Something Positive About Muslims (and Jews)

A few months ago, I shared with you the speech given by the President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) conference. In return, when URJ had their biennial this last week in San Diego, Ingrid Mattson, the President of ISNA, gave a speech. I thought the speech was worth sharing. I have heard Ingrid Mattson speak before and she is wonderful.

This exchange is a part of a larger dialogue project that is being launched. You can check it out at http://urj.org/muslimdialogue/.

House Resolution 847

Representative Steve King of Iowa introduced House Resolution 847: Recognizing the importance of Christmas and Christian faith to the House on December 6th. This resolutions calls for the House of Representatives to express respect and support for Christians as well as acknowledge the historical significance of Christmas.

Speaking as a Christian, this resolution seems silly. Personally, I don't need the House of Representatives to say that Christmas is important to the lives of many Americans. I can look outside during this time of year and see the proof of it with my own eyes. Most houses and businesses are decorated for Christmas and every commercial on tv right now mentions Christmas sales or getting the perfect gift for the special someone.

As well, this resolution hints that it is only Christians and Christianity that founded and shaped our nation. While I would agree that Christianity has played a large role, I don't want to imply that it is the only religion that has shaped our nation. People of many faiths have contributed to the development of the United States and I worry about a resolution that seems to deny their contributions. But this is only my opinion, check out the full text of the resolution and form your own opinion.

Yet Another Post About Hate Against Muslims

My apologies to all those readers who waited patiently through our brief hiatus of posts for our return, only to receive two of my posts in one week about hate against Muslims. Unfortunately, there is a lot to post about.

I was particularly bothered today when, upon reading the latest news, I found an article by the Associated Press about a Clinton staffer who resigned her position after forwarding a chain e-mail to friends and colleagues insinuating that Barak Obama is a Muslim who wants to destroy the United States by being elected to the office of the President.

That is not what bothered me, though. What bothered me was the paragraph that immediately followed, consisting of a single sentence:

"Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ and has never been a Muslim."

It seems to me that the author of this article has completely missed the point. The problem with the e-mail was not that Senator Obama is not a Muslim; the problem with the e-mail is that it equated Islam with subversive behavior and treasonous activities.

Whether or not Senator Obama is or has ever been a Muslim is immaterial to his campaign. If religion must play a role in the political discussion, although I often wish it didn't, let it be the path by which candidates discuss their personal stance on controversial issues, their attitudes towards others and goals for the future, their beliefs about themselves and the world in which we live. Religion is not a tool by which we can judge others based on our personal prejudices and mass stereotypes.


Full text of the article is available here.

Youth Changing Christianity

Young people are changing the face of Christianity according to a report by the Barna Group discussed in the Christian Post

While the image of Christianity in the United States has suffered in recent years with many people seeing it as anti-homosexual, out of touch and hypocritical young faithful people are working to change their religion to meet their views of the spiritual life.

Younger people are less interested in rigid interpretations of the Scripture or routine religious services, seeing them as signs of close-mindedness. Instead more people are embracing "spiritual diversity in conversations and relationships; embracing racial diversity and tolerance...and accepting divergent forms of spiritual community."

Towards a New Beginning

This is in response to an article sent by Rori titled, A Muslim- Christian Handshake (csmonitor.com). This is a phenomenal step in reducing the misunderstandings between the two religions. This outreach has been endorsed by each community's most authoritative councils/ office (by the Pope and 138 Muslim scholars and clerics), which is crucial for its success. If these religious communities realize that their leaders have begun to their resolve the long- standing issues, a gradual end to conflicts is possible. This event demonstrates that interfaith collaborations are possible if we do not let our pride, hatred and ignorance stand in our way. Let's hope that these talks are successful and will lead to a new beginning for religion and its future.

This is the link to the article, if interested: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1204/p08s01-comv.html

Is All Hate Created Equal?

In a country that discusses tolerance as a rule and acceptance as an ideal, do Americans find some hate speech more, well, hateful than others?

In a recent article published by the Christian Science Monitor, correspondent Omar Sacirbey thinks the answer might be a resounding yes.

The latest debate has been sparked by Michael Savage's comments on his nationally syndicated radio show telling listeners that Muslims should be deported, along with rude comments about what they could do with their religion.

Although a number of individuals and corporations have since pulled their advertisements from the show, the comments did not create the same furor that got radio host Dan Imus fired after he denigrated a black women's basketball team. This has led many to question whether the consequences for hate speech against Muslims is less harsh than against other groups.

As the article expounds:

Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson resigned his post as head of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York after suggesting in October that black people are less intelligent than other races. ABC executives decided this year not to invite actor Isaiah Washington back to the cast of the hit TV show "Grey's Anatomy" after he allegedly used an antigay slur. When presidential candidate Jesse Jackson failed to distance himself from anti-Semitic remarks made by Louis Farrakhan in 1983, his campaign suffered. Sen. Trent Lott (R) of Mississippi resigned as majority leader in 2002 after jokingly suggesting that America would be better off today had Strom Thurmond, the late South Carolina senator, won the presidency in 1948, when he campaigned as a segregationist.

On the other hand, presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani has endured little scrutiny for touting an endorsement this month from TV evangelist and onetime presidential candidate Pat Robertson, who has called Islam "Satanic" and the prophet Muhammad "a wild-eyed fanatic."

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 35 percent of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Muslims, and increase from 29 percent in March of 2002. The same survey shows a rise in the number of people who say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence.

In the land of the free and the home of the brave, is tolerance a rule only for those we believe deserve tolerance?