"Welcome to the Faith Club. We're three mothers from three faiths — Islam, Christianity, and Judaism — who got together to write a picture book for our children that would highlight the connections between our religions. But no sooner had we started talking about our beliefs and how to explain them to our children than our differences led to misunderstandings. Our project nearly fell apart."

After September 11th, Ranya Idliby, an American Muslim of Palestinian descent, faced constant questions about Islam, God, and death from her children, the only Muslims in their classrooms. Inspired by a story about Muhammad, Ranya reached out to two other mothers — a Christian and a Jew — to try to understand and answer these questions for her children. After just a few meetings, however, it became clear that the women themselves needed an honest and open environment where they could admit — and discuss — their concerns, stereotypes, and misunderstandings about one another. After hours of soul-searching about the issues that divided them, Ranya, Suzanne, and Priscilla grew close enough to discover and explore what united them.

The Faith Club is a memoir of spiritual reflections in three voices that will make readers feel as if they are eavesdropping on the authors' private conversations, provocative discussions, and often controversial opinions and conclusions. The authors wrestle with the issues of anti-Semitism, prejudice against Muslims, and preconceptions of Christians at a time when fundamentalists dominate the public face of Christianity. They write beautifully and affectingly of their families, their losses and grief, their fears and hopes for themselves and their loved ones.And as the authors reveal their deepest beliefs, readers watch the blossoming of a profound interfaith friendship and the birth of a new way of relating to others.

In a final chapter, they provide detailed advice on how to start a faith club: the questions to ask, the books to read, and most important, the open-minded attitude to maintain in order to come through the experience with an enriched personal faith and understanding of others.

Pioneering, timely, and deeply thoughtful, The Faith Club's caring message will resonate with people of all faiths.

For more information or to start your own faith club visit www.thefaithclub.com

"In the wake of 9/11, Idliby, an American Muslim of Palestinian descent, sought out fellow mothers of the Jewish and Christian faiths to write a children's book on the commonalities among their respective traditions. In their first meeting, however, the women realized they would have to address their differences first. Oliver, an Episcopalian who was raised Catholic, irked Warner, a Jewish woman and children's author, with her description of the Crucifixion story, which sounded too much like 'Jews killed Jesus' for Warner's taste. Idliby's efforts to join in on the usual 'Judeo-Christian' debate tap into a sense of alienation she already feels in the larger Muslim community, where she is unable to find a progressive mosque that reflects her non-veil-wearing, spiritual Islam. The ladies come to call their group a 'faith club' and, over time, midwife each other into stronger belief in their own respective religions. More Fight Club than book club, the coauthors pull no punches; their outstanding honesty makes for a page-turning read, rare for a religion nonfiction book. From Idliby's graphic defense of the Palestinian cause, Oliver's vacillations between faith and doubt, and Warner's struggles to acknowledge God's existence, almost every taboo topic is explored on this engaging spiritual ride." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Each wave of immigrants to our inclusive society learns to define its identity within the larger culture. The challenge they all face is to harmonize their traditions and beliefs with the values and loyalties Americans hold in common. The violence and tragedy of Sept. 11 was the catalyst that brought together three American women who were strangers to one another — one Jewish, one Episcopalian and... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) one Muslim, all intelligent, well educated, sensitive and articulate. They sought, each from her own perspective, to examine the rage, the panic, the grieving and the myriad unanswered questions that arose in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Their purpose was to write a children's book that would highlight the values held in common by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

They quickly came to realize how little they knew about each other's traditions and how much they needed, initially, to deal with their own prejudices and stereotypes. They began meeting in each other's homes, and over the next three years they questioned their religious practices, life in this world and the next, the efficacy of prayer, relationships with aging parents and the transmission of their beliefs to their young. They struggled with issues in their own religious communities, with which they were not always in agreement, and probed the tensions between faith and reason. After countless soul-searching meetings, they grew close enough to explore what united them and to write about their experience in a book titled 'The Faith Club.'

The dialogue among the three friends comes across as genuine and thoughtful. They try valiantly to be frank with one another, which becomes easier as they learn to trust one another's motives and to respect each other's integrity. Each woman finds social and emotional support, familiarity and comfort within her own faith community, which also provides her and her children with a deep sense of belonging. Most important, the women learn that with listening comes understanding.

