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“…People of the Book! Come to a word common between us and you: that we shall serve none but Allah…” [Qur’an, 3: 64].

Whereas a moral recourse is the most effective approach for inducing lasting impact on individual and collective conduct, an economic, political or military measure is often unwise and proves in time to be counter-productive. The two approaches are diametrically opposed for one obvious reason. The former is a patience-testing outreach effort for inclusiveness with the spirit of fairness, understating and humility. Humility is the substratum of a compassionate society. In contrast, the latter strategy, fueled by arrogance and temptation, aims at optimizing worldly yields and selfish interests, rooted in ethnic and religious prejudices and carried out with a vehemence of alienation and exploitation of the adversary. Strength does not lie in carrying heavy loads, says the Prophet Muhammad (s), a camel can do that; the essence of strength lies in taming your temper and your anger. 

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But all is not doom and gloom; there is a silver lining in the clouds. There are people of conscience and goodwill around, who always rise above racial and religious divides and stand to the test of the time under all circumstances. They are soundly anchored into their belief system; neither do they give up their principles nor are they subdued by reactionary impulses. These people were also shaken up by the atrocity of 9/11 like every one else, but they were able to maintain their moral sanity and rationality. These values are intrinsic to their collective conscience as a result of their true faith. Throughout the country, this segment of the society outpoured its support for the Muslims, as fellow humans, citizens, community members, neighbors and co-workers. Many churches and the synagogues opened their doors to Muslims, invited them to speak to their groups, issued public statements in favor of Islam and Muslims, and offered all kinds of moral support. Likewise, the openness of Muslims to non-Muslims by inviting everybody to the mosques and engaging in interfaith dialogues nationwide immediately after 9/11 has shown that the Muslims have decided to stay in America and live side by side with their fellow Americans.

In Boston, for example, the first televised program was organized just the day after the horrendous event of 9/11 to demonstrate the interfaith solidarity. The Islamic Council of New England (ICNE) was among the participants at the program. It had a soothing effect on the entire community in the New England area to see various religious groups standing shoulder to shoulder during a national crisis, condemning the act of terror and praying for unity and healing. It was particularly re-assuring for the Muslim community to view the Muslim participation at such a time of chaos and confusion. This was because the ICNE had fostered a partnership with various religious groups in the area over the 12 years past. The gestures like that have prevented what could have been a far worse situation. We now know what works; and what work must continue. It is the alliances with people of goodwill that we must build. It is in our national interest, in the interest of our communities, and in the interest of our peaceful co-existence as civilized people. 

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June/July 2003