America at 250: Recommitting to the Founding Vision of Religious Freedom and Interfaith Solidarity in a Fractured World

Remarks at the Annual Interfaith Iftar Dinner Embassy of Bahrain - March 3, 2026

We are gathering during this time of prayer and reflection under circumstances we did not wish. Conflict in the Middle East is putting innocent lives in danger, threatening inter- and intra-faith relations across a region hosting a kaleidoscope of religions and sects. We should remember the innocent Iranians suffering under the repressive rule who strive for a peaceful future. We should remember the region, for Bahrain, which has been targeted, for Israel, for Jordan, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and others. And for American diplomats and service members in harm's way.

But tonight, we are celebrating two leaders who give us hope for a better future, Shaista Mahmood and Catherine Smith Connolly, who have led the Dialogue for Peace and Understanding that promotes interfaith engagement between Muslims and non-Muslims in the United States and abroad.  Both fellow Virginians, I wanted to share a few thoughts about how their work very much descends from the efforts of two other Virginians you may have heard of who promoted interfaith relations and religious freedom: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. They provide examples for us in these challenging times. And with our 250^th anniversary arriving soon, an opportunity to recommit to our founding principles.

Just months into office as the first President of the United States, George Washington visited the city of Newport, RH, in August 1790. The warden of the Touro Synagogue, Moses Seixas, wrote the President to welcome him and express appreciation for his leadership. Replying a few days later, Washington shared expansive thoughts about how the United States would view citizens of different backgrounds. And he demonstrated the importance of interfaith engagement and protection.

He stated forthrightly that “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.”   Mere “toleration” was not enough, dismissing any implication that rights were dependent on “the indulgence of one class of people” over whether “another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.” Washington said that one’s faith would not affect citizens' rights and liberties to live free and equal with others.

In the most quoted passage, he proclaims, “for, happily, the Government of the United States ... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”  Many early immigrants came to the United States fleeing religious persecution. Records indicate the synagogue’s congregation had come from Europe, with its persistent anti-Semitism and pogroms. They had felt it. They were fleeing it.

Washington’s letter was both a defense of civil equality and an early interfaith statement. A Protestant president choosing to write to a Jewish congregation, affirmed that citizenship did not depend on creed. Protecting religious liberties and ensuring equal protection was something that set our new nation apart.  

And while Washington’s letter expressed the view of the first chief executive, Thomas Jefferson had been exploring these ideas years before. Jefferson, while still in law school, purchased a 2-volume copy of the Qur’an. Based on future events, Jefferson most likely consulted this Qur’an several times, when as President he delayed the state dinner to after sunset to accommodate the Ramadan fast.

But as Jefferson grew up, he saw how Virginia struggled with church/state issues. The Church of England was the official religion, and historians note that “all Virginians were legally required to tithe to the Anglican Church and attend Anglican worship at least once a month.”  However, as many Virginians turned to the Baptist denomination, authorities – both governmental and ecclesiastical – did not condone. Unlicensed Baptist preachers faced fines and even jail. Mobs would assault their tent services.

In response, Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom made clear the rights of conscience for all. Starting with the powerful phrase, “Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free,” Jefferson’s statute prohibited government interference in religious affairs because of his concern about the treatment of a religious minority.

The final version was passed in 1786, which inspired the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Virginia Statute was a declaration of independence for religious freedom, putting forth revolutionary ideas for colonial America—and for the world.

So religious freedom and interfaith engagement is more than mere sentimentality. They are intrinsically intertwined, fundamental to the American experiment. Defending the freedom of religion for all, regardless of beliefs or non-beliefs, is the collective responsibility of all of us. Our country is a better place when religious communities can contribute to our society freely—schools, hospitals, charities, advocacy—without fear of discrimination or exclusion.

Washington and Jefferson laid a firm foundation for the United States, building a new polity around values rather than blood. Certainly, glaring inconsistencies in their personal lives regarding slavery shock the conscience today. But what they established was good. From the beginning, they modeled interfaith practice in action and how religious freedom supports it.

While we in the United States have work to do at home to combat antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, and other forms of religious discrimination, the United States stands apart for its expansive religious freedom protections. I’ve visited many of the broken places of the world. I’ve seen how authoritarian regimes exploit religious divisions, persecutes individuals for how they pray or for what they belief. All Americans should appreciate how we’ve been blessed with great liberties and prosperity.

Roughly 150 years later, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., held a mirror up to American society, showing through our founding documents how we had fallen short of these ideals. But Dr. King also saw the good in our core documents. He wrote in his last book, "Where Do We Go From Here" about how the “pillars” of our nation “were soundly grounded in the insights that all men are made in the image of God; all men are brothers; all men are created equal; every man is heir to a legacy of dignity and worth; every man has rights that are neither conferred by nor derived from the state, they are God-given.”

It’s really about loving our neighbors, here and abroad. To succeed today, we need new approaches. In April, I will lead the new Center for Global Religious Freedom, an initiative of Dallas Baptist University. The Center will focus on this—not merely defending religious liberty as a legal abstraction, but cultivating relationships across traditions. We have already convened Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Bahá’í leaders with representatives from the United Nations in Dallas to build bridges and search for answers.

The purpose of our Center will be helping all who are persecution, but also building multifaith partnerships. Why? Because a pandemic of persecution victimizes millions daily, so we need to work together.

We may disagree about ultimate truth claims. But we agree that coercion, persecution, and violence violate human dignity. That it’s wrong. Interfaith cooperation does not demand doctrinal compromise; it demands our commitment to help others.

Bahrain provides a beautiful example. Its leadership has publicly affirmed religious coexistence and freedom, recognized non-Islamic communities in ways other nations in the region have not, and facilitated the establishment of houses of worship for multiple traditions. They’ve demonstrated how a Muslim-majority society can institutionalize pluralism without abandoning its religious identity. I hope to visit someday.

If we want a society that gives “to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance,” then Christians must defend mosques, Muslims must defend synagogues, Jews must defend churches, and citizens must defend them all.

We must bring together when others want to divide. We must push back with others try to pull us away from these values. We must build when others want to destroy.

Washington and Jefferson, these two great Virginians and Americans, gave us the architecture and example that still works 250 years later. But we must continually commit to their challenge of defending religious freedom for all and advancing interfaith solidarity. Shaista and Catherine are following in their footsteps. That is hopeful.

And that is the work before us. It is hard work.

To quote Dr. King again, he said:

"The line of progress is never straight.  For a period, a movement may follow a straight line and then it encounters obstacles and the path bends.  It is like curving around a mountain when you are approaching a city.  Often it feels as though you were moving backward, and you lose sight of your goal; but in fact you are moving ahead, and soon you will see the city again, closer by."

May God, in His mercy, lead us through these times, and may He inspire us to work for the good of all.