While I could offer counterarguments and theological
statements in response, I've always been of the persuasion that "more
people act their way into a new way of thinking than think their way into a new
way of acting."
Therefore I would offer this remedy for those who suffer
from the disease of Islamophobia, and make no mistake about it, it is a
disease; it is a disease that threatens to render asunder the tender fabric of
our country; it is a disease that would shake the very foundations of our
country's cherished tradition of liberty and justice for all, make a mockery of
our Statue of Liberty and all that it represents, and undermine our country's
freedom of religion.
And when Islamophobia is spread by those who purport to
be Christian, it brings dishonor on the name of Christianity. But, thankfully,
there is a cure for this disease. Here is the remedy:
Come with me to meet my friends in the Muslim Coalition
of Connecticut. Led by Dr. Reza Mansoor, a prominent cardiologist at Hartford
Hospital, they organized the best presentation I have seen on the need for
universal health care in our country. Our former governor and senator, Lowell
P. Weicker, offered a prophetic keynote address, and Dr. Mansoor offered a
highly enlightened historical perspective on Islam and its emphasis on medical
science.
Also, I was much impressed by the health clinics around
our country that have been established through Muslim generosity and
leadership.
Come with me to a meeting of We Refuse To Be Enemies, an
organization of Jews, Christians and Muslims who are in community with one
another as they work toward a just peace in the Middle East.
Come with me to the Negev desert in Israel and meet a
Muslim Bedouin woman, Amal Abo Alkhom, who visited us in Old Lyme last
November. In March of this year members and friends of our church were welcomed
by Amal and the Muslim members of her community.
True to their great Bedouin tradition of hospitality, out
of their scarcity they provided us with an amazing feast, and we were there for
the proud opening of their new school, a school that Amal helped to start.
Hospitality and education are very important values that our Muslim neighbors
uphold and if one suffers from Islamophobia, there's nothing like being on the
receiving end of their hospitality.
Come with me to Damascus, Syria, where last March members
and friends of our church visited a synagogue, and yes, there are active
synagogues and churches in predominantly Muslim countries. Surrounded by
curious and friendly Muslim onlookers, I invited our group to stand on one leg
and in honor of both Jesus and Rabbi Hillel, we said, "Love God and love
your neighbor as you love yourself."
Come with me to see the film documentary, "The Heart
of Jenin," about Ahmed Khatib, an 11-year-old boy who was shot and killed
by the Israeli Army when they thought that the toy gun he was holding was real.
His Muslim parents donated the boy's organs, with the recipients being both
Israeli and Palestinian children. These grief-stricken parents were humble and
gracious, saying that they found consolation in knowing that their son's organs
were keeping someone else alive, and it didn't matter to them what their race
or nationality or religion might be.
If one suffers from Islamophobia, one doesn't need to
travel very far from home here in southeastern Connecticut, for working
side-by-side with us in our places of employment, schools and non-profit
organizations are some of the most loving and generous people I have known.
Come with me to one of our local mosques where I have had
the privilege of standing side-by-side with my Muslim friends to offer prayers.
In my 35 years of ordained ministry in the United Church
of Christ, among my many joys has been the opportunity to get to know and to
learn from my Muslim brothers and sisters here in Connecticut, to break bread
with them in their homes and in their mosques, to work side by side with them
in building houses for the poor, to laugh with them and cry with them, to pray
together and work together on issues of peace, social justice and human rights.
What a privilege and honor this has been, and in response
to all the Islamophobia I want to express my gratitude publicly for all the
many ways in which my own Christian faith has been strengthened and my soul
enriched by being in a community of friendship with my Muslim neighbors here in
Connecticut. And, if you suffer from this disease of Islamophobia, come with
me, I want to introduce you to some of my friends.