Each came to the project with her emotional baggage. Suzanne Oliver left the Catholic Church and converted to Episcopalianism because women couldn't become priests. She felt isolated when she left her calm Kansas City home for Manhattan, where she believed her business colleagues, armed with Ivy League degrees, looked down on her for having graduated from a Texas university. In college she had felt like an outsider because she was on a full scholarship 'amid lots of oil-rich Texans with shiny BMWs and boxes of gold jewelry.'

Priscilla Warner came from a Reform Jewish background. She had attended a Hebrew day school from which her father 'abruptly pulled' her, sending her to a Quaker school. She deeply resents the label of 'Christ killer,' which she detects over and over again in the popular culture and media. She is frank in articulating the ingrained sensitivity born of Judaism's long and difficult history.

Ranya Idliby was reared in Dubai and went to college in the United States. She struggles to separate the universal values of Islam from extremism in the Muslim world, because she says she 'could no longer resign myself to just accepting the prevailing image of Islam.' At every turn she faces news of yet another suicide bomber or terrorist attack by Muslims whose beliefs are far from her own.

The conversations recorded in this book engage our attention as the women search out spiritual values common to all the three faiths and learn more about their own in the process. They agree that 'faith is never free of contradictions, never as tidy as a textbook,' that 'faith is not the domain of one group or another,' and that 'faith is sometimes just the act of getting up in the morning, putting both feet on the floor, and standing up.'

The book bogs down, though, when politics intrude. Idliby accepts no approach to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians but her own. No shadow of doubt troubles her as she aggressively pursues her political agenda, nor does she acknowledge the slightest responsibility for her side. Warner, with very little knowledge of the subject, eagerly assumes full responsibility and guilt for her side. She is not Idliby's equal in the political discussion, and the book departs from its original goal. The politics become a distraction from the book's quest for transcendent truths.

Interfaith dialogues whose purpose is to search for spiritual commonality simply do not work when they mix current political disputes with timeless spiritual values. It's a shame because the progress the women achieved is undermined by a one-sided political digression. 'Faith Club' becomes a misnomer." Reviewed by Naomi Harris Rosenblatt, the author of "Wrestling With Angels" and "After the Apple," she can be contacted at naomiharri(at symbol)aol.com she can be contacted at naomiharri(at symbol)aol.com, Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group)
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"[E]ngaging....The three charming narrators transform potentially dry theological discourses into personal, intimate heart-to-hearts....An invitation to discussion that's hard to turn down — and a natural for book groups." Kirkus Reviews

"Brimming with passion and conviction, and concluding with suggestions for starting a similar faith club, this is essential reading for anyone interested in interfaith dialogue." Booklist (Starred Review)

"The world needs this book or others very similar! Highly recommended..." Library Journal

"This book is the real thing: three tough, strong women take on each other's religious differences. Achieving a true sisterhood in faith that crosses the religious traditions, these sassy moms will knock you out." Asma Gull Hasan, author of Why I Am a Muslim and American Muslims: The New Generation

"Violent conflict, painful contradiction, and heated controversy make up the headlines on religion today. But a deeper story is unfolding as well: Three contemporary women — Jew, Christian, and Muslim — search together across the divides of prejudice and fear. Their honesty becomes a path to connection; their courage leads into the ranges of the heart opened by their own religions. Working together, they each arrive where alone they could not go. Read this important book." Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General, World Conference of Religions for Peace

"I loved The Faith Club because it provides hope for mothers of all backgrounds that it is indeed possible to create dialogue among us in a post-9/11 world. The book is a brilliant blueprint for creating peace among diverse people everywhere. And if there's one thing about The Faith Club I have faith in, it's that it will catch fire among women's groups and book clubs across America." Donna Dees-Thomases, author of Looking for a Few Good Moms and founder of the Million Mom March

"Millions of Americans crave a way to have interfaith conversation but have no idea where to begin. This book is a great place to start. The Faith Club is unfailingly honest, always engaging, and even suspenseful. The authors have set a path that many more will want to follow. I raced to the end to see how it all turned out. Hurrah!" Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and Where God Was Born

A groundbreaking book about Americans searching for faith and mutual respect, The Faith Club interweaves the stories of three women, their three religions, and their urgent request to understand one another.

