America, Iraq and the Value of Religion

Washington June 23 – On this Sunday’s “State of Belief,” The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s show on Air America Radio, Rev. Welton Gaddy shares discussions with members of the Council of 100 Leaders of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East. The annual conference was held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt this year.

Welton talks with Rabbi David Rosen, one of the most prominent Jewish leaders in the Middle East, about the role of religion in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and in Iraq.  Rosen says Iraq is a very dangerous situation right now and America needs to realize the importance of religion and to not “disregard the religious dimension and understand if you don’t want religion to be part of the problem, which it has become, you have to make it part of the solution.”

Dr. Mustafa Ceric, The Grand Mufti of Bosnia, joins Welton and cautions the United States against being isolationist or pulling away from world politics.  The former Imam from Chicago gives a special to message to Americans saying, “Don’t lose hope in your effort to do good to the world and don’t lose your sense of loving to be good.”

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.  The impartial and non-profit forum was incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Within the Forum, Rev. Gaddy is one of 20 international religious leaders on the Council of 100 Leaders, a group created to improve dialogue and understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.

Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.