Wisconsin Temple tragedy brings Rochester community together for vigil

i spoke at an interfaith vigil at liberty pole yesterday to honor the victims of the oak creek shooting in wisconsin. i talked about racism against those who stood out on account of their turbans or hijabs, their skin color or hoodies, their accents or immigration status. i quoted pankaj mishra who said that the stigmatization of racial and religious bigotry is one of the v few instances of moral progress in the previous half century but that it was not an irreversible advance – it’s up to us to decide what kind of world we want to live in.

Wisconsin Temple tragedy brings Rochester community together for vigil

Dozens gathered at the Liberty Pole in Rochester Sunday evening for a prayer vigil in honor of the shooting victims at a Wisconsin Sikh Temple last weekend. But the vigil wasn’t just about remembering but also about standing united.

The crowd at this prayer vigil was extremely diverse. Different religious groups, races, and members of the gay and lesbian community stood together; praying for an end to discrimination and hate.

It was geared to stand up against racism and discrimination. Several religious leaders and members of the community were there to show support to the local Sikh community.

It was a day of unity and a day to embrace every religion, and every race.

“In Sikhism there is no superior, there is no inferior,” says Parmindor Soch. “All are equal.”

The Sikh community is still coming to terms with the tragedy that took the lives of six of their last Sunday. Police say, the massacre was fueled by hate.

“No one has the right to take anybody’s life,” says Soch.

They gathered at the Liberty Pole for a rare opportunity to stand united and take a stand against hate and discrimination.

“There is extreme pain and hate attached with being targeted because of who you are,” says Anne Tischer, who showed up for the vigil Sunday.

Mara Ahmed says, “I am a Muslim and so I am very well aware of the kinds of racist hate crimes that have gone on since 9/11.”

Mara Ahmed is a local activist who says Americans shouldn’t let fear take over their lives.

“I think we can take something positive out of it, and that is to have these kinds of vigils and have these kinds of difficult discussions about race, about discrimination, about stereotyping,” says Ahmed

Religion, race and ethnicity didn’t matter Sunday. The vigil was packed with different races, different faces. All carrying the same message when one community hurts… everyone hurts.

“I think it’s important that we all sort of be present for them because what’s happening to them in a way is happening to us,” says Thomas Warfield. “And could happen to us.”

Interfaith Prayer Vigil at Liberty Pole – Aug 12th at 6 pm

Interfaith Prayer Vigil: Praying with Our Sikh Neighbors
Sunday, August 12, 2012
6:00 PM
Liberty Pole
Main Street and East Avenue
Rochester, NY

The interfaith community of Greater Rochester – over twenty faith traditions – expresses their shock at the tragedy of violence that took place on Sunday, August 5th in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The FBI is investigating the hate crime that left six congregants at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin dead, and three seriously wounded, as an act of “domestic terrorism.”

The entire community of Greater Rochester is invited to an Interfaith Prayer Vigil to stand in solidarity with those who bear the heaviest burden of violence and discrimination — the religious, racial, and ethnic minorities who often live in fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Prayers will be held for all Sikh brothers and sisters as the interfaith community pledges to work with them to build a better tomorrow.

Sikh leaders of both of Rochester’s gurdwaras (congregations) will attend the vigil where the violence against the Sikh worshippers will be mourned, in addition to acts of violence that have taken place in Aurora, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona. All violence – against Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhist and other racial and ethnic minorities – will be condemned.

Amardeep Singh, professor of English at Lehigh University, spoke on NPR’s PBS Newshour for 27 million Sikhs around the world when he said, “We have three core tenets for our daily lives: 1) we believe in working hard and honestly; 2) we believe in sharing our bounty with others; 3) our daily obligation is to remember God in everything we do.”

Rev. Gordon Webster, Chairperson of the Interfaith Forum of Rochester, said, “Together we will pray in vigil, standing in growing community connectedness, one faith tradition with another, one human being with another, learning each other’s sacred core tenets and how they can enrich the humanity of us all.”

Information is available through:
Interfaith Forum of Greater Rochester (Reverend Gordon Webster revgvw@aol.com )
Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester (Rabbi Debbi Till dtill@jewishrochester.com )
Brian and Jean Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue, Nazareth College, (Dr. Muhammad Shafiq mshafiq5@naz.edu )

We join together in our support for the Sikh community of Rochester:

Interfaith Forum of Rochester
Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester
Brian and Jean Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
Faith In Action Network
Islamic Center of Rochester
Episcopal Diocese of Rochester
Interfaith Alliance of Rochester
Interfaith Rochester Area Youth
Rochester Board of Rabbis

Local Sikhs honor victims of Wisconsin shooting

my husband and i attended a candlelight vigil at the gurdwara of rochester today, in honor of the victims of the massacre at a sikh temple in wisconsin. as pakistani-american muslims we have deep connections to the sikh community – ethnically, culturally but also on account of being targeted for hate crimes. in this news report, the reporters talked about sikhs and muslims being “misunderstood” (not my word) instead of what i said about racism and the need to stand in solidarity against hate but here it is.

another report about the vigil by YNN, which includes some of my comments, here.

