Thousands of Americans Rally for Religious Freedom

2,000 attended a candlelight vigil for religious freedom 9/10   DNAinfo

9/11 Rally against Racism and Islamic Bigotry      photo: Shirley Warren

A Rally for Tolerance                                       Photo: Shirley Warren

                 
Two thousand came out September 10 for an interfaith candlelight vigil in support of the Muslim community center project in New York City. The next day, on 9/11 thousands more marched peacefully in an Emergency Mobilization against Racism and Anti-Islamic Bigotry. Where was the news coverage? When a fraction of that number of Tea Partiers show up for an anti-mosque rally, the mainstream media is all over it.

The New York Times did quote one young man who attended both  rallies for religious freedom. He spoke of his friends who have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and said he found it offensive that, on one hand we ask young people to fight in Muslim countries for their freedom, "but peaceful Muslims can't build a community center in New York City in their own country."


Contrast this with the "No Mosque" and "USA" chants from a rally a few blocks away on 9/11. When Muslims were mentioned there, there were shouts of "kill them all". Geert Wilders, who has likened the Koran to "Mein Kampf" and wants it banned in the Netherlands, was one of the speakers at that rally.

So although there is a rising tide of anti-Islamic speech and actions around our country (the stabbing of a Muslim taxi driver, the destruction and desecration of mosques, the hate speech) there is also a rising up of ordinary Americans who are standing in solidarity with Muslims and speaking out against racism and religious intolerance. Leaders of three dozen mainstream US religious denominations recently said, "We stand by the principle that to attack any religion in the US is to do violence to the religious freedom of all Americans."

Feisal Abdul Kauf, the coordinator of the Muslim community center project, was Bush's "go to guy" to represent moderate Islam after 9/11. He has a 37 year history of countering radical ideology. In a recent Op Ed in the New York Times he spoke of wanting to cultivate understanding among all religions and cultures. The center would have separate prayer spaces for Muslims, Christians and Jews. He said he saw it as a "center for unification and healing." And just for the record, the mosque will not be "looming up from the ashes of Ground Zero" but will be two city blocks away and will not even be able to be seen from the World Trade Center property.


Voices of reason, compassion and tolerance are needed now more than ever. Voices like Pastor Steve Stone, who when he heard a mosque was being built next to his Heartsong Church rushed out to erect a banner- and this is what it said:

                                                   screengrab from MSNBC's "Countdown"

That is the America I know.