Courage to Proclaim The Diversity of God’s Kingdom in a Fearful World

Fr. Carl Chudy, SX
On Sunday January 10, in the chilly air of central New Jersey with sisters Jennifer and Carolyn Herring, we visited the historic Muslim community in Old Bridge, New Jersey.
We tried to represent the work of Groundwell in a growing atmosphere of anti-Muslim sentiment and to show our support and solidarity with Muslim communities nationwide. We came to deliver a letter with more than 24,000 signatures to assert our fraternal unity, that as we have many differences, our common values and culture demand we stand against hate that divides our communities and nation. The letter we brought and read to them states this:

“America is not America without Muslims. As people of faith and moral conscience, we promise to defend our Muslim brothers and sisters from attack, to speak up when they are maligned, and to support them with our voices, our actions, and our bodies.

Why is this important?

In the famous words of German anti-Nazi Lutheran pastor and theologian Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— 

Because I was not a Socialist. 

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— 

Because I was not a Trade Unionist. 

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— 

Because I was not a Jew. 

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Today, they are coming for Muslim Americans. And when they come for any member of our community, they come for all of us.

As we watch the rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment in our nation, as we listen to preposterous hate speech and rhetoric from political candidates — particularly Mr. Trump — our hearts are cracked wide open.

Even more alarming than the rantings of a single politician are the thousands cheering on bigotry.

People are afraid and concerned for their safety. However, responding to fear with hatred diminishes us all – both in spirit and safety. We must not allow fear to undermine the values that stand at the very core of who we are as faith leaders and Americans.

Every time there is a surge in anti-Muslim speech, there is a corresponding spike in acts of hate and acts of violence against Americans who are Muslim, Sikh, Arab, and South Asian.

You are our neighbors and our doctors, our local merchants and our school board presidents. We know you as restaurant owners and soccer coaches, as policewomen and public officials. We know you as mothers and fathers and caregivers, and as allies and colleagues in movements for justice. You are us.

We know you as our brothers and our sisters. America is not America without you.

We are speaking out, and we have your back, friends. We commit to building a circle of protection around you; we are standing with you.

We love you, and we pledge to show our love in every corner of our lives. May we walk hand in hand into a future where racism, hate, and violence are relics of the past, where differences are celebrated, and our children inherit our joy.

نحن نقف بجانبكم (We stand by you.) | نحن نساندكم (We support you.)”

 The Catholic Commitment to Interfaith Solidarity

Catholic commitment to interfaith solidarity goes back particularly to Vatican II (ad gentes). Since then our desire to connect meaningfully with our non-Christian friends has deepened enormously and our sense of evangelization can now not be separated from dialogue with those of other faiths. I would say that this is true in particular with Judaism and with Islam. Although it does not diminish our commitment to others.
Pope Francis reminds us: “An attitude of openness in truth and in love must characterize the dialogue with the followers of non-Christian religions, in spite of various obstacles and difficulties, especially forms of fundamentalism on both sides. Inter-religious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities. This dialogue is in first place a conversation about human existence or simply, as the bishops of India have put it, a matter of “being open to them, sharing their joys and sorrows”.[194]
In this way we learn to accept others and their different ways of living, thinking and speaking. We can then join one another in taking up the duty of serving justice and peace, which should become a basic principle of all our exchanges. A dialogue which seeks social peace and justice is in itself, beyond all merely practical considerations, an ethical commitment which brings about a new social situation.” #250, The Joy of the Gospel.

Confronting “Islamophobia” and Religious Hate Today

Bishop Denis Madden, chairperson of the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the US Catholic Bishops reminds us in recent times:  “The quest for understanding, friendship and peace must also take place in our communities and in our parishes. In July (2014), Newsweek reported that Islamophobia in America is on the rise. This is tragic, especially since one lesson we should take from these recent horrors is the danger posed to the whole human family whenever any minority, religious or otherwise, is perceived as an evil or a threat. It’s crucial that Catholics understand and espouse what was articulated at the Second Vatican Council and reiterated by popes ever since, our respect and affection for our Muslim brothers and sisters.”

Three Steps Toward Healing Division

For though the human race is divided by dissension and discord, yet we know that by testing us, you change our hearts to prepare them for reconciliation. Even more, by your Spirit you move human hearts that enemies may speak to each other again, adversaries may join hands, and peoples seek to meet together.

For Catholics we hold an indispensable opportunity to show the true colors of our gospel mandate and provide a balm of healing to a gaping wound in our national and international community, to be the reach of the Spirit to move human hearts, beginning with our own. May we suggest three things:

• Get acquainted with our Catholic tradition on dialogue and cooperation: What does it mean to be a Catholic in a multi-religious world? Particularly since Vatican II, and more importantly, since St. Pope Paul II, there is an enormous resource to help us understand the answer to this question. Check out our resources on our website>
• The essential interfaith literacy: If our concern is mitigating stereotypical thinking and countering misinformation, we then need to find a way to understand something of what others actually believe, and in particular, the belief of Islam. Fr. Francis Clooney, SJ published a series of articles in America Magazine during this past Advent that emphasized the need for Catholics to understand Islam better, and practical ways that may happen. There are many other ways and more recently there has been a proliferation in new resources for non-muslims to understand Islam. Here is one.
• Meet our Muslim neighbors and colleagues: There are lots of resources to assist the coming together of Muslims and non-muslims in many settings, both in real time and on line. There are opportunities to join in on special programs where Muslims, Catholics, and others can collaborate together, based on common faith and human values, in order to transform a culture of hate to a culture of dialogue, understanding, and acceptance. One such project is the Muslim Catholic Initiative through the Interfaith Center of New York City. Check out the possibilities close to you!