The Foreign Service Journal, October 2003

that terror finds opportune condi- tions in chaos, poverty and misinfor- mation, then missionary efforts to better the conditions of local popula- tions are worthy of our attention and, when appropriate, our support. One missionary told me of an instance when an American missionary-run hospital in a given country felt threat- ened by a new local administrator. The new administrator stirred up demonstrations outside the hospital and threatened worse. The hospital contacted the embassy, which asked the central government to transfer the local administrator to another area. This kind of intervention is entirely appropriate. Conversely, there are probably also instances when we should advise mis- sionaries that their activities are inap- propriate and possibly even dangerous to them and their fellow Americans. If we have already built up some credi- bility in the missionary community, they might even listen to us in such cases. Get comfortable with religion and religious people. Before we can be effective as diplomats in the religious world, we have to understand that milieu. Books are a good start, but to really understand religion, we must experience it with religious peo- ple firsthand. I remember visiting a mosque in San Diego as part of a university requirement. My professor knew that experiencing Islamic worship in a mosque with Muslims was different than just reading about Islam in a book. I had to take my shoes off at the door and sit separately from my girl- friend. This kind of experience is important for all of us, but especially for those who have not had much per- sonal religious experience. In that connection, let me empha- size that it is not necessary for Foreign Service personnel to become religious in order to understand religion and appreciate its importance. Nor is it necessary for all of us to become reli- gious experts. But there is currently a deficit in this area that we need to address. Toward that end, I have list- ed some resources which may be help- ful (see p. 16). There are also good diplomatic rea- sons to meet religious people from the local community. Religious leaders can give us feedback about how our image or policies are faring in their communities and help us to sharpen our message. Good relationships with local religious leaders also provide us O C T O B E R 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 17 S P E A K I N G O U T