Welcome to the Interfaith Observer!
Exploring Interfaith Culture and Religious Pluralism
The Interfaith Observer thrives in the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement (CEIE) at Seattle University. The Interfaith Observer releases two multi-author and theme-based volumes in the fall and spring of each academic year, with a focus on first-person accounts on the positive impact of religious and cultural pluralism as a force for good in the world today.
Spring 2026: Personal as Political: Gender, Climate, and Economy
by Amelio Collins
The world held its breath in 2018 marked by intensifying climate reports, rising global temperatures, and a growing sense that time was running out...
by Kehkashan Basu
We can no longer afford neutrality. Not when women and girls are being denied their fundamental human rights. Not when the rights of Mother Earth and all her creatures to exist, regenerate, and sustain life are being stripped away.
by Ann Smith
I first heard the phrase ‘personal is political’ in 1985 in Nairobi, Kenya, at the UN Third World Conference on Women. African women came in waves; they walked huge distances, traveled by buses, trains, and planes to demand their voices be heard. It was a breakthrough moment to witness for the first time a grassroots global women’s movement.
Previously: Religion & Healthy Democracy (Fall 2025)
by Ivan Shneerson
I have long struggled to figure out where I belong. This came to a head during my senior year of college when I, an agnostic and low-observant Jew, chose to live in a Christian living community. Forty-nine young Christian men and me. Growing up, my family was…
by Brandon LaGreca, LAc, MAcOM
My daughter recently reached a pivotal point in her homeschool curriculum: the study of world religions. Until now, my wife and I had been content to let her experience the sublime through nature, art, and music, instilling a subtle sense of…
by Muhammad Sohail
The Muslim world has faced various social, political, and economic challenges recently. Internal divisions, unstable political and social systems, outside interventions, poverty, and unemployment have posed significant barriers to its influence in…

At a time when armed conflicts proliferate, and democracies strain under polarization and the coercion of autocrats, truth itself is contested and trust for moral authority stands at a crossroads. This week, we are seeing how religion is used as a balm—or a blade…