For the past two weeks the media has been full of tributes to
those killed in the infamous 9/11 attacks on the United States. The
official commemorations and personal memories may have caused all
who lived through that tragic time to reconsider our relationship
to global terrorism and the religion of Islam.
For the past two weeks the media has been full of tributes to those killed in the infamous 9/11 attacks on the United States. The official commemorations and personal memories may have caused all who lived through that tragic time to reconsider our relationship to global terrorism and the religion of Islam.
The terrorists who committed these crimes may have wanted to strike fear into the hearts of Americans and to inflame public opinion against Muslims, to divide our society against itself. And they almost succeeded
In the aftermath of these attacks, there were instances of hate crimes: violence against people who appeared to be of Middle Eastern ethnicity and vandalism against mosques. Some people seemed willing to do away with the basic religious freedoms our country has guaranteed since the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791.
For example, a few years ago the opinion page of this newspaper featured many letters from readers who opposed plans by the South Valley Islamic Community to build an Islamic Center in San Martin. More recently there were protests in New York City against a proposal to build an Islamic Center near Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center attack. Fortunately, cooler heads seem to have prevailed, and both plans appear to be progressing, subject to the laws, codes and regulations governing such construction projects.
Despite significant hostility expressed against Muslims in the last decade, a Pew Research Center study reports positive news:
n Most Muslims think the American public is generally friendly or neutral toward them.
n Most Muslims who immigrate to the U.S. want to assimilate, adopting American customs.
n Most Muslims express satisfaction with their lives here, more so than the general public. According to Bakri Musa, a member of the South Valley Islamic Center, “Our faith has flourished in America because of the freedom.”
America’s interfaith community has done much to develop the public’s understanding of Islam helping to dispel ignorance and fear. For example, Shoulder to Shoulder, a national coalition of 26 faith groups, was formed in response to anti-Muslim sentiment.
“If we cower in the face of fanatic minorities, we are lost. This is true for Muslims, and it is true of us all,” said Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the outgoing head of the Union for Reform Judaism.
When Terry Jones, pastor of a fundamentalist church in Florida, burned the Qur’an, the elders and pastor of Utah’s Wasatch Presbyterian Church decided to respond by purchasing 50 copies of the Qur’an and distributing them to the public at no charge. Each copy was marked with the name of the church and the message that members “are not afraid of truth wherever it can be found.”
An article in the September issue of “Presbyterians Today,” the official publication of the Presbyterian Church, USA, seeks to reduce misunderstanding and fear of Islam: “Christian, Muslim and Jewish people share much in common. We value prayer, worship, fasting and tithing, and shun idol worship. We honor and remember Adam, Noah and Moses. We are descendants of Abraham, the patriarch of all three religions. In fact, Christians and Jewish people are recognized within the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book, as ‘people of the Book.’ Muslims even honor Jesus as a great prophet and believe that he will return to earth.
“Islam, like Christianity, is a missionary religion. At the same time, Islam not only affirms that ‘there is no coercion in religion’ but also holds Jews and Christians in high regard. The Qur’an devotes an entire chapter to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and repeatedly calls Jesus the ‘Messiah.’ ”
This effort to show unity among the Abrahamic religions is not limited to the United States. On Sept. 11 in Aberdeen, Scotland, the priest of St. John’s Episcopal Church and the imam (prayer-leader) of the neighboring mosque stood outside their respective houses of worship to read aloud verses from the Old Testament and Qur’an, followed by a community procession. The Episcopal Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney noted, “Those who attacked the Twin Towers were terrorists. They were not representative of the historic traditions of Islam, which like Christianity, has as message of peace and good will that everyone needs to hear.”
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Gilroy’s First Baptist Church (8455 Wren Ave.) is presenting a free concert at 6 p.m. Sept. 25. The Golden State Quartet, based in the Fresno-Bakersfield area, sings “traditional quartet music that is true Southern Gospel plus new, cutting-edge southern Gospel songs.” Sample soundtracks are available at www.goldenstatequartet.org. Donations accepted. For more information, call (408) 847-6000.
