Kroc Institute Director Scott Appleby spoke at the United Nations headquarters during a December 7 seminar on “Confronting Islamophobia: Education for Tolerance and Understanding.”

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the seminar, the second in a series titled “Unlearning Intolerance,” organized by the UN Department of Public Information.

Appleby is well-known for his examination of the roots of religious violence and the potential of religious peacebuilding. He was among panelists who discussed the role of education in fostering tolerance and understanding.

During the discussion, Appleby noted that terrorism had created anxiety about the vulnerability of Western societies, drawn unwanted attention to Muslims, and elicited intolerance and hatred among some Americans. This is what terrorists wanted, he said. In the United States, he said, patriotism should require a willingness to recognize differences and honest self-criticism, not condescension towards people cast as “the other.”

Other panelists were Azizah Y. al-Hibri, professor of law at the University of Richmond; Calvin O. Butts, III, Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City; Noah Feldman, associate professor of law, New York University; and Panchapakesa Jayaraman, executive director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, USA (Institute of Indian Culture).

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