U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ann Wagner (R-MO) joined their fellow colleagues on the bipartisan, bicameral Abraham Accords Caucus in urging more interfaith dialogue between the countries represented by the Abraham Accords and the United States.
In a Jan. 11 letter sent to U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain at the U.S. Department of State, the lawmakers requested that the Office for International Religious Freedom initiate the interfaith dialogue programming between Abraham Accords member countries and potential countries, and the U.S.
“Interfaith dialogues foster mutual trust, dispel harmful perceptions, and help promote sustainable peace and cooperation in the region,” wrote the eight lawmakers, who also included U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL).
The lawmakers pointed out that the Abraham Accords have the potential to anchor Middle Eastern security cooperation, economic prosperity, and cultural exchange grounded in mutual understanding.
“Specifically, increased interfaith dialogue will further diplomatic, cultural, and economic cooperation between the diverse peoples of the region,” they wrote, asking Ambassador Hussain to commit to supporting interfaith dialogue programs within signatory and potential signatory countries of the Abraham Accords.
Also in their letter, the lawmakers requested that Hussain issue new funding opportunity announcements or requests for proposals to support interfaith dialogue between Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Abraham Accords signatory countries and potential signatory countries and then issue the grants.
And they requested he provide them with a briefing by March 1 on the U.S. State Department’s actions to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue in the Middle East as called for in the Abraham Accords Declaration.
“To build on the momentum of the Abraham Accords, we urge you to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue and support religious freedom among Abraham Accords member countries,” wrote Sen. Ernst, Rep. McMorris Rodgers, Rep. Wagner, and their colleagues.
Numerous organizations support the letter, including the American Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith International, the Combat Antisemitism Movement, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Jewish Federations of North America, the Muslim American Leadership Alliance, and the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, among many others.