BEGINNING A MOVEMENT FOR BETTER INTERFAITH DIALOG

THE RIVERSIDE CHURCH IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK

OCTOBER 1, 2026

WITH

PETER BEINART, SUNITA VISWANATH, AND JOHN THATAMANIL

As many suffer and die from the weaponization of religion by the governments of India, Israel, the United States and many other countries, it must be countered with real interfaith dialog which cannot be trivialized or used as by anti-democratic forces as a cover for oppression, authoritarianism and fascism.

Together, we want to chart a new path forward with dialog marked by truth seeking, listening, confession, repentance and shared commitment to democracy and community building.

Our inaugural conversation will be at The Riverside Church in New York City on October 1, 2026 from 4:00 to 6:00 with a reception from 6:00 to 7:00. This opening conversation will center on understanding Hinduism and how it is distorted by Hindutva devotees committed to using their brand of religious nationalism to create a Hindu only state.

The session will open with comments by Imam Shamsi Ali, Imam of Jamaica Muslim Center and The Reverend Adriene Thorne, Senior Minister at The Riverside Church on the necessity to create spaces in our synagogues, temples, mosques, churches for authentic interfaith dialog marked by creating curiosity about different religious traditions and how they can be distorted by religious nationalism.

Noted Jewish journalist and political commentator, Peter Beinart, will offer his reflections on the importance of faith and how it can be so badly distorted by religious nationalisms to hurt others. Beinart is an Opinion Columnist for New York Times, Editor of Jewish Currents, Commentator for MS NOW, Professor, Newmark School of Journalism at City University of New York and author of Being Jewish after Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning. You can hear his many interviews with prominent guests on Substack.

In addition to Peter’s reflections, we will do a deeper dive into Hinduism and Hindutva with Sunita Viswanath, Co-Founder, of Hindus for Human Rights and The Reverend John J. Thatamanil, M.Div., Ph.D. Professor of Theology & World Religions Director, Insight Project: Theology & Natural World, Union Theological Seminary.

Subsequent self-reflective and confessional conversations in synagogues, temples, mosques, churches, mediation centers and other sacred settings in New York and across the country will use a similar format where we highlight a particular religion and discuss how it gets distorted by religious nationalism.

SEE THE FLYER AND REGISTER HERE

At Faith Beyond Religious Nationalism, we seek to help the public understand the ways in which people of all faiths allow their religious traditions to give cover for deep prejudice. We also give people of faith and no faith the tools to challenge politicians who distort religion to hurt others. We organized against visits in New York City, Toronto and London, which featured Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of the Rashtriya  Swayamsevak Sangh—RSS. The RSS has a long history of violence against Muslims seeking to deny them citizenship in India among other crimes. The RSS also persecutes Christians, Sikhs, oppressed caste Dalits and native peoples. During his global tour, Baghwat manipulatively used interfaith dialog and a focus on oneness as a propaganda technique to get a diversity of religious leaders to bless a movement which is antithetical to their commitment to the justice seeking aspects of their faith traditions.

COUNTERING THE SCOURGE OF ISLAMOPHOBIA

We thank the 127 signers of A Nationwide Interfaith Letter in Support of Truth Telling, Confession and Repentance on 9/11 and Beyond. You can still sign if your wish. Click here to read the letter. You can still sign the letter if you have not done so already.

The letter was written in response to long standing attacks against the Muslim community equating the hijackers on 9-11 with Muslims. These attacks across the country have only intensified especially against Muslim politicians as we approach the mid-term elections. Attacks against Christian and Muslim Palestinians are layered into this Islamophobia.