By Rori Picker, Associate for Interfaith Relations, RFP-USAMy last blog post spoke about Muslim Americans and the discrimination that they face in America. As I quoted, the cover story of USA Today on August 9, 2006 reported that:Thirty-nine percent of respondents to the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll said they felt at least some prejudice against Muslims. The same percentage favored requiring Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to carry a special ID "as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United States." About one-third said U.S. Muslims were sympathetic to al-Qaeda, and 22% said they wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors.
And actions speak louder than words. According to 2005 Hate Crime Statistics released by the US Department of Justice, anti-Islamic hate crimes were the second most prevalent type of hate crime reported last year. Although the worst wave of violence against Muslims and Arabs subsided three months after September 11, the FBI reports a significant rise in hate crimes against these two groups compared to before 9/11.
And these numbers continue to steadily rise. According to a 2005 report on the Status of Muslim Civil Rights in the United States, published by the Center on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the number of incident reports of civil rights cases in 2004 rose 49-percent compared with reported cases in 2003 and marked the highest number of cases reported to CAIR in their eleven year history.
Where do we learn this hate? An article in the November 8, 2006 St. Louis Today points out that we might just be getting it from the pulpit.
The Rev. David Clippard, executive director the Missouri Baptist Covention, a fellowship of 2,000 Baptist congregations, spoke at their annual conference last week and "chose to fan the flames of intolerance and fear." Amidst applause and cheers he declared to the 1,200 convention delegates:
"Today, Islam has a strategic plan to defeat and occupy America. They are after your sons and daughters... Your freedon is on the floor with their foot on it, with their sword raised, and if you don't convert, your head comes off."
This is only one example of what has become a prevalent trend in temples of all forms of faith traditions.These messages of hate are perhaps the most frightening because of the weight that they carry. Congregants give respect to their clergy and respect to the pulpit, and when a leader of a faith community stands before a congregation and preaches hate, people listen. When those sermons are met with applause and cheers, the clergy continue to spread their message.
The American public must speak up and protest such messages. When individuals hear their spiritual leader spreading such messages, they must voice their opinions or write their concerns-- they must express their disapproval. They must make it very clear that those are not the type of messages they want preached. If the message is not heard, more congregants should be encouraged to voice their concerns. Messages of hate should never be tolerated.
The media often refers to political tensions as "religious wars" or "the clash of civilizations." Let us not get confused by the rhetoric. These wars are most often political wars fought over governmental and economic factors. They only become religious wars when we allow our religious leaders to teach us hate.
Let us not allow hate to be preached from our pulpits. Labels: arab, hate crimes, interfaith, islam, peace, pulpit, violence
Raleb Majadele was seated today after a vote of 59-23 in the Knesset in favor of his appointment. His position gives representation to Israeli Arabs who make up about 20-percent of the 7-million citizens of Israel. As Majadele told AP Television News, his goals as a Cabinet minister will be ''promoting coexistence between the two peoples inside the state, and promoting dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israelis toward negotiations and political agreement.''
