Tolerance and Respect

Speech to high school students at St. Johns Country Day School, Florida

September 11, 2006

Today marks the 5 year anniversary of the ill-fated terrorist attacks against our country and against humanity. What happened on 9-11 five years ago is utterly condemnable and a crime against humanity.

Most American’s believe that 9-11 changed the world. Not only have we to put up with such inconveniences as long lines at the airport but also live in fear, perceived or real, of the next attack.

For American-Muslims, life too has changed. In addition to the things that worry all Americans, Muslims have to put up with increased scrutiny of their activities and constant second guessing of their motives, not to mention discrimination at jobs or profiling by law enforcement.

A 2004 Pew Foundation poll finds thirty-two per cent of Americans with an unfavorable view of Muslims. Forty-four per cent believe that Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions. A 2006 poll by Gallup found that 4 in 10 Americans admit to feeling prejudiced against Muslims. 1 in 4 do not want to live next to Muslims or fly with them on an airplane. Such negative views are not mere opinion but have real consequences on people’s lives and livelihoods.

A Cornell University poll finds nearly half of all Americans want the rights, liberties and freedom that you take for granted to be restricted for American-Muslims. Twenty-seven per cent want all American-Muslims to register their home addresses with the federal government and twenty-nine per cent believe undercover agents should infiltrate Muslim organizations.

It is precisely during such difficult times we need to examine our core beliefs. We need to question, we need to dialogue and we need to develop the courage to understand others. Pluralism and tolerance based upon mutual respect and understandings are the cornerstone of great civilizations. Such noble ideas are not exclusive to any one religion. All great religions of the world teach mutual respect towards each other.

God says in the Quran – the book Muslims turn to for inspiration and guidance – “O mankind! Surely We have created you of a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other; surely the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah (God) is the most righteous of you; surely God is Knowing, Aware of all things.” [49:13].

Despite such universal values being part of Islam, Muslims constantly face two questions – Is Islam tolerant of other faiths? Can Muslims coexist with people of other faiths? We have to realize that normative Islam or Islam as proscribed in books is not identical with the actions of its “followers.”

Like other religions, followers are imperfect fallible human beings. At times the actions of Muslims will conform to the teachings of Islam while some times their actions will be either independent of or in violation of Islam’s normative teachings. People of faith easily understand this. Outsiders, either due to lack of knowledge or inherent bias, are not always as enlightened.

To some, terrorism committed by Muslims seems part of their faith. However, closer scrutiny reveals that such heinous actions are often misrepresentation of core religious teachings. The Quran in Chapter 2 verse 256 states, “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” Another verse states: “Those who believe (in the Quran), and those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures), and the Christians, and the Sabians, and who believe in God and the last day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.” (2:62)

In 628, Prophet Muhammad granted a Charter of Privileges to the monks of St. Catherine Monastery in Mt. Sinai. The charter in part stated, “Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers will defend them, because Christians are my citizens; …. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. …. Their churches are to be respected.”

The core message of Islam is peace. Not only Islam literally means peace, but one of the attributes of God is “Peace.” Paradise is described as the “house of peace” and believers entering paradise are greeted in “peace.” The universal greeting of Muslims is “peace be with you” or “as-salaam alaikum.”

Thus it should not be surprising that the Quran exhorts Muslims to have positive relationship with people of other faiths on the basis of equity, kindness, love and respect.

Terrorism is not a result of any religious teaching. Terrorism has its roots in socio-political factors such as colonization, occupation, brutal dictatorships, lack of freedom, scarcity of economic opportunities, etc. The 9-11 attacks brought home the horrors of a new form of terrorism – suicide bombings. In order to eradicate terrorism, it is important to explore its root causes.

More and more scholarly writings are delving deeper into this issue offering us new insights. Robert Pape’s book “Dying to Win” uses over two decades of data to show the absence of connection between suicide terrorism and any of the world religions. The pioneering instigators and the largest purveyors of suicide terrorism are the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, a Marxist-Leninist group whose members are not Muslims.

A series of unfortunate events have unleashed a vicious cycle of killing and retribution. There seems to be no end in sight and perhaps there will be none unless people of conscience rise above the fray to build bridges of understanding and promote justice, much like Pope John Paul II exemplified in our contemporary times.

Today we all live in fear of terrorism. Equating terrorism with Islam makes the mainstream Muslim community doubly vulnerable to both the random acts of terror and the ensuing backlash. Muslims worldwide are the primary victims of terror. Governments in Muslim-majority nations, religious establishments and the lay community have a vested interest in fighting back to isolate and marginalize the terrorists. Hidden from our headlines are on-going efforts to do just that. Fatwas (Islamic edicts) condemning terrorism and dissociating Islam from such barbarism have been issued worldwide, including in America.

Falsely associating Islam with terrorism weakens the efficacy of these efforts by creating the impression that the global war on terror is merely a euphemism for a war on Islam.

Muslim Americans have a chance to make a difference in post-9/11 America, by insisting on an Islam that respects its neighbors, in true Islamic fashion just as Prophet Muhammad reminded long ago: “Do you want to love God? Then start by respecting those you live with.”

We are all responsible to live up to this noble calling. Remember, “Even when you think God isn’t watching you, act as if he is.” May God bless you. May God bless our community, our city, and our country.

Thank you.