The challenge of religion today is captured in a video clip. The face that flashes onto the computer screen is unexcep-tional. It belongs to a middle-aged man who is balding and a bit chubby. His demeanor is calm and self-assured. He kneels, places his forehead reverently on his rug and moves into the rhythmic motions of his daily prayers.

    A voice introduces al-Shimali, a Saudi doctor with a family back home, who has come to Iraq. The recitation of prayers concludes. Al-Shamali rises to greet a new day and proceeds to strap on a suicide vest. He looks neither angry nor de-ranged. He marches to his car with single-minded conviction. He smiles into the eye of the camera. He strokes the steering wheel and explains: "This is my bomb." The scene suddenly shifts. The man and his car drive up to a shabby checkpoint manned by Iraqi and American soldiers and explodes. With the massive blast, all hell breaks loose.

    The man in the video clip, al-Shimali, has been streaming across the Internet during the last several months, and he has now entered countless homes. A recent issue of the New Yorker noted that "the video feels not like an advertisement for homicide" so much as "an advertisement for belief." Here is faith that can move mountains. It is also faith that can de-stroy worlds.

    The question is not new. It has kept me up at night for the past thirty years and brought me into conversation with be-lievers and non-believers from almost every walk of life. How is it that religions that seek to glorify God, champion the power of love, and establish the kingdom of peace -- how can these religions be twisted and placed in the service of hate? How can the cross be turned into a sword? How can Holy Books be turned into manuals for murder?

    Most of us rarely get behind the headlines to confront the underlying story of religion, and our fascination with contro-versy often blinds us to the other side of the religion story. This is the other story. Down the street from the suicide bomber lives another Muslim. He gets up every morning at five to wash and feed his crippled neighbor. When he returns home in the evening, he cleans the bedsores and attends to the needs of this otherwise neglected old man. If asked why he has become the principal caregiver, why he goes to so much trouble and expense, he would stumble and stutter to give an explanation. To this gentleman it is really quite simple. He is doing what God wants him to do, what his parents taught him to do, and what his tradition commands him to do. He is practicing his faith.

    Two stories of faith live side by side on the same street in the same neighborhood. Both proclaim that they strive to do the right thing. Both are intended to advance the cause of justice. Yet one sustains the world, the other tears it down. Both lay claim to the same tradition. Yet one overthrows our norms and shatters the world, the other brings meaning and order to the desperate and neglected. Which way will religion tip the scales?

    Whichever way we turn, religion is a part of the problem and religion is part of the solution. I invite you to listen each week on WYPR 88.1 FM, or on line at www.wypr.org, for "Encounters," a new series I am hosting that explores the role of religion in today's world. My goal is to explore the beauty and wisdom in neighborhoods around the corner and in distant lands, and to encounter people who see the world differently. We will also probe the unsettling fact that the very same traditions that give meaning and direction to people lives are frequently mined for explosive ingredients and used to justify horrific devastation. We are faced with complex questions that demand us to listen to the stories behind the headlines.

    As Executive Director of the ICJS, I am excited to be exploring these encounters with you on the radio. Part of our mission at the ICJS is to reach a larger audience and to en-gage more people in conversation about religion. I encourage you to consider both how your own religious tradition and the traditions of others may affect your life and the life of the community.

    Because we are aware of the increasing importance and influence of Islam in all of our lives, we will be offering a groundbreaking series this spring: "What Jews and Christians Need to Know About Islam." We are bringing four renowned Muslim scholars to Baltimore over four weeks for what prom-ises to be a very important event. Please see the article in this issue of In A Word for details about this program.

    Finally, as we celebrate 20 years, we are ever grateful for your commitment to and participation in the work of disarming religious hatred and intolerance. As individuals, as a society and as an organization, we have many challenges ahead as we seek to understand the role religion is playing in our lives today. I trust that we are all transformed by the experience of studying, questioning and engaging with each other through this work. Thank you for your interest, participation and sup-port of the ICJS.

Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher M. Leighton
Executive Director