Bringing Our Workforce Together to Unite for Peace

Faith is powerful.  It comforts us when calamity strikes, it consoles us when we experience tragedy, and it fills us with hope to continue moving forward.  For me, to believe is to have faith that, no matter the circumstances, there is a greater purpose worth living for.  Faith allows us to choose love and mercy, and to nurture the soul and feel human.  To me, faith is more than an emotion; it is a visceral part of my existence.  

I am filled with despair when I see images of the evil of war.  I turn to the one thing that has always been a constant in my life: my faith, Islam.  My deep conviction in my religious beliefs and moral values drives me to not only mourn the great loss of life and condemn the evils of the world, but also find a way to serve. 

I joined the State Department five years ago as a Pickering Fellow and continue to proudly serve as a foreign service officer.  My sense of duty and service comes from my identity as a practicing Muslim and my background as a Pakistani-American immigrant who grew up in the Washington, D.C. area.  When a Muslim employee organization was formally established at the State Department in 2020, it was natural for me to volunteer for the board to lend my talents and time in service to making the Department a more inclusive place.  During the course of my three years serving on the board of American Muslims and Friends at State (AMFAS), one thing was clear throughout all our programming: as young leaders, we took pride in serving faithfully, staying true to our values and firm belief that everyone should be allowed to bring their whole self to the workplace.  

On October 30, AMFAS partnered with other faith-based employee organizations at the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to host a “Moment of Silence in Unity and Peace” to honor the lives of innocent civilians who have passed in ongoing world conflicts.  During this important moment of community, I was proud to stand alongside my colleagues from Jewish Americans in Diplomacy, GRACE (Christian fellowship group at the Department of State), USAID’s Jewish Affinity Group, and the USAID Muslim Employee Resource Group.   

The program was put together by and for employees to showcase to the workforce and Department leadership that we stand united against terrorism and hate around the world—and in our own hometowns in the United States.  Regardless of our different faith traditions, we stood in solidarity for peace and justice at the Harry S. Truman building in Washington, D.C., the Foreign Service Institute in Virginia, and virtually at posts around the world.   

The gathering we put together showed how strongly we feel about peace and the value of life.  Together we stood there, shoulder to shoulder, and many hand in hand, to offer space for our colleagues to take a moment and reflect on the current conflicts and loss of innocent lives. 

We diplomats work every day to make the world a better place.  We work with our partners in every corner of the world and sometimes we bear witness to horrific situations. It does not mean that we are immune.  Even we need a moment to reflect and support each other. 

Recognizing that times of war bring faith to the forefront, we hope to draw inspiration from our faiths to console one another and take care of one another. Because at the core of what we do is see one another as human beings with dignified lives. 

There is no doubt that religion is a powerful force in people’s lives. It is up to us, as foreign policy leaders, to harness the unifying potential of faith, which teaches forgiveness, love, and reconciliation.  I am proud to serve faithfully. 

About the Author: Mariya Ilyas is the Foreign Service Co-Chair of American Muslims and Friends at State