Utah summit launches G20 interfaith forum with call to disagree better

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley and Martin Luther King III opened the G20 Interfaith Forum in Salt Lake City with a push for faith communities to model healthier conflict. The session also featured Jewish and Muslim leaders signing a fraternity declaration as the forum continues Oct. 16-17 at the University of Utah.

Why it matters: - Faith leaders are trying to turn public polarization into practical civic repair. - The opening session framed disagreement as a family, neighborhood and community issue, not just a political one. - The forum also tried to move interfaith dialogue from tolerance toward joint action.

What happened: - The G20 Interfaith Forum opened its first annual U.S. gathering on Oct. 15 at the Historic Tabernacle at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. - Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley and Martin Luther King III headlined a Disagree Better-sponsored dialogue. - Jewish and Muslim leaders closed the afternoon by signing the Jewish–Muslim Declaration of Fraternity in Faith. - The forum continues Oct. 16-17 at the University of Utah under the theme "Resilient Hope, Shared Future." - The full program is available at the forum schedule.

The details: - Cox said his deepest concern is the strain politics is putting on homes and neighborhoods. - Cox said five years ago only 5% of Americans had lost a family member or close friend to politics, and that share is now five times higher. - Cox said disagreeing better does not mean abandoning principles; it means staying curious and acting with charity and love. - Cox said people should value friends more than politics. - Beasley said years fighting hunger in war-torn places taught him that everyone is our brother and sister. - Beasley recalled working to open ports while children in Yemen were dying of starvation. - Beasley said each child should be seen as a little brother or little sister, not a statistic. - King built his remarks around his father’s final book, "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?" - King said the country must choose community over chaos because the current path is not sustainable. - King said faith leadership can advance community when religion helps bring people together instead of pulling them apart. - King said he could have chosen hate after his father and grandmother were killed, but he learned to hate the act, not the person. - All three speakers said healthier relationships require effort, listening and persistence. - Cox said listening to understand, rather than to argue, is a choice. - Beasley urged the audience not to get discouraged. - King said, "We can, we must, and we will do better."

Between the lines: - The opening session linked civic division and interfaith work as part of the same social problem. - The message from Cox, Beasley and King was less about policy prescriptions than about behavior change and moral discipline. - The Declaration of Fraternity in Faith pushed beyond coexistence toward a model where each community lifts the other. - Imam Dr. Talib Shareef said, "We aren’t here to coexist. We’re here to co-elevate." - Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen said real differences between the two faiths should deepen fraternity, not weaken it. - Nagen told attendees to find a friend from another tradition and ask, "What can I learn from you?" - The Jewish–Muslim Fraternity Project launched at the 2025 IF20 Summit in Cape Town and returned with the declaration in Salt Lake City.

What’s next: - Shareef and Nagen invited attendees to add their signatures to the declaration in the days ahead. - A follow-up session will focus on the declaration and broader Abrahamic cooperation: "The Abrahamic Family: Shared Values, Deep Roots, Joint Action." - Additional forum sessions are scheduled at the University of Utah through Oct. 17.

The bottom line: - The G20 Interfaith Forum used its U.S. debut to argue that repairing public life starts with faith communities choosing empathy, discipline and action over contempt.