Ranya Idliby grew up with a foot in the East — Dubai — and a foot in the West — Mclean, Virginia. She takes personal issue with Rudyard Kipling's The Ballad of East and West, for she feels that she is living proof that, though East is East and West is West, the twain shall and must meet. Her maiden name, Tabari, derives its roots from Tiberias, a Palestinian town by the Sea of Galilee. She likes to think that her interfaith experience harkens back to her family roots, and that as a Palestinian Muslim she embraces Jesus as a Palestinian Jew who walked on water by her ancestral home, near the Sea of Galilee. At Georgetown University, where she was introduced, to the art of pulling all-nighters, NoDoz, Bazooka gum, and dorm keg parties, she graduated from the School of Foreign Service. She then continued her post-graduate degree at the London School of Economics, where she learned to appreciate milk delivered to her doorstep in glass bottles as well as the English preoccupation with the weather. When she enrolled for the PhD program at the LSE, her hitherto supportive father dubbed her a "student for life." When love and marriage found her in New York City, she decided to shelf her thesis on Iraq, for Saddam was no match for the delighted squeals of her daughter's first taste of applesauce. Today, she continues to celebrate the joys of motherhood and family life with her husband and two children and feels blessed that the Faith Club has allowed her to become a student of life.

Suzanne Oliver grew up in Kansas City, Mo. where she made her first communion at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church and played guitar at the school masses at St. Thomas More School. During high school at the all-girls St. Teresa's Academy she learned Latin from the gray-haired and good-humored Sr. Mary Alma and chemistry and physics from the wise Sr. Paul Joseph. She majored in English Literature and German at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, home of Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant, but her favorite college year was spent at the Institute of European Studies in Vienna, Austria, where people could finally pronounce her maiden name, Loeffelholz. There she fell in love with Austrian composers, Gustav Klimt, Viennese art nouveau, café mélange, and the Austrian wurststand. After moving to New York City she worked as an editorial assistant at Woman's Day magazine special issues. But after three weeks of secretarial work, she quit to become a staff writer at Boardroom newsletters. From there she moved to Financial World magazine, Forbes magazine (where she became a senior editor) and SmartMoney.com (where she was managing editor). She lives with her husband and three children in New York City, where she manages to juggle Faith Club work with the busy schedules of her children. During the summers, they escape to Jaffrey Center, NH, where very little happens.

Priscilla Warner grew up in Rhode Island, the state founded by Roger Williams, a champion of religious freedom. Her parents sent her to a Hebrew Day school, where she studied Torah, Jewish history and Hebrew. Then they enrolled her in a Quaker school, where she attended silent meetings, sang hymns in chapel, and songs to baby Jesus every year at Christmas time. Priscilla spent many hours fishing with her father in the waters off Rhode Island, near tiny towns called Galilee and Jerusalem, giving her time to think, worry and wonder about all of the weighty questions she later posed to Ranya and Suzanne in her Faith Club. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, where she spent most of her days afraid of the big city and holed up in an art studio, Priscilla became an advertising art director, shooting ads for everything from English muffins to diamond earrings. She fell in love with her husband in Boston and then relocated with him and fell in love with New York City. Inspired by her two sons, she began writing and illustrating children's books. After completing two dozen picture books, two novels and two screenplays, Priscilla received a telephone call, met up with Ranya and Suzanne, and, at the age of 53, is proud to be having her first book published.

CHAPTER ONE In the Beginning
CHAPTER TWO A Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew Walk into a Room...
CHAPTER THREE The Abrahamic Family Feud
CHAPTER FOUR The Crucifixion Crisis
CHAPTER FIVE Stop Stereotyping Me!
CHAPTER SIX Could You Convert?
CHAPTER SEVEN Oh, Where Are You, God?
CHAPTER EIGHT Ranya's Madrassah
CHAPTER NINE The Promised Land
CHAPTER TEN Prayer
CHAPTER ELEVEN Rituals
CHAPTER TWELVE Intimations of Mortality
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Conversations with a Priest, an Imam, and a Rabbi
CHAPTER FOURTEEN A Day of Atonement
CHAPTER FIFTEEN Happy Holidays
CHAPTER SIXTEEN Facing Our Communities
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Awakenings
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Faltering Faith
CHAPTER NINETEEN From Here to Eternity

How to Start a Faith Club
More Faith Club Questions
Bibliography
Acknowledgments