Penfield, N.Y. – Four days after a man shot and killed six worshiping Sikhs at a Wisconsin temple, Rochester area Sikhs held a vigil in their honor.

Around 50 to 75 people, Sikhs and non-Sikhs, came to the Gurdwara of Rochester in Penfield on Wednesday.

In a service, the attendees sang songs and prayed for the victims and their families. Afterwards, they held a candlelight vigil outside.

Harbhajan Purewal is a trustee of the temple and says that his community was shocked by the shootings.

“There is no logic,” Purewal says. “There is no reason and someone just does something like this, it’s not understandable. It’s very sad.”

At the same time, he says Sikhs across the U.S. have worried about attacks like the one in Wisconsin ever since 9/11.

“Especially after 9/11, because [a Sikh] in Arizona got shot right after 9/11,” Purewal says. “Communities have similar fears, but it’s not to the level that they worry day-to-day.”

On Wednesday, there were also several people of differing faiths and backgrounds at the vigil. Mara Ahmed is a Muslim and she wanted to show the Sikhs her support.

“As a Muslim, I feel very close to the Sikh community. Especially after 9/11, I think Muslims and Sikhs have become the prime targets of hate crimes in America,” says Ahmed. “I feel a sense of closeness and solidarity with them.”

The temple says that the Wisconsin shootings are another example of how “blind hatred can make a man do violent acts of such proportion, and shatter so many lives.” A temple spokesperson says that such acts remind them that “followers of different religions need to have better mutual understanding”.

finally, a report by news 8:

Sikh Vigil Remembers Victims, Promotes Understanding

A prayer service and vigil were held at the Gurdwara of Rochester Wednesday night in Penfield to remember the victims of the Wisconsin Sikh Temple shooting and promote greater religious understanding.

The Gurdwara of Rochester was filled with Sikh members during a solemn prayer service. “We want to remember the victims and we also want to show our support to the whole Sikh community at large,” said Gurdwara Trustee and founder Harbhajan Singh Purewal.

Non-Sikh’s also attended the prayer service and vigil. “It’s a tragedy and I wanted to do my part,” said Karin Ames of Rochester.

The Gurdwara of Rochester has existed for over 35 years without any incident of violence or hatred. “We do know that violence happens, but Sikh’s have been always extremely friendly to everybody,” said the Gurdwara General Secretary Maghar Singh Chana.

Because many Sikh’s wear turbans they have been targeted for their differences. Mara Ahmed of Pittsford is a Muslim who feels solidarity with the Sikh community. She said there is cause for concern in the wake of the Wisconsin shooting and the burning of a mosque in Missouri. “Especially since 9/11 I think Muslims and Sikh’s have become the prime targets of hate crimes in America,” said Ahmed.

That’s why the Sikh community is making the effort now to reach out and show people what their religion is all about. They say Sikh’s worship one God, believe in equality for all, honest living and generosity. “What is our mission now, greater understanding, so that greater understanding leads to less misunderstanding and less violence hopefully,” said Singh Chana.

There are about 200 Sikh families in the greater Rochester area. Video here.

Drone Protest in Rochester, NY

ROCHESTER AGAINST WAR will be at Twelve Corners in Brighton on Wed August 8th from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM with our drone model, signs and flyers.

PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR OPPOSITION TO DRONE KILLING.

For more information, contact Doug Noble (dougdnoble@gmail.com or 585-442-3383). See you there!

drone protest
drone protest

What’s Your Project? Pakistani art exhibition by Alishba Kassim

just came back from the opening reception of “1947” a pakistani art exhibit organized and curated by alishba kassim at the black radish gallery, rochester, ny. i broke my fast with some delicious samosas, chicken kebabs, gulab jamun and mango lassi. enjoyed the artwork, esp paintings by a. s. rind which combine colorful, fanciful portraits with thought-provoking poems by faiz ahmed faiz. alishba is an energetic young attorney committed to showing a different side of pakistan. bravo! let’s support her wonderful work – the exhibit will remain open until aug 31st. more here.

