By Shakeel Rashed
We are at a peculiar inflection point in our collective history. Trust, that binds us together, has eroded across nearly every institution. Government approval ratings hover near historic lows. Journalism faces accusations of bias from all sides while AI-generated content is making it nearly impossible to distinguish authentic voices from conspiratorial fabrications. Scientific organizations, traditionally one of our most trusted organizations, are being questioned on their motivations. Even religious institutions have seen their moral authority diminished as conflicts like the devastating Gaza war exposed deep divisions over how faith should respond to human suffering. Xenophobia, antisemitism and Islamophobia are on the rise.
Yet as we approach the new year, I find myself hopeful. History shows that periods of institutional collapse often precede renewal. The civil rights movement gained moral force when religious leaders stood together across denominational lines. Today’s crisis might catalyze something similar — Faith communities may offer a grassroots laboratory for rebuilding trust. Not a single movement, but thousands of local experiments in restoring human connection.
Reflecting from the recent viral experiment, where a woman pretends to be a desperate mother needing immediate baby formula for a starving infant and calls various churches to see if they’ll help. The experiment highlighted that often the most marginalized faith communities (a mosque, a buddhist temple and a small catholic church), who understand struggle, were the most helpful while some of the extravagant megachurches declined to help.
Unlike government or media, faith communities operate at human scale. A congregation knows its members’ names. This intimacy and belonging matters because trust isn’t an abstraction; it’s built through repeated, authentic interactions.
The key lies in encouraging interfaith cooperation rooted in genuine respect, not superficial tolerance. When Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, and Buddhist communities work together on shared challenges—addressing homelessness, food insecurity, visiting the elderly—they model something revolutionary: the possibility of serving our common humanity over tribal partisanship. Benjamin Franklin’s observation remains apt: “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Just being able to visit and learn about each other carries more weight than any theological discussion. This year, I learned about consciousness from a series of lectures at a jewish congregation and learnt that a Buddhist temple has a melodious christmas choir. And had the pleasure of hosting several faith groups during our Ramadan iftar.
Faith communities won’t save us alone. But they can model what renewed trust looks like—messy, local, imperfect, yet insistent that our shared humanity matters more than our differences. That would be a beginning worthy of a new year. This is my hope as I take on the role of Board President for Interfaith Action of Central Texas (IACT).
IACT has several opportunities for people of different faiths to work together. Whether it is Red Bench, our ongoing dialogue program designed to improve interfaith understanding and civil discourse or our Passport Program to join us on a journey to the houses of worship and various community celebrations of many different faith traditions every month. For those who are more hands-on we have the hands-on housing program helping the elderly stay where they belong. Outside of IACT, several faith communities provide welcoming programs, some even with delicious ethnic foods.
And here is a unique opportunity. A group of my close friends and associates are working with Austin City Council and city staff to make January 2026 the first official Muslim Heritage Month celebrated by the city. The purpose of Muslim Heritage Month is to show Austinites that their Muslim neighbors are part of the fabric of Austin and have contributed significantly to making this city unique in its own way. This is a great opportunity to learn from muslim authors, entrepreneurs and even an open mic night. Join us, learn and hope it helps us all grow to do better.