The 9/11 Collection: Tom Farr on Engaging Islam

Author: Thomas Farr

September 12, 2011

Religious Freedom Project Director Thomas Farr argues that American foreign policy is woefully -- perhaps dangerously -- religiously illiterate. Particularly vis a vis the Muslim world, America continues to be too hung up on the strict "wall" between church and state. Our aversion to religion in politics doesn't reflect reality, however: the world, particularly the Muslim world, is a religious place and we must learn to "contend intellectually" with religion in the public sphere. The longer we allow our "learned repugnance to religion" to hamstring existing and new foreign policy initiatives, the more ineffective our engagement will be. Rather than insisting ad nauseum on building up walls between religion and politics, we must instead cultivate the "twin tolerances" of government for religion and religion for government. Only then can America pursue effective policy and political religion become a liberalizing force rather than a threatening one.

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