Tennessee Burning
One particularly egregious example is happening in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where the local Muslim community has faced vehement opposition in trying to build a place of worship. The outrage seems to have taken a violent turn with the news of a fire at the mosque construction site this weekend. The investigation into arson is still pending, but two previous acts of vandalism at the site suggest the fire may be connected to recently escalating protests. In an even more chilling turn, members of the embattled congregation reported hearing gunfire while they gathered at the site yesterday.
Political leaders play an important role in creating conditions that either foster or discourage this kind of violence. Just last month, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsay explained that his opposition to the mosque didn't violate his support for religious freedom because "you could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion or is it a nationality, way of life or cult."
At least those who oppose the Park51 project in New York have tried to insist that their stances are not based in Islamophobia. Unintentionally or not however, their nuance seems to be lost on a significant number of Americans who are unfamiliar with and afraid of their Muslim neighbors. Continuing to stoke the fears of the nation with talk of sharia law, "victory mosques" and connections between American Muslims and terrorists will only further incite those who see Islam as a threat and violence the only solution.
It's time for pundits and political leaders who have spoken out against Park51 to stand up and denounce this rhetoric and violence. Even those who disagree on the particular politics of Park51 should be able to affirm that Islam is a peaceful religion and that we have nothing to fear from our Muslim-American neighbors. In the absence of such statements from leaders, we can only infer that they are happy to use some Americans' dangerous misconceptions for their own political ends.
Beck tries, fails to distort Martin Luther King's message
I was stunned when I found out Glenn Beck was planning a rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic "I have a dream" speech. It struck me as unbelievably wrong for someone who regularly attacks social justice to try to seize the mantle of Dr. King's teachings. Beck's claim that the Civil Rights Movement was about "not social justice, but equal justice" and his assertion that he and his audience are the "inheritors and protectors of the civil rights movement" reflect a complete ignorance of history. It's like saying 2+2 = 5. Really, it's not a remotely serious argument.
But I have to admit that Beck's ridiculous rhetoric genuinely angered me. Thankfully, several recent commentaries this week put things back in perspective. Writing in the Washington Post and USA Today (respectively), Martin Luther King III and John Lewis remind us of King's commitment to social justice and what today's leaders are doing to continue his work. Leonard Pitts and Adam Serwer recounted who was on the right side and wrong side of history in the Civil Rights Movement. And today, Pulitzer Prize-winner Eugene Robinson puts Beck's rally and King's work in historical perspective:
No puffed-up blabbermouth could ever diminish the importance of the 1963 March on Washington or the impact of King's unforgettable words.
Lincoln and King will always have their places in American history. Beck's 15 minutes of fame and influence are ticking by.
... Saturday night, when the event is done, the Lincoln Memorial will still be the place where King gave one of the most memorable speeches of the 20th century. People who came to the rally in search of answers will still be looking. And Glenn Beck will still be a legend in his own mind.
Glenn Beck's self-aggrandizing publicity stunt does not have the power to distort, eclipse, or undo Dr. King's legacy. I'm thankful for the reminder.
Quote of the day
"...we don't want to turn an act of hate against us by extremists into an act of intolerance for people of religious faith, and I don't think it should be a political issue."
--Ted Olson, Solicitor General during the Bush administration, whose wife was killed on 9/11. Watch it:
Collective guilt
Interfaith Youth Core President Eboo Patel had a telling exchange with an opponent of the Cordoba House/Park 51 Islamic Center and a CNN anchor Sunday night, which laid bare much of what's at the core of opposition to the proposed center. The anchor, Don Lemon, suggested that the fact that the 9/11 hijackers were Muslims should preclude the building of a mosque in Lower Manhattan. Watch it:
Glenn Greenwald said in a Salon post about the segment:
This campaign is nothing different than all of the standard, definitively bigoted efforts to hold entire demographic groups of people responsible for the aberrational acts of a small percentage of individual members.
To me, this cuts to the very heart of it. The crux of the opposition to Cordoba House is collective guilt. The fact that the terrorists who killed thousands of people -- including Muslims - on September 11th were Muslims themselves is used to argue that an entirely separate group of Muslims should not build a house of worship near the scene of the horrific attack. Patel responded:
The vile terrorists who attacked the United States deserve one name, and one name alone, and that is vile terrorists. And the American Muslims who are police officers and firefighters, who coach little league and serve on the PTA, deserve another name, an honored name, and that is fellow American.
"The writ of our Founders must endure"
Speaking at an Iftar dinner at the White House last night, President Obama expressed strong support for the planned Cordoba House Islamic center and mosque in Lower Manhattan near Ground Zero. He said in part:
Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities - particularly in New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. The pain and suffering experienced by those who lost loved ones is unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.
But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are. The writ of our Founders must endure.
The full transcript of his remarks is here.
These words come on the heels of outspoken support for Corboda House from diverse members of the faith community, most recently from an interfaith group of more than 40 religious leaders and scholars rebuking those who have stoked fear and bigotry to build opposition to the center, and calling for "a civil dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims committed to a future guided by the principles of compassion, justice and peace."
The New York Times reported today that "Sharif el-Gamal, the developer on the project, said, 'We are deeply moved and tremendously grateful for our president's words.'"
