"We condemn any kind of abuse of Muslim women or women anywhere in the world." — Ibrahim Hooper

As forces of hate in this country and worldwide try to pull Muslims and Christians apart, we are in desperate need of a unifying force that can bridge the widening gap of interfaith misunderstanding and mistrust. That force could be the message of love, peace, and forgiveness taught by Jesus and accepted by followers of both faiths.

The Prophet Muhammad himself sought to erase any distinctions between the message he taught and that taught by Jesus, who he called God's 'spirit and word.'

Whenever some kind of mass shooting or any other kind of violent activity takes place, we kind of hold our breath until we are sure that no Muslim was involved, because we know that these incidents will be treated differently if a Muslim is involved versus if somebody of another background is involved.

When there's no push back against Islamophobic rhetoric, people see that as tacit endorsement of anti-Islamic rhetoric.

A 2014 survey found that 74% of law-enforcement agencies reported antigovernment extremism as one of the top terrorist threats. Just 3% of those agencies viewed the threat from Muslim extremists as severe.

I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future. But I'm not going to do anything violent to promote that. I'm going to do it through education.

As mainstream religious leaders of different faiths get together, it strengthens the voice of moderation.

Unfortunately, violent events and hate-filled rhetoric around the world provide ample opportunity for promoting religious hostility.

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We condemn any kind of abuse of Muslim women or women anywhere in the world.