There are intensely anti-human, anti-God forces in current news. Human horror is being perpetrated in the name of religion.

For this reason, this essay departs from the systematic explanation of effective interfaith activism in this series. This is a time of emergency, and lives are at stake.

The world is failing effectively to respond to the Islamic State (IS) controlling much of Western Syria and North and Central Iraq, and the escalation of violent aggression arising out of Gaza. As villains in both spheres define their aggression and inhumane acts expressly as “religious” behavior, the question of interreligious relations are brought to the fore (regardless of all other legitimate arenas of response afoot including diplomatic, military, economic and so forth).