President Obama's remarks will also be used as fodder for demagogues who exploit fear, bigotry and the tragedy of 9/11 to score political points and demonize Muslims. The White House surely is aware of this, and did the right thing by standing up for the dignity of the Muslim community and the religious liberty of all Americans in the face of political controversy.
Faith leaders support Cordoba House, Denounce Anti-Muslim rhetoric
Rather than portraying the Cordoba House/Park51 Islamic Center and mosque in Manhattan as what it actually is -- a center promoting interfaith relations, combating extremism, and offering community programs for people of all religious backgrounds -- opponents of the proposed complex such as Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin have stirred up a great deal of publicity by labeling it an "insult" and a "provocation."
Today more than 40 prominent, diverse faith leaders and religion scholars in New York and across the country issued a statement calling the rhetoric of pundits like Palin and Gingrich exactly what it is -- an appeal to "xenophobia and religious bigotry." The statement, signed by leaders ranging from Simon Greer of Jewish Funds for Justice to National Council of Churches President Peg Chemberlin to Salam Al-Marayati, President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, argues that Cordoba House opponents "would make a more lasting contribution to our nation if they stopped issuing inflammatory statements and instead helped inspire a civil dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims committed to a future guided by the principles of compassion, justice and peace." The entire statement and list if signatories, including numerous rabbis, is here.
Faithful America - Faith in Public Life's online community of more than 100,000 people of diverse faiths - is also standing up to anti-Muslim sentiment and fierce opposition to proposed mosques in communities across the country by circulating and signing a petition to honor the "many contributions of American Muslims toward global peace" and denounce bigotry and limits on religious freedom as a betrayal of American values. The petition will be sent not only to American Muslim leaders, but also to Gingrich and Palin. Sign it here.
Stemming the tide of intolerance
Lately the vitriol of anti-Muslim demagogues and anti-immigrant voices has sunk to new depths. Opponents of immigration reform are advocating repeal of birthright citizenship for children of immigrants who are here illegally, and demeaning these children as "anchor babies." In addition to intolerant rhetoric about the Islamic Center near Ground Zero, Muslims are facing a rising tide of bigoted opposition in communities across the country. As Matt Yglesias pointed out yesterday, these two developments are directly linked. Throughout history, he reminds us, economic downturns have led to xenophobia. However, that doesn't mean economic recovery will lead us out of this political climate. Yglesias argues:
... The economic roots of our summer of fear will hopefully prove transitory, but the rise in xenophobia may nonetheless inflict serious and permanent damage. A betrayal, even a fleeting one, of America's commitment to religious freedom could do lasting harm to the country's relationship with a billion Muslims around the world. And while altering the text of the 14th Amendment would be extremely difficult, and is therefore unlikely, the shouting matches now underway still stand to permanently scar our national identity.
Clergy calling for civility and compassion in communities across the country are uniquely positioned to ensure that this damage halts and heals.
Worth reading
Lots of interesting news and commentary around the internet today. A few worth a look:
The Arizona Republic released a poll today showing that a plurality of Arizonans believe the SB 1070 debate has exacerbated racism in the state.
On a semi-related note, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who filed an amicus brief in support of SB 1070, has authorized law enforcement officers to check the immigration status anyone they stop or arrest.
Two insightful takes on the controversy surrounding the Cordoba House Islamic Center in lower Manhattan near ground zero: Will Saletan on the Republican leaders driving it, and Blake Hounshell on the erstwhile Republican leader who can do the most to help stop it.
For a thorough take on the right's bigoted response to Cordoba House and the Muslim community's religious freedom, check out today's Progress Report.
Dispelling the myth of a "black-brown" divide
Catholics, mainline Protestants, Latino and white evangelicals, and Jews have all received extensive media coverage of their work to pass urging passage of comprehensive immigration reform this year. Now another group is gaining attention - African-American Protestants.
A great New York Times story about interfaith support for immigration reform in Houston prominently mentioned black churches, and Time, Associated Baptist Press, and Christian Post have all covered the unprecedented leadership from African-American faith leaders standing alongside racially, politically and theologically diverse leaders to make an urgent call for reform that protects our values and our interests as a nation. Good to see that Christian leaders are taking such a proactive stance to dispel long-assumed myths of a "black-brown" divide on this issue.
The right-wing freak-out
We've been following the ridiculous arguments right-wing organizations have been making about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" for a while now. So it comes as no surprise to us that this week's news of a DADT repeal has them upset. But even I wasn't anticipating the depths to which they'd sink this time.
The right has gone into full freak-out mode, portraying LGBT soldiers as dangerous rapists whose "disease-tainted gay blood threatens our troops." If polemical religious right arguments are to be believed, without DADT, LGBT Americans will join the military en masse (because they aren't serving already), sexually assault their straight counterparts, and intimidate their superiors into covering it up under threat of political correctness?
The basis for these revolting claims? An "analysis" produced by FRC Senior Fellow for Policy Studies Peter Sprigg who claims his review of a Department of Defense report on sexual assaults reveals that homosexuals are "three times more likely to commit sexual assault than heterosexuals."
