Dear Friends:
I am troubled by the vitriolic verbal attacks that some opponents of Park51, the planned Islamic community center near Ground Zero, are waging against Muslims. Arguments against the project’s completion seem to fall into three main categories: (1) sensitivity: it would rub salt into the still raw wounds of the grieving families (this is the Anti-Defamation League’s thinking); (2) symbolism: it would represent a triumphant victory for the terrorists; (3) security: it would compromise national sovereignty. I believe the first rationale to be a noble attempt to balance the general constitutional principle of freedom of religious expression against the personal emotional needs of the victims in this particular case. (As the ADL national director put it: “it is not a question of rights, it is a question of what is right.”) I believe the second and third positions to be based upon deep-seated fear and mistrust. (As one demonstrator’s placard read in the pages of last week’s issue of Newsweek: “Islam Kills!”)
I am not an expert on Islam or the Quran, but I have devoted myself to Jewish living and Jewish learning. I am aware that Judaism, like all the great world religions, is not monolithic, but comprises many groups. A few of these groups, I am ashamed to say, advocate and perpetuate violence against non-Jews. Even the Torah contains certain bellicose verses that call for the extermination of the enemies of Israel. I would not want those groups and those verses to define the Judaism that I practice and preach. I see as my Rabbinic role to present a valid Jewish alternative to fundamentalism—through my theology, through my interpretations of Scripture, through my endorsements, and through the way I conduct my life. It is not my role to counteract fundamentalism among Muslims, but I can surely promote those moderate imams who do. Ultimately, that is the reason why I support Park51.
Rabbi Brian
rabbi.brian.besser@gmail.com
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