Interreligious peacemaking recognizes that religions have much to contribute to understandings of peace, violence, nonviolence, and peacemaking. At a time in which religion is too often used as tool of negation, exclusion, and discrimination against those who are different, the need for faith-based peacemakers is evident.

At Marquette, our interfaith work is rooted in the Jesuit culture of encounter, which recognizes that every person is sacred, and that every person encounters the world with different life experiences and identities that impact how they make meaning, process, act, and reflect.

Education, dialogue, and practice are three common components of interreligious peacemaking. Combined, these components support the development of relationships based upon an understanding of faith that promotes love of neighbor and recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of all people.

A history of interfaith scholarship and praxis

Interfaith peacemaking has been a priority since the Center's founding. Over the years, we have facilitated research, events, and student experiences.

Nonviolence in World Religions

In October 2013, we hosted a symposium at Marquette University that gathered scholar practitioners of seven faith traditions for conversation about peacemaking and nonviolence. The gathering resulted in the eventual publication of the text Peacemaking and the Challenge of Violence in World Religions edited by Irfan A. Omar and Michael K. Duffey.

This first-of-its-kind text provides for each of the religious traditions: descriptions of religious texts, examinations of the meaning of peace, stances toward violence and war, and examples of key figures and organizations who work for the promotion of peace.

Christian-Muslim dialogue in Milwaukee

Milwaukee has a rich history of Christian-Muslim dialogue that traces back to 1980. These efforts were a focus of a 2017 course at Marquette titled "Christians and Muslims in Dialogue." By the end of the semester, the graduate students and their community collaborators wanted to expand their efforts to go deeper with plans to share their research with the public. They presented at a symposium and developed a plan to publish a book. Their research is now available in Interfaith Engagement in Milwaukee: A Brief History of Christian-Muslim Dialogue edited by Irfan A. Omar and Kaitlyn C. Daly.

Student interfaith experiences

Marquette students can participate in a variety of interfaith experiences from student groups to community service to classwork to domestic immersion to international study abroad. Learn more about student interfaith opportunities.

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Recognizing an interfaith advocate

It is important to recognize that many of the above events and initiatives came to fruition because of the vision, leadership, and contributions of Dr. Irfan Omar.

Dr. Omar is a professor of Theology and one of our campus experts on interfaith peacemaking. Learn more about his interfaith journey and his class on interfaith dialogue.