HEALING THE WOUNDS
Of September 11, 2001
Despite the fact that the
world had become a global village, sometimes followers of faith traditions live
in small huts of their own, never opening their doors to venture outside to see
how other people live or believe. Thus, our apprehension of each other is
sometimes a result of our not knowing one another.
Knowing each other is not only a social need but a divine injunction. Just
because a person has a skin color different from mine, was born in a land
different from where I was born, or prays to the same God but in a different
manner or in a different language, he or she does not become less worthy of my
love and respect for his life and views. We need to know and respect others'
religious beliefs and their cultures.
However, there seems to be resistance and objection to the interfaith process
from orthodox religious factions. This unnecessary fear of the other is the
reason for the interfaith.
Interfaith is not giving up one's faith or compromising one's beliefs but a
process of self-education about others through interactions and exchange of
views. It is coming together on a common ground as fellow human beings.
In a world full of hostility, we must instill love and achieve mutual trust and
respect. We Americans must tell the rest of the world that we do not like to
import centuries-old hatred into our fertile soil. It is not necessary of 85
different nationalities and 14 different religions which comprise the nation of
the United States, to completely melt down and lose their ethnic and religious
identity. Thus, the concept of "melting pot" must change to a "salad bowl", in
which all the ingredients are encouraged to preserve and display their distinct
individual tastes and flavors.
In Indianapolis, through the interfaith process, we have matured via programs
like Interfaith Seder, Ramadan, Thanksgiving, community service projects (such
as refurbishing homes for the poor and giving new underwear to children in
need), and through our participation with the Mayor, fighting violence and crime
in our community. In this way, we have brought together people from different
faiths and ethnic backgrounds and have hopefully helped them to know each other
better, in an attempt to please our common Creator and enjoy religious harmony,
a hallmark of American life.
We need the interfaith for world peace. The present Millennium, at least the
last 100 years, has been one of the bloodiest. In less than 100 years, we have
seen two world wars, the second one killed at least 30 million people including
6 million jews who died in the Holocaust.
Korean War, Vietnam War, the use of Atom bombs, Arab/Israeli wars,
India/Pakistan wars. Gulf wars, concentration camps, and ethnic cleansing in
Bosnia, 20 million refugees worldwide including 2 million in Bosnia alone.
We need peace at the home front as well. The only superpower left is losing the
social war at home. Forty million Americans are below the poverty level
including 10 million children, 2 million are homeless. There are 5,000 homeless
in our own city. There are 40 million Americans without medical care, 1.5
million teenage pregnancies per year, 1.2 million abortions every year. There
are 15 million alcoholics, and 1 of 10 high school students is on drugs, 500,000
children are abused every year and 200,000 women are raped every year. Every
day, over 3,000 children run away from home of which close to 1,00 are abused.
In our own city this year, in the first 3 months 160 murders have taken place.
We need peace in our homes and our community first. We need peace with ourselves
and peace with our Creator. The new Millennium ought to be different. Let the
people of faith and goodwill work together to turn into a 1,000 years of peace,
prosperity, and love. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has foretold "after many years of
bad times, an era will come when humanity will commit itself to God and there
will be peace and prosperity in the whole world". On the threshold of the next
Millennium, we have a duty towards the world and fellow human beings. It is our
unilateral obligation to invite everyone and work together in building a better
and peaceful world - a world which is free from oppression and exploitation,
where rights are reality and where justice prevails over hypocrisy.
What should we do? Talk of peace or prayer, for peace alone is not enough. It
should be combined with peaceful action. We must agree on human bond. Injustice
brings out hostile response therefore injustice must stop. Dr. Martin Luther
King said "True peace is not merely absence of tension, but presence of
justice". "More justice, more peace". As mentioned in the Jewish Thalmud.
I propose we should become trees, i.e. become as compassionate as trees. When a
tree extends its shade to a tired traveler, it does not ask the question what is
your religion, color, race or language. When a tree allows a bird to sit on it,
to sing or make a nest, it does not ask where she came from and where she is
going, but we humans ask all these questions from a fellow human before we give
him or her a place in our heart.
Forgiveness promotes healing of wounds. We want God to forgive us but we are not
forgiving to each other some times. Let us start fresh. "Fight hate with love".
Cardinal Suenens in 1963 said at the United Nations, "Peace requires truth,
Justice as its rule, Love as its driving force and Liberty as its atmosphere".
We Muslims believe in the same God as who is (Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim) Kind and
Merciful, who is As-Salam (the source of peace), who is Al-Wadud (the source of
love), who is Al-Ghafoor (the forgiving) and Al-Adil (the source of justice).
Peace and justice is combined in one.
Let me end this with a prayer of peace and love as taught by the Prophet
Muhammad:
"Prayer of Love" "O Lord, grant us your love, that we love those who love you,
that we do deeds that win your love. Make your love dearer to us than the love
of ourselves, our family and our wealth"
"Prayer for peace" "Our Lord, You are Peace, From you is Peace, Make us live in
Peace, Make us enter into the abode of Peace".
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