Our Values

As we began exploring existing interfaith efforts, we found certain work that especially inspired us. We also knew from our own history that sometimes even well-intentioned efforts go astray. Learning from the wisdom of longtime workers in the field, we commit ourselves to these core values in our efforts.

We rely on God
  • We seek Divine guidance individually and communally in all our affairs.
Contrary to popular opinion, jihad is first of all the name for the struggle we all share to move beyond our own egos to follow God. We all face this struggle every day. We have all seen - and been involved in - goodhearted efforts that descend into rivalries and divisions. We all have experienced being utterly convinced that we were right - when we were in fact dead wrong. Our interfaith work exists on both a practical and a spiritual level. We commit ourselves to the spiritual discipline of regularly submitting our plans and work to God's guidance, knowing that even our best wisdom is limited,

We commit to peacebuilding
  • We are committed to nonviolence in our conversation and action
Nonviolence goes beyond refraining from doing physical harm to another. Faithbased nonviolence seeks true and lasting peace and rests on a profound respect for the other as created by God and intended for union with God. Our commitment to surrender to God's will provides strength for the daily challenge of nonviolence.

We honor uniqueness
  • We seek to honor both the similarities and differences among us
We share a common commitment and struggle to seek God, but we are not the same. We differ in culture, in religious beliefs and practices, in history and experience. We find unity not in ignoring differences, but in learning to find bridges across those differences. Our lives are enriched by learning and experiencing other ways of being in the world.

We take action
  • We engage in local and personal action to bring about change
We know that change will not happen by itself. We commit ourselves to take action, even if it is small. We also know the power of community, and we link arms with our neighbors to create circles of contagious love and peace, as did the small bands of comrades who followed Moses, Jesus and Mohammad.