wfn.org | Interfaith teams' first journey was to Ground Zero

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #7425 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

13-September-2002
02350

Interfaith teams' first journey was to Ground Zero

Christians, Muslims commune at Stony Point, set out for the provinces

by John Filiatreau

STONY POINT, NY - Muslim-Christian teams from around the world came here last
weekend to get their bearings, shake off jet lag, enjoy a few days of clear,
crisp weather, and talk about what they would do and say when they fanned out
across the United States this week to talk to Presbyterians about how people
of different faiths can get along.

Three would-be participants were absent: The team from the Philippines, and
the Muslim half of the Lebanon team. They were unable to get visas to travel
to the United States.

The remaining 17 people involved in the Interfaith Listening Project - joined
at the last minute by an 18th, a third recruit from Indonesia - took part in
the two-day orientation meeting at the rustic Presbyterian conference center
in the Adirondacks. 

The two-person teams have since set out on two-week, coast-to-coast
barnstorming tours, in which they will attend presbytery meetings, be feted
at traditional Presbyterian potluck dinners and appear at dozens of events,
many of them open to the public and the media. They'll visit more than 30
presbyteries and make more than 100 scheduled appearances.

Although one of the organizers insisted, "This program is not about Sept.
11," the participants were warned that the first anniversary of the terror
attacks would be "a painful memory on the hearts and minds and psyches of the
people you will encounter." And the non-Christians took pains to make clear
that the terror attacks "are heavy on the hearts of Muslims everywhere," as
one said.

The anniversary was on all the visitors' minds: The agenda was scrambled
after they insisted, unanimously and stubbornly, that they be taken to
Manhattan, about 40 miles south, to lay eyes on Ground Zero, the gaping hole
in the ground (and skyline) where the towers of the World Trade Center once
stood. The original plans for the gathering included such a visit, but it was
dropped because of the shortness of time and the complexity of the logistics.

So the trip was thrown together on the fly. It included a bus-ride serenade
from one of the Italians ("O Sole Mio"); several periods of disorientation in
which the excursion leaders wondered which way was uptown and which was
down-; enough walking to leave the stragglers several city blocks behind;
near-constant anxiety about whether everyone was accounted for; and a
cheek-to-cheek rush-hour subway ride during which the international visitors
made intimate contact with legions of un-amused New Yorkers.

The people from overseas could not get the hang of swiping electronic cards
to get through the gates to the subways. It took some of them several tries
and 10 minutes or more to do what the New Yorkers did in a second. While they
shook their heads in helplessness, walked into locked turnstiles and traded
in cards that had been disqualified, the river of seen-it-all commuters
flowed patiently around them on either side.

The gathering ended with a "commissioning service" in which the interfaith
teams were dispatched to their first destinations:

In the name of God, we send you forth
to plant seeds of God's peace and justice in the world.
In all you encounter, may you listen for the word of Peace.
In all you say, may you speak the language of Peace.
In all you do, may you demonstrate the way of Peace.

A highlight of the event was a Monday morning appearance by Fahed Abu-Akel,
the Palestinian-American moderator of the General Assembly, who had practical
advice for the visitors: "Always ask, 'How long do you want me to speak?'
because Americans are crazy about time - to them, 30 minutes means 30
minutes. If they ask you to come and have lunch, that means one hour. ... If
you are asked to speak for five minutes, that is what they mean - five
minutes. And we are not talking about Peggy Thomas five minutes."

That was a teasing jab at the Rev. Margaret Thomas, the PC(USA)'s interim
coordinator for interfaith relations, who had demonstrated several times that
she would not be silenced until she had said what was on her mind. (Thomas'
singular understanding of Islamic culture was invaluable at many awkward
points; but her attitude about time was, well, Middle Eastern - to the
evident consternation of the event's type-A facilitators, Jay Rock of the
National Council of Churches and the Rev. Barbara Battin, a PC(USA) pastor
from Dayton, OH.)

Abu-Akel, pointing out that Presbyterians "went to the Middle East before
they went to California" (the former in 1817 or 1823, the latter in 1855),
said, "Among Protestant churches, none know the Muslim community around the
world better than the Presbyterian Church." He also said that, among the 321
religious denominations in the United States, the PC(USA) may rank first in
support for the Palestinian people.

He pointed out with some pride that, just after last Sept. 11, many
Presbyterian churches had "asked an imam to come and pray for America with
them," adding: "For the Presbyterian Church to have a dialogue with the
Muslim community is very crucial in the light of Sept. 11. It's crucial for
us to learn about you and your country and your faith." He urged the
Christians in the group to "lift up the Middle Eastern Christians," who are
15 million strong but largely unrecognized in the United States. And he said
his election as moderator "shows the way God moves in a powerful way among
people - otherwise they will never elect a Palestinian at this point in
history."

Abu-Akel apologized for the American public's ignorance of Islam, noting that
National Public Radio had interviewed him and length, then "introduced me to
the nation as a Muslim clergyman!" (In retribution, he said, "Everywhere I go
I am going to embarrass National Public Radio.") If "the smartest radio in
America" was that clueless, he said, just imagine how ignorant the average
American is. "Don't assume you are known to them," he told the foreigners,
referring to the Presbyterians with whom they will be living and talking.
"Assume they know zero."

In a briefing about religion in America, one speaker drew laughter when she
said: "Eighty-six percent of the American people say they belong to a
religious body - but actual attendance is much lower. ... At least Americans
know which church they're not attending."

Abu-Akel told the Interfaith Listening teams: "Take your role seriously. It
does make a difference, I guarantee you. ... Even if you touch one minister,
it makes a difference. Even if one individual changes, the world will
change."

In a panel discussion involving representatives of U.S. Muslims, Naeem Baig,
secretary general of the Islamic Circle, said that, since Sept. 11, the
American media have been "distorting Islam" and engaging in "an unfair
targeting of the Muslim community." 

Aisha al-Adawiya, the founder and director of Women of Islam, said: "I really
feel that it is people of faith who are going to change the world. We have
the power ... right here in this room." Pointing out that more than one-third
of Africans brought to North America as slaves were Muslims, she said it's no
surprise that African-American communities are fertile ground for Islam. 

The principal message of the American Muslims was the same as that of the
Muslims from overseas: It isn't fair to tar all of Islam with the brush of
terrorism. 

In Abu-Akel's words: "We have terrorists in every country under the sun. When
a crime is committed in this country, we don't say, 'He was a Baptist
Christian that did it'; we say, 'He was a terrorist good-for-nothing.'"

The Interfaith Listening participants said these were the main things they
wanted to communicate to the American people:

* Violence is a political and cultural issue, not a religious one;

* Muslims should not be assumed to be terrorists; and,

* Muslims are not necessarily Arabs, and Arabs are not necessarily Muslims.

And these are some of the things they thought Americans might ask:

* Why do they hate us?;

* Why does some of the world blame the United States, in part, for 9/11?;

* What is "jihad," and what does it have to do with us?

One of the visitors noted that, while the American people are reputed to be
friendly, some of the policies of the U.S. government "are not good for us."
Referring to those contentious issues, he asked, "Would they like us to be
mum about them?"

Thomas, conceding that Americans "don't always react well to criticism," said
the guests should not be afraid of offending their hosts, but should make a
point of addressing difficult issues. "Not just is it OK," she said. "Please
do it."

After their journeys, the participants will gather at Stony Point again, for
two days of "debriefing," on Sept. 24.
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