Sprigg's theory doesn't really deserve a response, but Joshua Tucker at the Monkey Cage provides a statistical dismantling anyway:
1. First and most significantly, the study provides no evidence of the proportion of same-sex assaults that are committed by homosexuals. This is crucial to the study, because the authors want to leverage the information in the study to argue that homosexuals should not be allowed to serve in the military. But their data measure assaults by men against men or women against women, not the number of assaults by homosexuals. Thus without any understanding of the proportion of same sex assaults that are committed by homosexuals, the inference that homosexuals are more likely to commit sexual assault is invalid.
2. Second, we don't know if the proportion of homosexuals in the military matches the proportion in the general population. The authors of the study assume that the proportions are similar, but if homosexuals are overrepresented in the military relative to the general population, then the inference is invalid. Moreover, it is not even clear that the general population is the right reference group; the military is overwhelmingly made up of young men. So even if we think the demographic composition of the military reflects the general population - which it may very well not - we'd still want to know something like the prevalence of homosexuality among 18-30 year old males, not among the population as a whole.
3. Moreover, even if we assume that the proportion of homosexuals in the military mirrors the proportion in the general population, the conclusions of the study are dependent on a low estimate of homosexuals in the general population (<8.15/3, or <2.7%). Other studies have found higher estimates.
While it's disheartening to see attacks are coming from groups claiming to espouse Christian values, maybe the extreme nature of their arguments will convince Congressional leaders who have sided with them in the past and are threatening to block the bill to re-think their alliances. The House is expected to vote on repeal tonight and many in the faith community hope they'll stand up against attacks like these in favor of dignity and equality.
Looking to the past
Working for an organization that works on political and policy issues, I try to stay rooted in the present and always try to think to the future. But there's definitely something to be said for looking back to the past sometimes.
This week, I'm grateful to Ta-Nehisi Coates over at The Atlantic for bringing my attention to a powerful story from America's past, which reminded me of the power of faith in fighting for justice.
In response to Rand Paul's comments that he would've been with the Freedom Riders, TNC posted this arresting photo-- a mugshot-- of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, a white, 19-year-old Freedom Rider from Arlington, VA, who in 1963, as a freshman student at Duke University, went to Mississippi to fight against segregation:
She is also pictured in the iconic photo of the May 1963 sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Jackson, Mississippi.
Coates , who's also been posting images and stories of other civil rights champions (like Hank Thomas, a young black Howard University student who risked his life by joining the Freedom Riders), sums up my reaction well:
"...No way can I imagine being white, nineteen, violating the law, and being sent off to jail. In Mississippi."
Since reading about Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, I can't get her out of my mind... her courage and bravery is astonishing and inspiring. And what is most powerful to me is how her faith was what drove her tireless fight for racial equality:
"...The church I went to, Little Falls United Presbyterian, taught that we were all equal in the eyes of God. I just felt that if we were going to teach this and say it, we should mean it. I was a member of the youth group at the church. Apparently, through the black YMCA, some of the black high school kids would come to our youth meetings. We were told by the minister to keep it secret because at that time it could cause anything from the church being firebombed to the church taking some kind of action against it. It was pretty daring at the time. This made an impression on me. I think this made me sort of ready when the chance came to do something. That chance came when I was a student in Durham."
It really is powerful how faith can inspire such prophetic action. And as a Presbyterian myself, it especially struck me that Mulholland went to a Presbyterian church... while the media doesn't always pay close attention to the important advocacy and organizing efforts of mainline Protestants today, the leadership of mainliners in the Civil Rights movement is hard to overstate.
Repealing Injustice
Today's announcement that President Obama reached a deal with Congressional leaders and the Pentagon to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy was welcome news for the overwhelming majority of Americans who support this change (including a broad coalition of religious groups). As they know, our country will be safer for having a military that doesn't waste time and money discharging good soldiers and that can actively recruit the best and brightest citizens who want to serve.
Combined with passage of the hate crimes bill last year and the new hospital visitation policy announced earlier this year, this repeal is another important step towards full equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters.
Encouraging more policy changes like these, a Gallup poll released today showed support for gay relations in general at an all-time high. Included within the poll report was the following table showing cross-tabs by religion.
As you can see, the stereotype that people of faith are opponents of gay rights doesn't hold up. Particularly in the last four years, support among Christians has increased significantly with a solid majority of now in favor and Protestants coming close to 50% support.
These numbers reinforce what we've been saying for awhile now--people of faith support overturning a policy that doesn't serve our nation's best interests or its values, and religious leaders who use DADT to unfairly malign our troops and LGBT Americans are becoming further and further out of touch.
Don't Ask (about our logic)
I've wondered for a while what role military chaplains would play in the debate about repealing "Don't Ask/Don't Tell," so last week when the Family Research Council and Alliance Defense Fund introduced a letter from 41 retired chaplains advocating preservation of the policy, I took notice. The letter, announced with great fanfare at the National Press Club, which made headlines with religious and secular press, was treated with skepticism in Stars and Stripes (an official military news publication):
Conservative groups predict tight restrictions on chaplains' religious speech if the military's "don't ask, don't tell" law is overturned, with some evangelical Christian groups contemplating pulling their ministers out of the ranks.
