In yet another great turnout for a presentation brought by the Great Issues Committee, Eboo Patel, the author of First Year Reading Program book Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation spoke to approximately 1,100 Saint Louis University students on Tuesday, Oct. 5 about the importance of interfaith initiatives.

Patel is known for his emphasis on religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue.

“Courage is never more needed than when there is a group of people being targeted because of who they are, the way they pray, the color of their skin, or the shape of their eyes,” Patel said.

Colin Shevlin, the chair of the Great Issues Committee, said that Patel’s topic reaches far beyond the first year summer reading book and that this is the prime time to have someone speaking about interfaith dialogue at SLU.

“I think it is so great to have somebody who brings the concepts, crystallizes the concepts with his own experience and has something to say to students with stories to share in the way that Eboo Patel did,” Shevlin said.

The presentation began by calling American youth for demonstration of more courage than Patel had when he was young.

“I think on some deep, deep level, this is just about courage.  This is what religion is all about, that is why it inspired me in the first place,” Patel said.

He is the founder and president of the Interfaith Youth Core, a global interfaith youth movement, and was named by Islamica Magazine as one of the ten young Muslim visionaries shaping Islam in America.

Chelsea Jaeger, a sophomore at SLU, won the essay contest about Acts of Faith and was able to enjoy dinner with Patel.

“I think hearing something, such a direct challenge from such a well-known guy as Eboo Patel, could be really influential and it could be a wake-up call for some people,” Jaeger said. “Interfaith service is not only about serving the people of other faiths but making intentional discussion about what each faith brings to service.”

Patel stressed throughout the presentation that being an American is inclusive of interfaith ideals by nature.  He said that he challenges that notion because America is the most religiously-diverse country in human history, and it is an inherent responsibility to set an example of religious inclusiveness and understanding.  Through accounts in his own life, Patel said that this example reaches people on the opposite side of the world, as well as generations yet to come.

Patel expressed his faith in the potential of the new generation of college students, specifically the students at SLU.

Patel served as an advisor for the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and he advised the Office that the future of interfaith dialogue depends on the generation of youth.

“Young people are and can continue to be leaders in this area and college campuses can become models of interfaith cooperation,” Patel said. “I talked about what’s happening at SLU, and the types of discussions you are having, and I told the president that’s the most hopeful place to look.”