Provoking Peace Podcast
Provoking Peace is where assumptions unravel, stories unfold, and the unexpected becomes the conversation. Hosted by one Muslim woman and one Jewish woman, this podcast challenges stereotypes and invites you into honest, sometimes uncomfortable, but always meaningful dialogue. In a world that often pits us against each other, we choose connection.
Each episode offers a window into what it means to build trust across lines of difference - not by avoiding the hard stuff, but by stepping into it with curiosity and courage. We explore faith, identity, politics, friendship, and everything in between - with humor, heart, and humility. Whether we're interviewing changemakers, unpacking global events, or sharing moments from our own lives, Provoking Peace is your invitation to listen differently, think deeper, and find common ground where you least expect it. Because disrupting assumptions isn't just possible - it's powerful. And peace? Sometimes it starts with a little provocation. Tighten your bra straps – its going to be a bumpy ride!
Provoking Peace Podcast
Listening Across Difference: Sacred Spaces, Storytelling & Interfaith Community with Dr. Celene Ibrahim & Vanessa Avery
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In this episode of Provoking Peace, we are joined by Dr. Celene Ibrahim, scholar of Islamic intellectual history and gender studies, and Vanessa Avery, interfaith leader and Executive Director of Sharing Sacred Spaces, for a rich and wide-ranging conversation on interfaith dialogue, deep listening, sacred space, and rebuilding community in polarized times.
Celene and Vanessa share their personal journeys into interreligious work. Shaped by multifaith upbringings, academic study, and lived experience navigating religious identity across Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other traditions. Both reflect on how interfaith engagement is not just an intellectual pursuit, but a deeply embodied, relational practice rooted in listening, vulnerability, and dignity.
The conversation explores practical tools for interfaith dialogue, including structured story-sharing, deep listening exercises, and awareness of the emotional and bodily responses that arise in difficult conversations.
Key Takeaways
- Interfaith dialogue is most effective when grounded in deep listening, empathy, and structured storytelling.
- Sacred spaces and architecture provide powerful entry points for understanding religious meaning and shared humanity.
- Media representations play a significant role in shaping stereotypes about religious communities—and can be challenged through awareness and advocacy.
- “Brave spaces” require trust, dignity, and shared norms for navigating productive disagreement.
- Young people are often eager to engage across difference but may feel skeptical about systemic change without lived examples of hope.
- Religious and secular worldviews alike are shaped by moral frameworks, values, and assumptions that benefit from honest dialogue.
- Faith-based communities play a crucial role in rebuilding social fabric through care, service, and belonging.
- Interfaith work is as much about self-reflection as it is about understanding others.
About the Guests
Dr. Celene Ibrahim
Dr. Celene Ibrahim is a multidisciplinary scholar specializing in Islamic intellectual history, gender studies, comparative religion, and ethics. She is the author of Women and Gender in the Qur’an and a trusted media voice on Islam and interreligious relations, with appearances on NPR, PBS, and Netflix. She is a faculty member at Groton School, where she teaches Religious Studies and Philosophy and serves as Muslim Chaplain.
Vanessa Avery
Vanessa Avery is a longtime interfaith leader, religious studies scholar, and advocate for religious diversity and inclusion. She is the Executive Director of Sharing Sacred Spaces, an organization dedicated to building interfaith community through visits to sacred spaces, dialogue training, and relationship-building. Vanessa lectures on interfaith engagement and has authored numerous articles on world religions, nonviolence, and peacebuilding.
Notable Quotes
“Listening deeply is a spiritual practice. When we recreate someone’s story, we recreate their world.”
Resources Mentioned
Books
- Women and Gender in the Qur’an — Dr. Celene Ibrahim
https://www.routledge.com/Women-and-Gender-in-the-Quran/Ibrahim/p/book/9780367507768
Organizations / Initiatives
- Sharing Sacred Spaces
https://www.sharingsacredspaces.org - Groton School – Religious Studies & Philosophy
https://www.groton.org/academics/religious-studies-philosophy - Spiritual Playdate
https://www.spi