"The approved gospel will be a politically correct gospel," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Christian lobbying group that deals with marriage and family issues. "If chaplains are limited in the moral teachings they can present [because of a repeal], you will see orthodox Christian chaplains leaving the military."
Religious leaders in and outside the military doubted those predictions.
Air Force Chief of Chaplains Maj. Gen. Cecil Richardson said he thinks a repeal will be a "difficult transition," but "I don't know a single chaplain who wants to get out because of that issue."
In addition to this refutation from the Air Force Chief of Chaplains, the letter pushed out by FRC and ADF was laced with dubious reasoning, as Mark Silk points out:
The letter sent to President Obama and Secretary of Defense Gates by a group retired chaplains begging for retention of Don't Ask/Don't Tell is not exactly a testament to intellectual honesty. The chaplains--evangelicals and other conservative Protestants--are exercised that if the military "normalizes homosexual behavior" it will impinge upon their own religious liberty. But as they are well aware, clergy don't enjoy the same degree of religious liberty when they're employed by the military as they do as civilians. There are rules limiting proselytizing, for example, and although these have always stuck in the craw of evangelical chaplains anxious to exercise the Great Commission, they have had to abide by them. If they can't, then they can always pursue their calling outside the confines of military service.
Deep into the letter, the signatories do admit that military chaplains only have their jobs by virtue of the need to enable other service personnel to exercise their own right of religious free exercise. The letter goes on to claim that limiting chaplains' religious freedom will limit the free exercise rights of "the men and women in uniform who share their faith and rely on their instruction." Why? Because it says so.
The truth is that by not forbidding it American society "normalizes" what a lot of religious folks consider sinful behavior: divorce, extramarital sex, alcohol consumption, dancing, gambling, abortion. It's simply necessary for Americans to recognize that the norms of civil society are not necessarily the same as the norms of their particular faith. And that goes for the military portion of civil society as well.
Looking ahead...
The anti-immigrant bill signed by Arizona governor Jan Brewer is spurring faith leaders and grassroots advocates to action nationwide. In communities across the country this weekend - from New York to Kansas to California - thousands of people of faith will attend marches and vigils calling for immediate action in Arizona and Washington. Among these events is a march in Dallas that's expected to draw up to 100,000 supporters of immigration reform promoting the theme "We Are All Arizona."
That's not just a slogan. Similar legislation is being drafted in Utah, and opportunistic politicians elsewhere could follow suit. But the nationwide faith-based movement for practical, moral immigration reform is as energized as ever, and Congress will have no choice but to address their concerns.
"A hand to hold, a shoulder on which to lean"
Yesterday, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, instructing her to "ensure that patients can receive compassionate care and equal treatment during their hospital stays," by giving patients the right to designate visitors. This directive addresses the current flaws in our hospital status quo, which can lead to gay and lesbian patients being separated from their families in the toughest of times (like Janice Langbehn, who was barred from entering the hospital room of her partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond, after Lisa suffered an aneurysm and was dying). But this memorandum isn't just about the LGBT community; it also allows widows, widowers, nuns, priests, unmarried couples, and others to designate their loved ones as visitors, even when not legally connected.
The directive speaks poignantly of the need for compassion and companionship at life's darkest moments:
There are few moments in our lives that call for greater compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted to the hospital. In these hours of need and moments of pain and anxiety, all of us would hope to have a hand to hold, a shoulder on which to lean -- a loved one to be there for us, as we would be there for them.
The faith community is speaking out in support of these new guidelines and the way in which they further our society's recognition of the humanity and dignity of every person. For a list of statements from religious groups and partners, check out the press release here. I thought this statement from Richard Cizik at the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good was particularly powerful:
"It is not only a policy that reflects the compassion of the American people, but it is an across-the-board guarantee to people of all faiths and traditions to have access to their loved ones in times of grave emergency and distress. To have access to loved ones in all conditions of life is something Evangelicals see as compassionate and just."
Sadly, what should be cause for celebration has been marred by a few fringe organizations attacking the directive as a stepping-stone in a quest to "redefine marriage."
Today, in a live discussion at the Washington Post, Peter Sprigg from the Family Research Council reiterated his organization's opposition to the President's directive, saying:
"Granting patient's autonomy and self-determination in deciding who can visit them or make medical decisions in an emergency is a good thing, and with advance directives it does not have to be based on a family or marital relationship--or even a sexual one. Unfortunately, this issue has been inflated in support of redefining marriage."
While we can and should have a civil and respectful conversation about same-sex marriage, it seems abundantly clear from reading the President's memo that this conversation is entirely separate from the directive on hospital visitation. It seems cruel to deny the reality that many individuals (gay, straight, young, old, nuns, widows, mothers) have suffered through a serious medical trauma alone. This announcement is a welcome opportunity for common ground. Regardless of how we feel about gay marriage or any other issue, can't we agree that no one should die alone? No one should be separated from a loving partner or a steadfast friend in time of deep pain and distress.
Gov McDonnell: Slaves were children of God, too
I'm stunned by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's designation of April as Confederate History Month, his exclusion of slavery from his proclamation, and his defense of this exclusion, saying "...there were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia."
