Eboo Patel, who’s written books on religious pluralism and founded the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, will be the keynote speaker for the University of Dayton’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Address.

“We tried to get him last year, when our theme was Building Community for Social Justice, but couldn’t,” said Sheila Hassell Hughes, chair of the English department and director of the UD Speaker Series. “We were very pleased to get him for this year’s theme, Education for Transformation.”

According to Hughes, Patel was born in India but grew up in Chicago. She said he was a typical teen who didn’t identify strongly with his parents’ Muslim faith.

“He addresses the extremism that religious isolation can breed, and sees the need to breed religious cooperation instead,” Hughes said.

Religious isolation and prejudices can make youth vulnerable to terrorist groups, according to Patel, whose Interfaith Youth Core strives to counteract their prejudices and misunderstandings.

Miguel Diaz, UD’s new minister of faith and culture and former ambassador to the Vatican, knows Patel and will make the introduction.

In addition to his books, Patel is a regular contributor to numerous publications and served on President Barack Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship.

Patel’s presentation will be at UD’s new RecPlex at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 22, and is free and open to the public. Parking is available in C and P lots, and a book signing will follow. The RecPlex is located on campus at the end of Kiefaber St.

“There will be a workshop component later for our students, with staff he’s bringing from the Interfaith Youth Core,” said Hughes. “Next summer, we hope to send a few of our students to his workshops.”