Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? The UIC Interfaith Dialogue

Last evening, Austin Agape participated in the University Interfaith Council's annual interfaith dialogue. The dialogue was a discussion about the present economy. The speakers discussed how each of their faith traditions helps them frame the economic issues affecting our world and guides them to act on behalf of others. They each gave a Jewish, Christian, and Muslim response to the current financial crisis.


Rabbi David Kamerofsky, Executive Director of Texas Hillel, opened the discussion by mentioning an important statement from the Jewish faith: "With great power comes great responsibility." Those with power must act responsibly in the economic crisis.

Rabbi Komerofsky stated that historically, Jews have been mistreated in times of economic crisis. Specifically, he mentioned the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 and the post-WWI economic conditions in Germany that led to the public leadership of Hitler, setting the stage for the Holocaust. In response, he believes that people of faith must be vigilant at all times, particularly in times of financial crisis, to fight bigotry as it strengthens.

He challenged us with a question: "How can we maintain our dignity?" He mentioned the story of Joseph, found in the Book of Genesis. Like Joseph, in times of plenty, we must save and plan for times of difficulty. We must plan for the future - not only for ourselves but for others, because we all have responsibility. We are to give of our wealth to help others, while working to sustain ourselves. He mentioned that Jews are challenged to give a ten percent tithe of their income to those in need and emphasized that this tithe is only a minimum amount. In addition to this teaching, Jewish tradition also states that twenty percent should be a maximum amount, so that those who give will not become dependent upon others themselves. We must live and act responsibly for ourselves and for one another.


Bobbie Sanders, our dear friend and elder at University Presbyterian Church, began her discussion by agreeing with Rabbi Komerofsky. No particular race or religious group can become a scapegoat for the current crisis. As a theological descendant of John Calvin, she mentioned the Protestant work ethic, which has influenced many Christians to work hard and amass wealth as a perceived blessing from God. She believes that greed and arrogance are behind much of the world's economic problems, and that Christians have contributed to greed and arrogance.

She began by mentioning that Jews, Christians, and Muslims are People of the Book. Compassion is not an option for any of the three faiths. She said that she is moved by Jesus' statement in her book: "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you have done it to me." (Matthew 25). She said that our involvement must be rooted in the love of the God we worship.

Bobbie told about her involvement at the Micah 6 Food Pantry and the Tuesday Assistance Program at UPC. She shared a moving story of a woman she met at the Food Pantry, demonstrating how easy it is to fall into a state of situational poverty and homelessness.

She challenged us to stop living from a stance of scarcity. So many in the world believe there are not enough resources for everyone, and they amass more than they truly need out of fear. She challenged us to live so that "those who have much do not have too much and those who have little do not have too little." She believes this proverb is represented in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, and she challenged us to live according to the tenets of the faith we profess.


Bulent Guler, a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at UT, closed our discussion, sharing technical information about the state of the economy and discussing how his Islamic faith shapes his response to the crisis.

He began by listing the sources of the financial crisis and explained that the state of current economic affairs is at its worst since the 1930s; it could expose world economies to a status of another Depression. He demonstrated his belief that Islam helps provide an architechture toward developing new ways of structuring world economies.

He argued from Islamic teaching that losses must be shared in addition to profits, shared both by financers and entrepreneurs alike. If there is no risk, there is no gain. He quoted from Sura 57 of the Qur'an to illustrate this teaching.

He also discussed the profound increase of American consumption compared to the relatively small change in income. He mentioned that in a short period of time, national debt has increased from three trillion dollars to thirty-three trillion dollars. Likewise, one half of food in the US goes to waste each year. Islam teaches that such actions are unwise and unjust.

He mentioned the Islamic teaching of zakat, the obligation to give 2.5% of wealth to those in need. This percentage is not taken from income alone but the totality of wealth, including all assets of Muslims. This percentage is given each year.

Those present at the dialogue were grateful to Bulent Guler for his technical economic knowledge and for his commitment to charity and justice, springing from his Islamic faith.