Leaving aside McDonnell's grasp of history, there's a significant theological problem with this statement. On the eve of the Civil War, nearly 500,000 slaves were in bondage in Virginia. Although there was no one archetypal slave experience, it was inherently cruel and dehumanizing. It deprived human beings, who were precious in the eyes of God, of their families, their freedom, their dignity, their sovereignty over their own bodies, and even their lives. Surely, the governor knows this. To say that the sacrifices and hardships of Confederate Virginians are more significant than those of slaves they owned is inconsistent with the widely held religious precept that all of God's children are equally precious in God's sight.
UPDATE: Gov. McDonnell has issued an apology for the omission, and amended his proclamation of Confederate History Month with the following clause:WHEREAS, it is important for all Virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights and all Virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders, and the study of this time period should reflect upon and learn from this painful part of our history...
African-American faith leaders meet with Obama
This morning, President Obama hosted an Easter prayer breakfast for Christian leaders, after last week's Passover seder and September's iftar to break the daily fast during Ramadan. According to the Washington Post, Politics Daily, Associated Baptist Press and UPI, the President took time before the breakfast to meet with prominent black clergy. The group included leaders of major denominations such as the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, National Baptist Convention USA, and Progressive National Baptist Convention.
The group also issued a letter to President Obama encouraging him to continue to pursue policies that help "the least of these." This comes on the heels of the AME's "Great Gathering" in South Carolina last month, at which more than 6,000 leaders sketched out solutions to the numerous economic and social problems faced by black men -- such as poverty, unemployment, incarceration, and violent crime. Looking forward, I imagine we'll see more coverage of African-American faith leaders' ongoing advocacy for justice and the common good.
Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.
Yesterday, many of us celebrated Easter, gathering with friends and family, eating entirely too many chocolate eggs, and marking the most important moment of our liturgical calendar.
But yesterday was also significant for another reason. Forty-two years before, on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life was cut short. In some ways, it seems fitting that Easter should fall on this date-- Easter is after all a celebration of abundant life, and Rev. King was a powerful voice in this country, calling for justice and equality so that all people could live abundant and full lives with dignity.
As Professor Eddie S. Glaude wrote today,
"The fact that Easter falls this year on the anniversary of Dr. King's death highlights the true lesson of this holiest of days. We are not to sit idly by because Easter proclaims the victory.Too many Christians take comfort in the wrong-headed idea that all is settled because Jesus rose from the dead. Martin Luther King, Jr's death suggests otherwise. His was a life given in love and in devotion to justice. Are we, Christian or not, as committed? To stopping war? To ending poverty? To fighting for the most vulnerable among us? Or, are we content to rest in the illusion that salvation is guaranteed?
Our lives, if we are to be saved, must stand as a testament to that legacy which, beyond our doing, is inescapable. Cowardice and complicity must die in us. And we must rise again to "love" a new world into existence."
A powerful message for the Easter season. Thank you, Dr. King, for standing up for the marginalized, the oppressed, and the ignored. And here's to those in the faith community today, following in Dr. King's footsteps, working for justice, like the faith leaders who fight for the men, women, and families who are struggling to earn a living wage and support their families.
Reflecting on Martin Luther King
I'll be out of the office on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day, so I thought I'd close the week by sharing this Religion & Ethics Newsweekly interview with Cheryl Sanders of Howard University on King's vision, influences and politics:
I was particularly struck by this statement from Sanders:
"in my view his discourse was global from the beginning, particularly his concern for the poor, his concern for justice, his concern that racism and militarism and consumerism and materialism are all linked together."
Given that all of those forces remain pervasive today, I think it's safe to say King would still be marching for justice.
Happy 100th, NAACP
NAACP cofounder W.E.B. DuBois's observation that "the problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line" staked out the enormity of the struggle for black equality. (Think about it -- The Problem of the Century.) Now, as the organization he helped build observes its centennial, the problem of the 21st century isn't as clearly distillable.
The NAACP's young CEO recently laid out a number of issues he plans to engage the Obama administration on:
fair distribution of federal bailout funds; reducing double-digit black unemployment; reducing the disparity between unsolved murders in black and white communities; access to good schools for minority children; and confronting lenders who push minorities with good credit into subprime mortgages
Through this lens, I guesss I'd say the problem of the 21st century is the problem of inequality. And I don't mean just between black and white Americans, just as W.E.B. Du Bois didn't mean that the color line was just between black Americans and white ones. (To wit, the San Francisco Chronicle characterized the NAACP's goals as "equal rights for all.")
Conceptually, it's easy to muddy up equality. There's the artificially rigid bifurcation of equality of opportunity versus equality of condition (in which camp would you put universal healthcare). There's the arsenal of buzzwords meant to shut down a yearning for it (utopianism! socialism! communism!). More importantly, there's the underlying sensibility that inequalities are as they should be -- I deserve my plenty, you deserve your poverty. But, IMHO, none of these are so insidious as the injustices we have overcome.
So happy birthday, NAACP -- thanks for moving the ball as far as you have already. I look forward to witnessing your next century of accomplishment for justice and the common good.
