OPINION:
When George Washington penned his famous 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, he rejected the idea of mere “tolerance.” America, he insisted, would not simply permit Jews and other religious minorities to exist under sufferance; it would guarantee them equal standing as citizens. Washington quoted Prophet Micah: “Everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” In other words: religious freedom, pure and simple.
President Trump’s recently announced 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip takes an important step by including a section on religion. It speaks of “interfaith dialogue” and “peaceful coexistence.” These are noble phrases, but there is a danger here: Tolerance and coexistence are not the same as freedom and equality. Tolerance can too easily mean condescension, even subordination. Across the Muslim world, one finds examples of majorities praising “coexistence” while imposing second-class status on religious minorities.
If the goal of the Gaza plan is to build political stability, economic development and a generation free of extremism, mere tolerance will not suffice. The evidence is overwhelming: Societies that institutionalize religious freedom, not just rhetorical coexistence, are more democratic, more prosperous and less prone to violent radicalism. By contrast, repression of religious minorities feeds grievance, stifles innovation and fuels extremism.
Gaza today stands as proof. A generation has grown up under the boot of Hamas, taught to see religion as a weapon of dominance rather than a safeguard of human dignity. If that cycle is ever to be broken, Washington’s model, not the language of “tolerance,” must prevail.
It is understandable that some of the language in the president’s plan reflects the influence of international partners and well-funded initiatives around “interfaith dialogue.” These efforts have their place, but they are no substitute for the real foundation of liberty: a constitutional, enforceable guarantee that people of all faiths may live, work and worship without fear.
President Trump deserves credit for recognizing that religion is central to Gaza’s future, but he should go further, taking his cue from Washington and insisting that redevelopment in Gaza be built on full religious freedom and pluralism. Anything less risks repeating the mistakes of the past and wasting the promise of a better future.
A.J. NOLTE
Director, Israel Institute
Regent University
Virginia Beach. Virginia
Please read our comment policy before commenting.