members of all faith traditions, backgrounds and belief systems.

Other core Benedictine values include service, community, and respect for all persons - all of which align with Dr. Patel's call to commit to "common action for the common good. Because of this close alignment with Saint Martin's Benedictine mission and identity, Dr. Patel was invited to be the inaugural speaker for the Benedictine Institute Lecture Series, a new series at Saint Martin's that will explore issues related to faith and community.

Students, faculty, staff, community members and community and religious leaders rose to their feet to applaud his inspiring message.

Skip to main content. Spiritual Community. These days, Eboo spends most of his time on the road, doing what he loves: meeting students, educators, and community leaders to talk about the complex landscape of religious diversity and the power of interfaith cooperation in the 21st century. Eboo shares his thoughts on the role President-Elect Joe Biden's faith can play in unifying the country and interfaith communities. Eboo reviews findings from the latest IDEALS report, focusing on the role institutions of higher learning play in reducing race-based discrimination.

Eboo explores the position of the traitor-alien in diversity work and asks the question of how you build a community that is strong enough to deal with inevitable deep disagreement. Eboo addresses the ILI sharing the hope he feels from seeing so many young leaders and educators ready to make interfaith cooperation a norm on their campuses.

Eboo shares his vision for America as a potluck nation — one where all are welcome to the table and diverse contributions are celebrated. Watch as Eboo Patel talks about the power of interfaith and how there's room for all of us and what we believe in.

Special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault sits down with founder and president Eboo Patel to examine how interfaith dialogue can be used to bridge racial divisions.

Skip to main content. Author, Speaker, Educator, and Interfaith Leader Eboo founded Interfaith Youth Core on the idea that religion should be a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. Books By Eboo Patel. November 25,