On 9/11 Eve: All Saints Church says, “Read the Qur’an, Don’t Burn It"
MEDIA RELEASE: For Immediate Release 09/10/2010
All Saints Church, Pasadena has a decades-long commitment to turning the human race into the human family. In light of that commitment, members of the All Saints community will stand together with members of our interfaith family tomorrow at the Islamic Center of Southern California at a 9/11 Peace Vigil. All Saints’ rector Ed Bacon will be one of the featured speakers at the interfaith event honoring the victims of 9/11 and working together to build our nation’s future.
“While we believe the flurry of attention given this week to the Florida pastor and his ill-conceived plan to burn the Qur’an on 9/11 is regrettable, it also points out the crying need for education rather than polarization – and that is a need All Saints Church is mobilizing to meet in collaboration with our interfaith allies. In the days ahead, we will be offering opportunities for members of our congregation and our community to come together to read the Qur’an and to learn more about Islam and the Muslim faith.”
“As a priest and pastor my Christian faith has been strengthened by sharing the Ramadan journey with my Muslim brothers and sisters and by celebrating the High Holy Days with my Jewish colleagues,” said Bacon. “A core Christian teaching is to love our neighbor as ourselves – and you do not love your Muslim neighbors by burning their holy scriptures.”
“We will not stand by while fear mongers attempt to make September 11th events moments of demonization and polarization by advocating tactics that are neither American nor authentically religious. All the world religions advocate living out of the House of Love, not the House of Fear. We encourage all people of good will, religious or not to overcome hatred and fear with love by seeking to understand Islam as a religion of peace.”
For further information contact:
Susan Russell, Senior Associate for Communication
714.356.5718 srussell@allsaints-pas.org
Ed Bacon will be available for comment on Saturday, September 11 following the Interfaith Peace Vigil at the Islamic Center of Southern California, 434 S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles 90020
2 comments:
I have a Quran and do read it from time to time although I don't understand it very well. I am hoping someone has written a commentary or summary somewhere that explains it for those of us who are not of the Islamic tradition. What I have heard is that it does mention Jesus and that there are more mentions of his Mother Mary than in the New Testament. If that's true then that's a good sign.
Today our sorrow and prayers go out to the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives on 9/11. We can all take solace that they did not die in vain. What better way to celebrate their prematurely shortened lives than by seizing the opportunity to "read the Qur'an and learn more about Islam and the Muslim faith."
Absolutely brilliant!
And let's not forget the persons responsible for this man-caused-disaster. Little did they know that their evil would result in our faith being strengthened by sharing the Ramadan Journey with our Muslim brothers and sisters.
Who knows? Maybe in a couple years (God or Allah willing) we can all meet at the Cordoba mosque a couple of blocks away from Ground Zero, share a non-alcoholic drink, and reminisce about the time when we didn't understand each other so well.
God truly does work in strange ways.
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