A cold morning, a warm living room, a momentous day
Team FPL watched the inauguration from a variety of vantage points, from outdoor spots on the Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue to heated living rooms uptown, in the suburbs and on Capitol Hill. But across the area the story is the same -- history, community, cold and CROWDS. My overarching take isn't done gestating yet, so for the moment I'll just say congratulations to the Obama and Biden families, and thanks to all involved for giving the ceremony its due dignity -- especially Joseph Lowery. His recitation of Lift Every Voice and Sing was the one moment of the day when I choked up.
Thoughts on King Day
Ten years ago I lost myself in the words and deeds of Martin Luther King, John Lewis, Fannie Lou Hamer, Fred Shuttlesworth, Hosea Williams, Diane Nash and so many others. Their faith, strength, wisdom and courage showed me a moral brilliance to which I somehow let myself aspire. Studying their work inspired me to continue the civil rights movement's unfinished business by teaching in the still-segregated public schools of the Mississippi Delta. I've written several times about my experience there, and I don't know what to say about it now, except that it gave me a clear sense of just how far we are from the mountaintop.
Ten years on now, my former students are the same age I was when I found Martin Luther King. This year was the first election in which they voted, and tomorrow the White House will become home to an African-American president, an African-American first lady, and two African-American little girls. I don't know how much closer we are to the mountaintop, but I know it's more visible.
Keeping King's Dream alive through service
For as much will be written about MLK Day and the Obama inauguration falling back-to-back, it cannot be overstated what a glorious coincidence it truly is.
The impact of the moment does not seem to be lost on the incoming President - today's Washington Post reports that Obama's call for volunteerism on MLK Day (Congress declared the day one of national service in 1994) is being met with an overwhelming response.
While today is a wonderful time for volunteers to affect positive change, it will be important to sustain this spirit going forward. Pres.-Elect Obama emphasized public service on the campaign trail and in a recent op-ed, Alan Khazei and David Gergen write that "the case for expanding national service is compelling." Meeting needs, creating jobs and continuing positive work are among the benefits they see. It seems well worth pursuing.
People of faith have long exercised their beliefs through putting feet to pavement and helping their communities. We should welcome this call to service as an extension of what we're already doing, reinforcements and co-laborers. Today, and going forward, we can answer Dr. King's call by building community with our neighbors and getting our hands dirty.
Catholics Organize in Alabama
Dr. King | War and Poverty
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Marking the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination, The Washington Post's On Faith section has a great collection of faith leaders' personal reflections on the loss and legacy of Martin Luther King.
Rev. Sue Thistlethwaite (an FPL board member):
Dr. King’s message was so challenging to established power in the United States, power based on racial privilege, on militarism and on economic stratification, that he was killed for speaking out. It is no wonder that established power today wishes to domesticate Dr. King’s prophetic vision and co-opt it order to justify conflict.
But today of all days, today as we remember that 40 years ago Dr. King was killed for speaking out against unjust power, let us not be fooled. Dr. King was killed because he challenged racism, militarism and economic inequality. And if you are not doing the same, you have no right to claim this legacy.
By noon on April 5, Washington was ablaze. It was touch and go whether 18th Street — four houses from my door — would join the flames. Just barely, our neighborhood’s interracial ties held fast.
By April 6, there was a curfew. Thousands of Blacks were being herded into jail for breaking it. But the police did not care whether whites were on the streets. So for a week, my white co-workers and I brought food, medicine, doctors from the suburbs into the schools and churches of burnt-out downtown Washington.
Eboo Patel:King’s ultimate vision was not just about race or nation, but new relationships – between people from different backgrounds, between America and the world, between humanity and God. That is why people from every country and faith derive inspiration from his legacy, a legacy best summed up in one of King’s final books, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community: “The great new problem of mankind (is that) we have inherited ... a great ‘ world house‘ in which we have to live together - black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Moslem and Hindu ... Because we can never again live apart, we must somehow learn to live with each other in peace.”
King does not belong only to people who look like him, or pray like him or speak like him. King belongs to people who live up to his legacy of pluralism.Brother Wright, the Cross, and the Rest of Us
The Rev. Anne Howard writes:
Jeremiah (known now, of course, as Jeremiad) Wright preaches in a way that white preachers like me just don't dare. And we don't even know how.
Let me speak for myself: I come from a tradition of reserved Scandinavian Lutherans, and I know that no Minnesota pulpit of my childhood would countenance the kind of impassioned gospel that Rev. Wright proclaims--and certainly not about things that might be "too political".
And I also know that the churches of my adulthood, my own Episcopal church and just about any other white Protestant church, is not familiar -- to put it mildly -- with the kind of preaching we see in Jeremiah Wright. We just don't know that tradition. We just don't know how.
A reflection on Black History Month
You'd be hard pressed to find a clearer example of faith's power to inspire and sustain social movements than African Americans' long struggle for freedom and equality. From the beginning, when slaves found in faith the strength to endure (and in some cases resist) indescribable oppression, to the high water mark of the Civil Rights Movement when Christians, Muslims and Jews gave their lives to the struggle, the cause of justice has always been rooted in and animated by religious faith.
