Summary Of Acts Of Faith By Eboo Patel

Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel is a book about the journey of Patel, who struggled with his own religious identity but founded an organization that celebrates all religions and helps the world around them. Eboo Patel’s relationship with his own religion, events in his life, and his conversations with figures such as the Dalai Lama all helped him to reach his own potential in religious understanding, and help others do the same through the Interfaith Youth Core. The two major sects of Islam are Sunni and Shi’a. The Sunni make up the largest division of Islam, and contain about five-sixths of the Muslim population. (Oxtoby, 278) The Sunni believe that the Prophet Muhammad never chosen a successor at the end of his life. They follow the sunnah,

When Patel notices one of his old classmates at college, he attempted to call out her name, but she wouldn’t answer. When astonished that she was clearly ignoring him, he asked another student what that was about, who said, “’It happens to a lot of Koreans when they go to college. They become more involved in their own ethnicity and culture. They hang out only with other Koreans.’” (Patel, 38) This became a theme throughout Patel’s college experience; college students attempting to “de-whiten” themselves. Another example was when Patel had a class with the Allen Hall black student union president. Patel suggested that the president run for Allen Hall Council, and the president proceeded to curse Allen Hall Council and say, “’Everything I do, I do for black people.’” (Patel, 38) After several experiences like this, Patel came to realize, “the world, and one’s place in it, was entirely defined by the color of one’s skin, the income of one’s parents, and the shape of one’s genitalia.” (Patel, 39). These formative events caused him to have a negative and cynical view of the world and the people in it. It wasn’t until years later that he was truly able to use love instead of hate to make a

Instead of pursuing Islam or Judaism, they were trying to find spirituality through Buddhist meditation and practice. First as Kevin spoke to the Dalai Lama, it was as if the Dalai Lama confirmed Kevin’s religious traditions, and comforted him. The Dalai Lama talked about how Buddhism and Judaism are similar in comparison, and encouraged him to learn more about Buddhism to “become a better Jew.” (Patel, 94) As Patel was observing this interaction, he remembered the times he tried to practice Buddhist meditation and the words that came into his mind, “Ya Ali, Ya Muhammed” and he realized how deeply engraved Islam was in his identity. When the Dalai Lama turned to Patel, the Dalai Lama told Patel how Muslims and Buddhists have lived in harmony for centuries. These conversations with the Dalai Lama helped both Kevin and Eboo Patel to fully understand the importance of their religious identity; they both continued to learn more about their own faiths to deepen their