Faith Leaders as Violence Prevention Partners: An Empirical Study of Professional Development for Building Campus Resilience to Hate

This study underscores an empirical and novel effort in the form of a professional development program designed for Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Indigenous faith leaders that: i) introduced faith leaders to the Educational Displacement Model of Radicalization; ii) offered interactive activities and engagements to highlight the power of interfaith collaboration and cooperation in building a community’s resilience to hate; and iii) recognized the importance of faith leaders’ voice and practice in violence prevention frameworks across the United States of America with special emphasis on university and college campuses. The findings demonstrate that the capacities of faith leaders to unify communities in times of crisis, especially in light of protests across campuses following October 7th, can be strengthened through innovative pedagogical practices and effective interfaith engagement. Notably, while certain attitudes could be influenced through short-term interventions, others remained resistant to immediate and single-exposure change, reflecting views more deeply embedded within long-standing belief structures. These findings aim to spur further empirical research and evidence-based professional development programming with faith communities in service of violence prevention, and they speak directly to the impact and effectiveness of educational programming on preventing radicalization and targeted violence while building resilience and belonging for faith communities internationally. • Examines the impact of educational Programming for Faith Leaders at the intersection of Violence Prevention and Education. • Highlights the significance of Faith Leaders as key stakeholders in preventing hate and hate-fueled violence. • Showcases the application of “Educational Displacement Theory” within a Professional Training for Faith Leaders. • Recognizes the importance of international organizations whose mission is centered on Interfaith Collaboration and countering extremism.