In a climate where religious differences are often seen as a source of division, my closest relationships have taught me they can instead foster connection. I am a Christian. My husband is Jewish. My two best friends come from Muslim families.
Because of these deep connections, I have personally found incredible beauty and wisdom in my relationships with people from religious backgrounds different from my own. These interactions have allowed me to develop a genuine respect for different faiths and see parallels in the ways our values and beliefs are expressed in the world.
But this appreciation for religious diversity is a part of how I was raised. I grew up in a diverse community where proximity and early relationships helped me build this empathy and curiosity. This is simply not the case for many Americans, which is why expanded opportunities for interreligious connection could be so beneficial.
A new report from More in Common, where I’ve worked for 4 and a half years, found that the most frequently cited barrier to connecting more with someone from a different religion is a “lack of opportunity.”
In divisive times like these, more need to appreciate how faith uniquely illuminates new opportunities to connect and find common ground. Yet in a time when we need them more than ever, many of these opportunities for cross-cultural connections are now in jeopardy.
Regardless of their quality and actual outcomes, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are being eliminated in many facets of American life, as the Administration deems them “wasteful,” “radical,” and “immoral.” While some DEI programs may have originated as superficial gestures following the “racial reckoning” of 2020, many have been earnest investments that support merit-based systems by augmenting institutions’ capacity to recruit and retain the best talent from the most complete pool of candidates, and creating environments where all team members can thrive. In fact, 88% of large employers view their DEI initiatives as necessary.
Banning DEI programming can decrease institutions’ abilities to attract the broadest field of qualified applicants and harm employees’ sense of belonging by eliminating things like affinity groups for minorities and also for people of faith.
This comes at a time when 70% of Americans believe we have a responsibility to connect with people who are different from us. Forthcoming research from More in Common shows that only 13% of Americans say they want to see American businesses, schools, and other institutions do less to promote fairness and equal opportunity. Americans of faith may have an important role to play in advocating for DEI programs that are fair and which avoid the divisiveness critics voice concerns about.
People of faith may also play meaningful roles in shaping DEI programs that transcend these concerns and which can be appreciated across the political spectrum. Believers bring distinct capacities to these conversations. More in Common’s research has found that greater religious participation, in any faith tradition, correlates with a greater willingness to connect across lines of difference, including religious difference.
In this way, religious Americans may be uniquely well placed to serve as advocates for initiatives that promote greater diversity, equity, and inclusion given that their values ultimately support the principles behind them.
This holds true across political ideology. Our new report found, on average, that people who identify as “conservative” are less likely to be interested in connecting across difference than those who identify as “liberal,” but that “conservatives” who frequently attend religious services are actually 12 percent more likely to be interested in connecting across difference than “liberals” who never participate in religious services.
Some might fairly argue that religious diversity has not always been an emphasis of many diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. However, race, culture, and other facets of identity are often interwoven with religious identity. And there has been more recognition in recent years that an explicit focus on religious diversity in DEI programming could make them more effective, an effort that, again, would be hindered by blanket prohibition of DEI in workplaces.
Bottom line: Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs done well can increase opportunities to encounter and become friends with people of different backgrounds in work or in school for Americans from more homogeneous communities who may not otherwise have these chances. The more opportunities we create for people to connect as individuals working towards a common goal, the more opportunities we provide for deeper understanding. Our study found that experiences of cross-religious connection can lead people to be more interested in connecting again in the future, suggesting that positive connection experiences can build on themselves in a virtuous cycle.
At a time when many Americans feel disconnected and anxious about the divisions in our country, I find comfort in remembering that the majority of Americans across religious groups value religious pluralism and want the United States to be a place where people of all religions feel that they belong. Those opposed to DEI initiatives should carefully consider how ending these programs could undermine efforts to foster new connections across differences, both religious and otherwise. From my own personal experience, these connections have the potential to offer solace and new perspectives to help us all navigate life’s challenges.
Jazmin Kreimer is the Head of Development at More in Common US. She is an attorney who is passionate about civil and human rights issues.