As Black History Month begins, that is an example to honor, not just by listening to "I Have A Dream," but by recognizing that the struggle is not over, and by involving ourselves in it. As long as we have separate and unequal education systems, unequal access to healthcare, and an ever-widening chasm between the haves and the have-nots -- all breaking down on racial lines -- faith should compel us to act, in our own communities and in areas of greatest need. The best way to honor our heroes is to emulate them.
Thoughts on Martin Luther King Day
The motel, now the National Civil Rights Museum, has preserved the room in which King spent his last night on earth, and in the anteroom you can play his “I have been to the mountaintop” speech by pushing a red button. A wreath marks the spot outside where he died as his companions pointed at the shooter’s position. It is heartbreaking and inspiring, to an extent that dwarfs the power of words.
The Bible is replete with such powerful stories, and from time to time I thank God for animating them by guiding me to the history of civil rights movement (my undergraduate concentration), and especially to Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading and hearing the words of a person willing not only to challenge the powerful to honor the word of God, but to follow his Christian convictions to an early grave is humbling and gratifying, and it has repeatedly reminded me of the power of faith.
The fire that destroyed my neighborhood following King’s death must be viewed within the context of the world from which he was violently taken. While the rage of oppressed people consumed uptown Washington and gave grist to opportunistic segregationists, a few miles down the street the federal government was escalating a war that was antithetical to everything for which King stood. That he gave a speech condemning the Vietnam war and the socio-political structure that enabled it exactly one year before his death is a detail lost to the cliffs notes history fed to us by popular culture.
Some 40 years on now, we have a Martin Luther King federal holiday, but a mixed (yet sum positive) record of racial and socio-economic progress, and a seemingly steadfast commitment to the militarism and economic inequality King decried in his final years. In recent years it’s become common to commemorate Dr. King by using his holiday as a day of service; in keeping with his words and deeds, we should also use the day to call leaders to honor the teachings of the faiths they espouse.
Lessons from Islamo-fascism awareness week
David Horowitz’s Islamo-fascism Awareness Week, hosted by the Young America’s Foundation (YAF) recently concluded at universities across the nation. At George Washington University, the Peace not Prejudice campaign simultaneously launched as a peaceful alternative similarly came to a close. In the aftermath, one thing has become painfully clear: the entire campus, including YAF, played right into the hands of the political machine that will continue to churn out hate long after Islamo-fascism Awareness Week is forgotten. Several other key lessons can be drawn from the highly politicized sequence of events that divided our campus.
On Thursday, October 25th, Peace not Prejudice and Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week met in a climactic fashion. A speech by David Horowitz was juxtaposed to an interfaith prayer vigil titled “Pray for Peace,” headlined by six prominent religious figures and Ambassador Edward Gnehm.
When David Horowitz stepped on stage he began shouting at the GWU administration and student body in a fit of rage. He accused the president of the University of heading a “lynch mob” against conservative white students and further shrieked about the treachery of the American Left. If it was not evident enough before, it now rang crystal clear: The purpose of Islamo-fascism Awareness Week had nothing to with Islam. Muslims were merely the latest in a long line of victims carved up at the political chopping block. Horowitz serves only as the overzealous errand boy behind the knife, dutifully obliging the system for paycheck after paycheck. In typical fashion, he went on to depict Muslims as violent and merciless henchmen that would bring about the destruction of the West. At the end of his diatribe he dramatically stated, “You have to understand who your enemy is” or else you are “defenseless.”
Reflecting on a Civil Rights milestone
Half a century later, sluggish desegregation and rapid resegregation have diluted the legacy of the Little Rock Nine, and the injustice of separate and unequal education persists. Segregation and education are every bit as urgent moral issues now as they were 50 years ago, but the clearly justice-centered approach and energy have dwindled in the "post-Civil Rights era."
The Miami Herald's Leonard Pitts, for my money America's most underrated columnist, puts it all in context of faith and values:
Interview with a Jena 6 mother
Civil Rights Movement evoked in Jena, La.
Fortunately, FPL Board President Rev. Meg Riley and her remarkably articulate 11-year-old daughter Jie have sent us some notes from a march in Jena they took part in on Thursday. Jie sets the stage, and Rev. Riley's insights after the jump.
A dark parking lot is home to action, to a protest finally happening, Jena 6. I am in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is 4 o’clock, the air is fresh and the sky reflects black on the trees. I’ve boarded a bus with people, all with the same mission.Jena is a dusty, barbecue smelling place. We pulled to a stop in front of two old ball parks. We had passed little businesses and woods. The bus pulled away leaving us on a sandy gravel road.
We wandered a bit and then went to bleachers. The sun blazed down on my face, my sunglasses were sweaty. Static metallic voices boomed out from left field. I’ve met and am meeting many new people. Good music. Many different hairstyles and dos. Different t-shirts and Red Cross handing out free chips, Gatorade, water, cookies, rice crispies, etc.
Too many secrets or "too many mosques"?
