Words of enduring wisdom
Stories this week about the demagoguery surrounding the Cordoba House Islamic Center and the widespread, mistaken belief that President Obama is a Muslim reminded of Colin Powell's forceful words about then-Senator Obama, anti-Muslim bigotry, and Muslim Americans shortly before the 2008 election in an appearance on Meet the Press:
And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards-Purple Heart, Bronze Star-showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way.
His words are as poignant and relevant today as they were two years ago.
Give Up War for Lent
Bush and Congress to America: Ba humbug
What did Congress give the American people for Christmas? A puppy? A new sled? Peace on earth? Goodwill?
Correct answer: a lump of coal. Not "clean coal," either. Plain old dirty black-lung-causing coal from a mountaintop-removal mine. Yesterday Congress allocated $70 billion in war funding with no timetable for withdrawal, and punted SCHIP expansion to 2009. The American people wanted the exact opposite on both counts.
Oh, there's plenty of blame to go around. Congress passed two bipartisan SCHIP expansion bills, but President Bush protected us from "socialized medicine" both times, and just enough brave Representatives stayed the course with him to beat back an override. Despite an overwhelming mandate for withdrawal from Iraq, Congress has attached nary a string to war funding, effectively giving the administration carte blanche to keep the military in Iraq in whatever numbers for however long it sees fit.
Direct defiance of the popular will is what the federal government gives us for Christmas. And it's doubly galling that they give us war and deny us healthcare while passing resolutions in support of celebrating the birth of the prince of peace, who healed the sick and brought good news to the poor.
60 Minutes: Terrible times for Christians in Iraq
A Baghdad clergyman estimates that 90 percent of Iraq's Christians, once thought to number over a million, have either fled or have been murdered by Islamic extremists.
Click below to watch the whole show.
The dog and pony show vs. Iraqi reality
There's not much more to say about the hearings this week from a faith perspective -- yet this remains: blessed are the peacemakers. But is America making peace in Iraq?
But now the administration has gone from giving dog and pony shows to think tankers, congresspersons, and journalists to giving it to the American public directly this week. Or as Fox News names its exclusive interview with Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker: "A Briefing for America."
One of my favorite YouTube film projects is Hometown Baghdad, shot by Ausama, a medical student living in the Iraqi capital city. This video gets beyond the Petraeus charts and al Qaeda rhetoric and shows how American troops contribute to the problem, turning educated middle class Iraqis against the 'liberators" precisely because it is impossible for American troops to police without also disturbing the peace.
Game not over: Left Behind returns in Iraq
You may remember the media attention created a couple of months ago by several progressive Christian groups who kicked up a ruckus when the rapture/fundamentalist folks behind Left Behind released their video game.
CrossWalk America's The Rev. Eric Elnes writes: Just when you thought the Left Behind Games people had backed down - after negative publicity CrossWalk America helped create resulted in the firing of their senior VP and Left Behind Games stock plunging from $7.44 to $0.25 (and now at just over $.05/share), a new effort is underway to promote their horrific “convert or kill” theology. The Nation's Max Blumenthal points out:Actor Stephen Baldwin, the youngest member of the famous Baldwin brothers, is no longer playing Pauly Shore's sidekick in comedy masterpieces like Biodome. He has a much more serious calling these days. Baldwin became a right-wing, born-again Christian after the 9/11 attacks, and now is the star of Operation Straight Up (OSU), an evangelical entertainment troupe that actively proselytizes among active-duty members of the US military. As an official arm of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, OSU plans to mail copies of the controversial apocalyptic video game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces to soldiers serving in Iraq. OSU is also scheduled to embark on a "Military Crusade in Iraq" in the near future.
Of course, it's perfect for Christian soldiers because it is "so young, so hip, so cool." Jesus Christ, it's like totally killer. . .
Catholics Mobilize. When will Congress?
Catholic activism to end war
The letter says, "If we understand the Catholic tradition correctly, thoughtful church leaders around the world do not believe that the war in Iraq meets the strict conditions for a just war or the high moral standards for overriding the presumption against the use of force. Our concerns are rooted in both the political realm and in our faith and manifest in our efforts to enact legislation that will bring an end to this war."
How far would you go to stop a war? "The Camden 28," airing on PBS's "P.O.V." series on September 11, 2007, recalls a 1971 raid on a Camden, New Jersey draft board office by Catholic activists protesting the Vietnam War and its effects on urban America.
Arrested on site in a clearly planned sting, the protesters included four Catholic priests, a Lutheran minister and 23 others. "The Camden 28" reveals the story behind the arrests — a provocative tale of government intrigue and personal betrayal — and the ensuing legal battle, which Supreme Court Justice William Brennan called "one of the great trials of the 20th century." Thirty-five years later, the participants take stock of their motives, fears and the costs of their activism — and its relevance to America today.
MLK: Speak for the weak
Blogs on the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq
Here's a sample from the people who went:
Yet Another Unitarian Universalist shot this footage.
A soldier's confession
The words of Joshua Casteel, an Iraq War veteran and conscientious objector, who served as an interrogator at Abu Ghraib. Footage from the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq service at the National Cathedral.
When I traveled outside the prison walls on convoys, terror surged through my heart. I was not afraid of being killed. If you live by the sword, by the sword shall you die. If I died with a loaded rifle, I could not be angry with God. The terror that filled me … was the possibility of becoming one who kills. Once while driving outside, I pointed my rifle as I always did, out the window of our armored humvee. Through the sites of my rifle I saw the faces of three young shepherd boys – probably eight years old, each. I realized in that moment that I had just pointed a loaded weapon at three eight year old boys. How was I, an ambassador of the love of Jesus Christ, supposed to recall that day? How can I talk of the freedom of Christ, while playing the role of captor? How can I talk of faith when I only move from place to place by means of guns pointed in all directions - even at eight year old shepherd boys? (source: Joshua Casteel, Catholic Peace Fellowship, West Coast Tour, 2005)
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
Support for Bush Policy in Iraq Continues to Erode Among Frequent Religious Service Attendees
AUDIO: AP Covers Faithful Opposition to Iraq Escalation
Inaugural FPL Board Member Post: "We May Have Become Tone Deaf" by Rabbi Steven Jacobs