A Couple of days ago, I blogged about the experience and reflections my staff and I shared while protesting with the Chicago Assyrian community against Al Qaeda's murder of innocent Iraqi Christians. See: Beyond the Comfort Zone: Passion and Peril at a Pro-Christian Rally. It seemed that the blog post was shared widely on Facebook. It was also published by the American Muslim, and the Chicago Tribune faith blog, among others. I was heartened to see that our humble gesture was embraced and echoed by Muslims and Christians alike from Chicago to London to Sydney.
Earlier today, I was even more heartened to receive an email response from the national Assyrian American leadership. See our email exchange below (published with permission).
Ms. Waleeta Canon wrote to me on behalf of the board of directors of the Assyrian American National Coalition to graciously thank me, to express her empathy for any inconvenience (although she did not have to) and to tell me that we are on the exact same page in our firm resolve not to let the violent, the hateful, and the divisive define our relationship as communities and human beings, and that together we shall rise above the hate and come together as one.
In these difficult times where violent thugs pose as men of God, where hate-mongers pose as defenders of freedom, where agents of intolerance and division pose as heroic patriots, it gives me great faith and hope to see we the people say "thanks, but no thanks" to all of the above. Indeed hate is a self-addressed envelope. God-fearing and Conscientious people of any faith or disposition cannot reciprocate hate with hate. You cannot defeat fire with fire. You can only douse fire with water.
The ignorant and morally-vacuous can defeat us ONLY if we allow them to. But if we stay firm in our trust in God, and firm on our course of mutual respect, love, and compassion, affording our fellow human beings the same dignity and value we so desire for ourselves - regardless of race, ethnicity, or faith - our harmony will be indestructible.
The Christian populations of the Middle-East are indigenous. Their faith choice is theirs. It should not only be respected, it should also be protected. I think most Muslims who know something about their faith will agree with me when I say that this is a faith obligation on us Muslims. As such the Church attacks are an affront to all Muslims no less than had they been Mosque attacks. Our prophet's first political act was to declare the St.Catherine monastery in the Sinai as a protected site. It was the first letter sent in his own handwriting. This the legacy we inherited and its the one we crave. Al Qaeda and their ilk are imposing an unIslamic alternative that we reject in the strongest of terms.
From: Waleeta Canon
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2010 1:27 PM
To: Ahmed Rehab
Cc: Elmer Abbo; margaret; christine; martin
Subject: Thank you
Mr. Rehab,
On behalf of the Assyrian American National Coalition, we want to sincerely thank you and the rest of the CAIR-Chicago staff which attended Monday's protest of violence against Iraq's imperiled Christians. It spoke volumes to the Assyrians who were present that we had Muslim Americans stand with us, as a reminder that terrorism affects all the people of Iraq, and when one group is targeted, indeed, we are all targeted. This has been an emotionally difficult week for the Assyrian Christians in the US, and we have felt especially vulnerable and helpless as we watch our defenseless brothers and sisters attacked and murdered.
We understand you had overwhelming support from the attendees despite some problem from individuals who felt it necessary to take their anger out on Islam, and on you and your colleagues. Thank you for staying and marching with us despite any discomfort you may have felt. We warmly welcomed your presence, and hope we see you at our future events here in Chicago and nationwide.
Sincerely,
AANC Board of Directors
>>On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 1:39 PM, Ahmed Rehab wrote:
Dear Waleeta,
Thank you so much for your warm words of gratitude. I would like to ask permission to share this beautiful message with my community.
As I wrote on my blog, my staff and I walked back feeling that the Assyrian community with its good and bad is OUR community. Also, as I made clear in my blog, the Assyrian brothers and sisters that were there were largely welcoming, kind, and appreciative.
This experience has brought us closer and I hope we can build on that. There are those who wish to divide us through violence. Others who wish to divide us through ideological polemics and smear campaigns.
We are committed to finding common ground that enriches our common humanity and not give an inch to the agents of violence, hate, and divisiveness. Please know that we honor your community, and I do not just say that as Ahmed Rehab but as a Muslim whose sentiment is shared by many other Muslims.
Most importantly, I want to take this opportunity to directly express to you and your fellow leaders my deepest condolences and sorrows for the loss of your loved ones. We will continue to raise our voices condemning, ostracizing, and disempowering those who claim to be part of our faith and yet engage in senseless brutality that we find to be an affront to the creator and his creation.
Ahmed M. Rehab
CAIR-Chicago
>>On Thu, November 11, 2010 2:48 PM Waleeta Canon wrote:
Dear Ahmed,
We would be honored for you to share our message with your community. Like you, we share the sentiment that together we stand on much more solid ground, and that no group in the Middle East is an island. We are all part of the vibrant fabric of the Middle East, and we all want it to stay that way, despite the horrific attempts by any extremists to divide us and make us enemies.
Thank you for your kind words and condolences. We look forward to the opportunity to work together in the future.
Warm regards,
Waleeta Canon
Executive Board
AANC
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