Advocacy groups sued the FBI and the Department of Justice on Tuesday for failing to turn over records they requested on surveillance in the Muslim-American community.This afternoon, Politico.com ran a story and a video of Congressman Peter King (R-NY) expressing concern that there were "too many mosques" in America, and that the NYPD should be commended rather than investigated for its controversial and possibly illegal tactics during the 2004 Republican Convention. So, Muslim leaders must sue the government to obtain basic information about the guidelines by which the government investigates them while a non-Muslim member of the United States Congress says there are too many mosques, and that Muslims must be investigated more aggressively. Glad that's cleared up.The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Muslim groups, alleges that the FBI has turned over only four pages of documents to community leaders, despite a Freedom of Information Act request filed more than a year ago. The documents were not related to surveillance.
The request sought records that described FBI guidelines and policies for surveillance and investigation of Muslim religious organizations, as well as specific information about FBI inquiries targeting 11 groups or people.
The lawsuit states that all the plaintiffs — who include some of the most prominent Muslim leaders in California — have reason to believe they have been investigated by the FBI since January 2001.
Faith in Public LIVE Dr. Nazir Khaja and Islamoyankee: Islamophobia Rising, Part 6
Click below for the latest post...
Part 6: Islamoyankee on the Reformation vs. Renaissance
The new abolition movement
Get to know the Not For Sale Campaign
Go behind the façade of any major town or city in the world today and you are likely to find a thriving commerce in human beings. Nearly 200,000 people live enslaved at this moment in the United States, and an additional 17,500 new victims are trafficked across our borders every year.
This week a huge coordinated effort to free the 27 million people in slavery kicked off. Visual artists, businesses, students, people of faith, athletes, actors and many others have formed a new global abolition movement.
Sundance festival films for justice and the common good
Many film critics believe that we exist in the golden age of documentary filmmaking. Several of these highly-praised films shown at the recent Sundance Film Festival fuel the fight for justice and human rights.
Here's Ghosts of Abu Ghraib by Rory Kennedy who is, yes, the daughter of RFK. I really like her film because it explores why all too often ordinary people commit extraordinary acts of violence.
In an interview with New York magazine, Rory says:I had planned on making a film exploring the question of how ordinary people commit extraordinary acts of evil, and Abu Ghraib kept coming up. It was really with the intention of doing a psychological profile of the MPs —were these people psychopaths? Or was it the pressure of working under these conditions?So, what did you find?
They’re perfectly normal in many ways. Javal Davis—there’s a sweetness to his eyes, an honesty to him. They did horrible things, but it was pretty obvious that these guys were told to do 95 percent of what they did.
This film will play on HBO on February 22.
Another excellent documentary to appear this year at Sundance is The Bible Tells Me So.
This film is "an exploration of the religious right's use of the Bible to justify shutting homosexuals out of the faiths in which they've grown up.One of the central figures in For the Bible Tells Me So is Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first-ever openly gay man to be elected a Bishop of the Episcopalian Church. Robinson's consecration in 2003 (at which he had to wear a bullet-proof vest due to death threats) was a historical occasion that caused a rift in the Episcopal church."
The doc also includes conversations with Desmond Tutu, Rabbi Brian Zachary Mayer, the Rev. Susan Sparks, Crissy Gephardt daughter of former Presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt, and "the Poteats, an African-American family in which both parents are preachers still struggling to accept that their daughter, Tonia, is a lesbian."
Two views on American Blacks and Jews
"In the 2000s, we have seen a renaissance of local Jewish groups committed to social and economic justice issues, often working closely with local black and Latino groups. Many of these organizations were formed by local Jewish activists saddened by deteriorating relationships between Jews and communities of color, and angered by the Jewish role in this deterioration. Groups like the Progressive Jewish Alliance in California have been particular successful at rebuilding burnt bridges and reestablishing trust between communities."Unfortunately some national politicians continue to lash out and stereotype both groups. Today, a Virginia state blog reports,
"Bloggers who oppose the Slavery Apology resolution have acquired a champion of sorts. His name? Delegate Frank Hargrove (R-55th, Hanover).When asked what he thought of the resolution by The Daily Progress' Bob Gibson, Hargrove reportedly replied: "I personally think that our black citizens should get over it."
Gibson reports on Hargrove's opposition today in The Daily Progress. Hargrove says some pretty interesting things. The quote of the day? How far do these calls for apologies go, wondered Hargrove, a member of the House Rules Committee that could take up McEachin’s resolution as early as Wednesday.“Are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ?”
Clearly we've still got a long way to go.
During 2006 and already this year provides some terrible examples of the racism that rides below the surface in many parts of America. From George Allen, Mel Gibson, Michael Richards to Rep. Virgil Goode and Rep. Hargrove - now's the time to realize that multifaith and multi-ethnic American dream for which Abraham Heschel and Martin Luther King marched together.
Martin Luther King Jr. preaches for peace
As has been pointed out many times, too often we forget that Dr. King fought the very idea of war as a solution to conflict. As America sends another 20,000 troops off to Iraq against the majority will of the people, let us remember his prophetic words: "this business. . .cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love."
An Afternoon Sermon
The Common Good, Gay Rights, and Faith
A Patriotic Action for the 4th Weekend
Rep. Westmoreland Delays Voting Rights Act and Forgets God’s Talking Points
“House Republican leaders abruptly canceled a planned vote to renew the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday after a rebellion by lawmakers who said the civil rights measure unfairly singled out Southern states and unnecessarily required ballots to be printed in foreign languages.?