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Jewish reflections on America's relationship with Islam
By Rabbi Steve Gutow
Last week two disturbing incidents occurred that I hope and pray are not the start of a new trend.
As tensions continue to rise and tempers boil over the proposed creation of an Islamic Cultural Center near the former site of the World Trade Center, I was appalled to hear that a 21-year old New York City resident brutally stabbed a Muslim taxi driver without provocation while another man desecrated a city mosque by urinating on its prayer rugs.
I cannot help but wonder if the rise in temperature over a proposed building of an Islamic house of worship is to blame for these disturbing and despicable acts. Regardless of the roots of the incidents, violence and hatred are never excusable and it is past time that our country's leaders engage in a national conversation on how we as Americans give voice to our views.
The Jewish Council of Public Affairs is the consensus voice of the organized American Jewish community. We consist of 125 Jewish community relations councils and 14 national organizations, including the four organizational bodies making up each of the Jewish community's religious streams. Our membership is diverse and spans the political spectrum - liberal, moderate and conservative.
As the president of JCPA, I am dismayed to see the recent incidents of stereotyping, scapegoating and bigotry directed at Muslim Americans for no reason other than their religious identity, and I deplore such incidents and the attitudes that give rise to them.
As a rabbi, I am especially sensitive to these immoral acts and recognize their corrupting influence on our society.
There is no doubt that a proposal to build a mosque and Muslim community center in lower Manhattan has stirred up a great deal of passion and controversy, but perhaps the intense feelings on all sides of the issue will allow us to have, in the vernacular of today, a teachable moment.
Regardless of what one thinks about the placement of the proposed Cordoba House, there is no room in American society for the daily bigotry that Muslim Americans endure. A small, but vocal, minority of those opposed to the mosque has exhibited some reprehensible bigotry. The demonization and demagoguery we have all witnessed tear at the heart of our pluralistic society. Jewish groups across the board have condemned such rhetoric and actions as unfair and wrong. We must find ways to treat one another with greater care and to debate issues with more civility.
Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of American democracy. While some have expressed concern about the lack of sensitivity demonstrated by the placement of the center, all of the major institutions of the Jewish community emphatically believe that it is the legal right of all Americans - Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faiths - to build community centers and houses of worship wherever they choose in accordance with the law.
And we must do a better job of listening to one another and not just assuming the worst of those with whom we disagree. Both sides should refrain from finger pointing and name calling. Not everyone opposed to the placement of the mosque comes from a place of bias. It is natural that sensitivities come with proximity to historic and symbolic sites.
I applaud the progress that has taken place regarding relationships with Muslims in the U.S. Local and national dialogues that have deepened mutual understanding and advanced a shared commitment to social justice and equality. Still, it is not enough.
In my tradition we are in the midst of our holiest time, the period of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when we look deeply into ourselves to see what we have done wrong and what we need to do right. It is a time of profound reflection. Jews like the Irish, blacks, Latinos, Asians and many others know what it is like to live through a torrent of bigotry. Those of us who knowingly sit silently right now are as guilty as the bigots who may not even realize the pathetic nature of their beliefs. No matter what little progress we have made, as events last week proved, we still have a long way to go and I encourage all Americans to join me in looking within, confronting the bigotry that America must confront if she is to be all she can be, and recommitting ourselves to the civil behavior and civil discourse our nation deserves.
Rabbi Steve Gutow is the president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).
By Rabbi Steve Gutow |
August 31, 2010; 5:59 PM ET
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Posted by: farnaz_mansouri2 | September 2, 2010 10:09 AM
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In unrelated incidents, a Muslim shoots up an Army base, almost blows up Times Square, tries to detonate explosives in his underwear on an airliner, and beheads his wife, and we're not suppose to tarnish the vast majority of peaceful Muslims.
But a nut stabs a cabdriver and another desecrates a prayer rug, and we need to make sure bigotry isn't running rampant through our society.
Blame Americans first.
Posted by: WmarkW | September 2, 2010 9:07 AM
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Meanwhile AIPAC lobbies for a pre-emptive attack on Iran.
Posted by: areyousaying | September 2, 2010 8:33 AM
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UnitedforPluralism has invited people of all faiths to join us in support of freedom of religion in Washington DC at 2 PM at Freedom Plaza on September 11. See 911Freedom.com
In addition, we have urged the public to sign an online petition urging President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to support the federal law, U.S. Code Title 42, Chapter 21C, known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA).
Posted by: responsiblepublic | September 1, 2010 5:58 AM
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Rabbi Gutow,
Please note the percentages by religious groups in the list below. Please give the names of those Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Hindu clergy who have commented on these FBI findings. And then please give the names of the JEWISH clergy who have done so, and state the context.
The proposed community Center has as much to do with bias offenses against Muslims as bias toward African Americans has to do with complexion. Bias acts say nothing about the targets, EVERYTHING about the PERPETRATORS.
FBI Hate Crimes Motivated by Religious Bias
Of the 1,732 victims of anti-religious hate crimes:
* 66.1 percent were targeted because of an offender’s anti-Jewish bias.
* 7.5 percent were victims because of an anti-Islamic bias.
* 5.1 percent were victims because of an anti-Catholic bias.
* 3.6 percent were victims because of an anti-Protestant bias.
* 0.8 percent were targeted because of an anti-Atheist/Agnostic bias.
* 12.8 percent were victims because of a bias against other religions (anti-other religion).
* 4.0 percent were victims because of a bias against groups of individuals of varying religions (anti-multiple religions, group). (Based on Table 1.)
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2008/victims.html