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Muslims, Jews, and America

Posted September 14, 2010 by Patrick Young, Esq.

After I wrote yesterday about the call for love of our neighbors at my church in Westbury, my friend Dave Lederer sent me a copy of his rabbi’s Rosh Hashanah sermon. Dave attends services in Massachusetts, but his rabbi, Jeffrey Wildstein, spoke about matters far beyond suburban Boston.

The rabbi began by quoting Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, who said that “if you will it, it is no dream,” and addressed his congregants:

We American Jews have a tremendous opportunity to show the world that people of different religions can live together in mutual respect, and in peace. All of us in America-Jews, Muslims, and Christians-know the greatness of the ideas of freedom and respect as embedded in our American values. We know these values, when lived, do not constitute a threat to any religion…The strength of America is that, over time, she builds understanding among different peoples. We built this nation from the beginning upon freedom of religion, and tolerance for differences. [O]ur system allows us to live together in peace and respect. That is the promise of America, and it should be the promise offered to American Muslims.

“But how are Muslim citizens and residents being treated in America?” he asked his congregation:

Some Americans say that all Muslims are terrorists, or treat Muslims as potential terrorists, even though that is far from true. Some Americans look at them as outsiders, even though many are citizens of our country. Some Americans find Muslims guilty until proven innocent, simply because they are Muslims.

Some Americans say Muslims should not be able to practice their religion freely and that they should not have mosques or Islamic community centers wherever they want.

We do not serve our interests when we let fear and anger guide us towards intolerance, imposing collective guilt on an entire people for the acts of a individuals. We do not gain by denying the promise of America to the Muslim-American community. We will only cause them to believe this promise is empty. And if we deny the promise of America to them, why can’t someone deny that promise to us Jews if someone decides that we are the ones to be feared?

We need to hold true to our values as Americans for those values to hold meaning.

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Images via Flickr, courtesy of Lawrie Cate, Beverly & Pack, and Doctor Yuri.