Our Bosnia “Catalyze” peacemaking trip wrapped up a couple weeks ago after an exhilarating and rewarding 10 days filled with new relationships, dialogue, history, and learning across religious and ethnic differences.

Just over a week ago I enjoyed a delicious Uyghur meal with friends who are refugees to the U.S. from China. We came together to learn, to celebrate culture, and to discover what connects us all as human beings.

At Peace Catalyst, our goal is to build peace between Christians and Muslims, and what better way to make peace while spreading the word about the Uyghur genocide in China than to do it in partnership with the American Chinese Church?

If you’ve kept up with recent world news, you may have heard what’s happening to the Uyghur people in China. Most ethnic Uyghurs identify as Muslim, and over one million of them are currently detained in Chinese prison camps just north of Tibet with the stated purpose of “preventing terrorism.” These prison camps resemble those established by oppressive regimes throughout history, and Uyghurs around the world are living with that deep pain. That’s why, through the bridge-building efforts of Peace Catalyst staff members Bill and Julie Clark, a Pasadena Foursquare church hosted close to 20 Uyghur adults and children for a Peace Feast.

Today the Supreme Court has issued a ruling upholding President Trump’s travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries. As peacemakers, we are deeply disturbed by the anti-Muslim sentiment that has surrounded this travel ban and the ways that prejudice and discrimination have increased in our nation’s rhetoric. We will continue to stand alongside our Muslim and refugee neighbors to work for a country that upholds its own highest ideals.

When I heard about the First Annual Black American Muslim Conference, I knew I had to attend.  As a white evangelical Christian, I wanted to hear this group's stories and stand in solidarity with them against the blatant racism and anti-Muslim sentiment that buffets their lives. Since Peace Catalyst focuses on Christian-Muslim peacemaking, it seemed like a practical way to be good neighbors and to live out our calling as peacemakers.

This is the question one couple asked Peace Catalyst's Kelly Perry before a recent Peace Feast in San Diego. It may be a question this particular couple asked, but it's definitely a sentiment that many people have when attending Peace Feasts or other Peace Catalyst events that involve meeting or interacting with Muslims for the first time.  

Here at Peace Catalyst we say, “Friendship is the fruit of peacemaking.”Here are a few pairs of friends who represent just the kind of friendship we work toward. Enjoy their stories and keep your eyes open in your own life for friendship opportunities like these!

Creating a culture of widespread distrust and fear of an entire group is a technique that has been used preceding mass violence throughout history. As followers of Jesus, what are we to do?