Forgiveness
As I was driving to work the other day I noticed a new billboard that had a picture of the rubble left of the World Trade Center Towers and text that read: "Remember 9/11, No Mosque on Ground Zero."
This year the last day of the Muslim holiday Ramadan fell on 9/11. After a month of fasting the last day, Eid, is a huge day of celebration for them, like our Christmas.
In light of this NPR was interviewing a Muslim leader in charge of a Muslim cultural center in Fresno, California. He said that because 9/11 feel on a day when they would normally celebrate, he had decided to move their day of celebration and their traditional carnival to the day before.
As I was listening to the interview I thought, wow, that is so great that he has so much reverence for 9/11 and that is so respectful. Then he was asked why he did it, and he said out of respect, but he also said out of fear. He also said that Muslims in the area had been persecuted since 9/11.
Back to the billboard reading "Remembering 9/11." The billboard is asking us to remember 9/11 by not allowing a Mosque to be built several blocks away from ground zero. If we were truely "remembering 9/11" we would remember that life is short and bad things happen and their is no time in our lives to hold grudges. Why do so may Americans feel animosity towards Muslims, when it is one extremist group that is to blame?
9/11 should inspire us to be better and to rise above hatred. Why are some compounding the hatred surrounding 9/11 by hating back? Wouldn't it be great if we were so forgiving as to allow a Mosque? We should learn from it to be more loving and forgiving of everyone. Two scriptures come to mind: I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men' D&C 64:10 and D&C 98: 40 And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven (also Matt. 18: 22).
What do you think about it?
This year the last day of the Muslim holiday Ramadan fell on 9/11. After a month of fasting the last day, Eid, is a huge day of celebration for them, like our Christmas.
In light of this NPR was interviewing a Muslim leader in charge of a Muslim cultural center in Fresno, California. He said that because 9/11 feel on a day when they would normally celebrate, he had decided to move their day of celebration and their traditional carnival to the day before.
As I was listening to the interview I thought, wow, that is so great that he has so much reverence for 9/11 and that is so respectful. Then he was asked why he did it, and he said out of respect, but he also said out of fear. He also said that Muslims in the area had been persecuted since 9/11.
Back to the billboard reading "Remembering 9/11." The billboard is asking us to remember 9/11 by not allowing a Mosque to be built several blocks away from ground zero. If we were truely "remembering 9/11" we would remember that life is short and bad things happen and their is no time in our lives to hold grudges. Why do so may Americans feel animosity towards Muslims, when it is one extremist group that is to blame?
9/11 should inspire us to be better and to rise above hatred. Why are some compounding the hatred surrounding 9/11 by hating back? Wouldn't it be great if we were so forgiving as to allow a Mosque? We should learn from it to be more loving and forgiving of everyone. Two scriptures come to mind: I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men' D&C 64:10 and D&C 98: 40 And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven (also Matt. 18: 22).
What do you think about it?
Comments
I read with great interest your post about the NPR story. I am the person who was interviewed by Linda Wertheimer on 9/10.
Thank you for your post. I would like to stress one thing that was not highlighted in your blog.
Fear of becoming a victim of intolerance and hate crimes prompts me to consider the safety of my children and community as my priority. I am sure you would do the same under similar conditions.
Here is what I stated as my first reason to cancel the holiday carnival. "We didn't want any extremists out there to exploit the pain of our country by saying Muslims are celebrating 9/11".
The statement above reflects respect for the innocent victims of 9/11, their families, friends and the entire nation. To cancel a holiday that happened to fall on 9/11, and to cut the way before zealots who are eager to exploit your and my pain is a major step.
Leaders and members of diverse faith communities, including LDS, visited me at the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno on Friday 9/10.
In fact, 400 people showed up to celebrate the holiday with the Muslim community and we all enjoyed a meal together. Indeed, it was a blessed evening shrouded with the love, mercy and compassion spirit of the Divine.
Peace and Blessings
The United States has always allowed freedom of worship to all religions. To halt the building of another Mosque (there are over a dozen already in the lower Manhattan area) which complies with all codes & ordinances would be a slap in the face to our own constitution, and the freedoms so many Americans have lived and died for. As Mormons, we should be particularly sensitive to such prejudice and the threat of government authority being hijacked by any group, even relatives and friends of those killed on 9/11. Death is terrible, but so is dishonoring the freedoms so many others have preserved for us.
Bruce