A presentation called “Faith Without Fear: Standing With Our Muslim Neighbors” will take place at 3 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. It is an effort to teach local leaders about the “Islamophobia industry,” which the speakers say distorts people’s perceptions of the world’s second largest religion. Lower Columbia Interfaith Advocates, a coalition of local faith communities, is the sponsor.

The speakers, Anacortes native and Lutheran pastor Terry Kyllo and Seattle-based lawyer and Muslim Aneelah Afzali, both say they want people of other faiths, particularly Christians, to understand that they have more in common with Muslims than they might expect.

“There’s a lot of divisiveness, and not a lot of understanding,” said Afzali, the executive director for the Muslim Association of Puget Sound. “We want to build the bridges to make this a better country and have better communities.”

Afzali said it can be crucial just for some Americans to simply meet a Muslim in person.

“The reality, unfortunately, is that the majority of Americans don’t personally know a Muslim and don’t know much about Islam,” Afzali said. “That’s a recipe for disaster when we have an industry that is perpetuating fear and spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that the number of organizations it labels as “anti-Muslim hate groups,” such as ACT for America, has skyrocketed in recent years, jumping from 34 in 2015 to 101 in 2016. These groups stage rallies, distribute literature and lobby lawmakers for anti-Islamic policies.

The University of California-Berkeley found that between 2008 and 2013, certain Islamophobic groups earned more than $200 million in cumulative revenue.

The Faith Over Fear tour will visit 10 cities around Western Washington. Longview is the first stop. Kyllo said outside of visits to Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, he and Afzali intentionally chose to speak in smaller towns, such as Port Orchard and Mount Vernon.

“It’s just really important to us that we have these conversations across the state, and not just in Seattle or Tacoma or Portland, “ said Kyllo, who grew up in a small Eastern Washington town.

Afzali said she and Kyllo are looking forward to starting a dialogue with the citizens in Cowlitz County, where an Islamic presence is nearly non-existent.

“We really wanted to speak to other communities, particularly small towns where they might not know American Muslims,” she said. “I actually anticipate that in some cases, I might be the first Muslim some people have encountered in real life, as opposed to on TV or elsewhere. We’re reaching out to Trump supporters, evangelical Christians. …We want to go beyond the Seattle area, because in other areas, these conversations are not happening.”

Afzali acknowledged that the attacks of Islamic terrorist organizations make it challenging to dispel suspicion about Muslims in general, but she emphasizes the similarities between Muslims and other Americans.

“We’re helping to change the narrative by giving (skeptics) facts and data, but also recognize that when people’s fears are about physical things (like safety), sometimes the facts aren’t enough to change minds,” Afzali said. “We really want to try to address where that fear is rooted, where it’s coming from, and how we can address the common concerns. American Muslims are like all Americans. We’re also concerned about national safety, and we want to make this country great.”

Kyllo said he feels compelled to stand with Muslims as both an American and a Christian, while Afzali will discuss how the Islamophobia movement is funded, the movement’s messages, and how it undermines everyone’s human rights.

Kyllo said he and Afzali make for a great team, as Afzali can speak personally about the experiences of a Muslim American, while Kyllo acts a Christian ally.

“I try to use my white male Christian privilege to create a space where people can hear Muslims for the first time,” he said.

Reverend Kathleen Patton of St. Stephen’s said she is excited to have her church host this event, which she feels is necessary.

“I think in our town, it’s difficult to be Muslim,” Patton said. “I think it’s easy for white folks and Christian folk to overlook the prejudice in our community and not really understand what types of challenges (Muslims) face. I think it’s important for people who want to be good neighbors to have an opportunity to learn about those challenges and how to learn to make Longview the friendliest, most welcoming, safest community it can be.”

Although Afzali expects some pushback, she and Kyllo hope to soften peoples’ views towards Islam.

“I think we’ve living in a time where we’ve forgotten how to recognize other human beings,” Kyllo said. “Human capacity for tribalism is getting the best of us, and I don’t think we have to live like that.”

“We really want to give people this opportunity, and we really hope people turn out,” Afzali said. “We want to do something that recognizes that we’re all in this together as Americans.”