Washington Should Discover the Beauty of Interfaith Connections

June 22, 2026

Washington DC Capitol building with trees and water in the foreground. (Kosoff)

Washington is too busy trying to convince the public that America is, and always has been, a Christian nation to recognize the beauty of our interfaith America.

Recognizing that we are an interfaith nation means not just embracing the fact that the United States is history’s most religiously diverse country. It means embracing the reality that we are at our best when faith serves as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.

Just look to the friendship between UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers and her teammate Jana El Alfy. During the 2025 NCAA tournament, Bueckers, a devout Christian, woke before dawn each day to prepare breakfast so El Alfy, a Muslim from Egypt, would not have to observe Ramadan alone. In doing so, she took the time to understand a religious tradition different from her own and publicly affirmed why supporting her teammate’s Muslim faith mattered. Their friendship is a model of cooperation across difference, the kind that wins national championships and the kind Washington should be celebrating.

Eboo Patel is the founder and president of Interfaith America.
Originally posted in NOTUS.

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Interfaith America seeks contributions that present a wide range of experiences and perspectives from a diverse set of worldviews on the opportunities and challenges of American pluralism. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Interfaith America, its board of directors, or its employees.

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