Coming into this year, I had a pretty well-defined idea of interfaith engagement as the coming together of different faith communities in part because of their unique abilities as faith communities. Interfaith work was all about bringing together religious communities to accomplish a goal that could be best achieved by the coming together of these groups. Therefore, my perception of interfaith work was very limited to the sphere of social justice. 

Going to the Interfaith Leadership Institute last summer helped challenge my assumptions of what interfaith work can be. As I spoke with other students, they described how even just watching a movie with a bunch of friends and talking about it could be an interfaith event. I began to wonder: What qualifies as interfaith work, and what are its purposes? 

As I have gotten older, I have become more aware of cultural appropriation and the harms that cultural appropriation can inflict. It is important to acknowledge that cultural appropriation is certainly something of which anyone in interfaith work should be wary. Often when I am engaging in interfaith work, I worry that I may be overstepping boundaries and must remember that the purpose is not to take from other faiths—or “pluck practices”—but rather to recognize each other’s communities and the diversity within them. I feel especially aware of this because I am white, and there is a tendency that white Americans seem to have of adopting religious practices that are meaningful to other cultures without recognizing the full meanings of the methods. Although this concern is not intended to interfere with interfaith relationships, I include it as a precaution to be aware of especially when creating interfaith planning in the future. How can we be careful to create an environment that breeds a positive, inclusive community without seeming like we are encouraging cultural appropriation? 

Currently, I think the answer lies in one’s company. The difference between religious appropriation and religious appreciation often is nuanced and yet most certainly can be understood by those whose faith background is being plucked. Watching a religious ceremony or even taking part in one as a guest can be an amazing experience for both those being invited in or those doing the inviting. By recognizing that there is a time and place to be a guest and also that there are times and places where it is not appropriate will lead to a better appreciation of the religious practices of those around us. For example, after the Christchurch Shooting a group of Jewish students at Brown attended Jum’ah to show solidarity for our Muslim classmates. After about 30 minutes the Jewish students left and the muslim students remained and continued to find support and comfort in their community. It is an amazing thing to be able to provide support for a community that is not your own, but we who engage in interfaith work must recognize when we are members of a community versus when we are allies. We are not limited to only caring or feeling passionately for those who are clearly similar to ourselves. To recognize the difference between ourselves and others and still be willing to provide support is, from my perspective, the most rewarding part of interfaith work. 

Once we recognize how to support the communities and individuals around us, we can better understand what it means to be an interfaith leader. I am still really intrigued to see how my opinions on interfaith work grow and develop as I continue along this journey. Already, I have been challenged to think about what it means for a place or community to be interfaith, and how we can best support the formation of interfaith spaces and communities. Whether it is finding a way to account for everyone’s personal religious needs or being aware of how people can often be tokenized in interfaith spaces, the more educated we are, the better. The more information we seek out, the better equipped we can be to create a positive community where all can benefit.