rochester teen film festival – screenings and awards

yesterday i presented the award for best conceptual film to my favorite movie at this year’s rochester teen film festival. “jet lag” is a film about modern-day disconnectedness, about the challenges of being mentally and emotionally anchored in an era when geographic, social and cultural context can change with ruthless frequency. an incredibly mature film, well put together by two teens – max mooney and matt holmes. here is “jet lag”…

Rochester Teen Film Festival

was a judge at the rochester teen film festival 2012 and saw some wonderful movies made by high school students. come and check out the 9 best films and attend the award ceremony on aug 1st at the little theater, at 5.30pm. more here.

summer walks…

walks by the erie canal with my husband, almost every day, all summer long when we’re in pittsford (he took this picture).

walks by the erie canal
walks by the erie canal

with medea benjamin, co-founder codepink

july 6, 2012: with codepink co-founder medea benjamin who was here in rochester to discuss her new book “drone warfare, killing by remote control” and for campaign building to limit the role of killer drones and robotic warfare. i had lunch with her at my friend judy’s house and she told me they were planning a march in oct, in waziristan or islamabad, where americans would get together with pakistanis to protest the use of drones. codepink is trying to hook up with imran khan on this project. i’m sure that they will get all the help they need in pakistan.

mara ahmed and judy bello with medea benjamin (codepink) in rochester, ny
mara ahmed and judy bello with medea benjamin (codepink) in rochester, ny

an evening of rumi poetry

attended a wonderful event at RIT today. it started with the splendid shahin monshipour giving us some background on mevlana jalaluddin rumi’s early life and his mind-blowing encounter with shams-i tabrizi. she went on to play some “ney” (long reed flute which has existed for 5000 yrs) while she recited rumi’s poetry in farsi, one of the most melodious languages on earth. rumi used the metaphor of the ney to explain how god’s breath can pass through us if we are yielding enough. just like the ney longs to become one with the reed it came from, so do we long to go back to our source, our creator. shahin was followed by babak elahi who spoke about love-sickness and the healing powers of poetry. according to research, PET scans of people who are in love are v similar to people who are obsessive compulsive. he recounted the story of layla and majnun by nizami. majnun literally means possessed by jinns or demons. he became love-sick not only on account of layla’s sensual beauty but also because it was a reflection of her maker. he told the first story in rumi’s masnavi which is about heart sickness and healing thru the death of “nafs” or ego. there was more poetry reading by john roche and amelia fontanel. finally, we watched “fragments of light 6”, a short film by naho taruishi and zahra partovi. shown on a screen that meets at 90 degrees in the center, much like a giant open book, the film consists of light projection that mirrors the visual mood and feel of rumi’s poems. it’s like stepping into a different world, a different rhythm. lovely.

“The Song of the Reed”

1. Listen to the song of the reed,
How it wails with the pain of separation:

2. “Ever since I was taken from my reed bed
My woeful song has caused men and women to weep.

3. I seek out those whose hearts are torn by separation
For only they understand the pain of this longing.

4. Whoever is taken away from his homeland
Yearns for the day he will return.

5. In every gathering, among those who are happy or sad,
I cry with the same lament.

6. Everyone hears according to his own understanding,
None has searched for the secrets within me.

7. My secret is found in my lament‚
But an eye or ear without light cannot know it . . .”

9. The sound of the reed comes from fire, not wind‚
What use is one’s life without this fire?

10. It is the fire of love that brings music to the reed.
It is the ferment of love that gives taste to the wine.

11. The song of the reed soothes the pain of lost love.
Its melody sweeps the veils from the heart.

12. Can there be a poison so bitter or a sugar so sweet
As the song of the reed?

A. To hear the song of the reed
everything you have ever known must be left behind.

Version by Johathan Star. From “Rumi: In the Arms of the
Beloved.” (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1997). [Lines indicated by a capital letter are invented and have no basis in the Persian text.]

rumi's reed flute
rumi's reed flute

Transforming Media

terrific screening of “pakistan one on one” at the indymedia convergence, last night at 9pm. it’s going to be a great weekend – democracy now’s senior producer mike burke is in town. check out the schedule here.

Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities

attended a v disconcerting book discussion last week. the book was Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities but the discussion was broader. the conversation was to be moderated by two interfaith leaders, one muslim, one jewish, but i knew that it would be an uphill battle when the rabbi recommended a book by alan dershowitz in his opening remarks.

he framed the discussion is such a limiting and frankly offensive way that it left v little room for real, meaningful interaction. besides echoing trite stereotypes about muslims (why don’t they condemn terrorism? do they want to integrate or remain isolated?) he threw around the ground zero mosque, fear of shariah law and the hijab and u.s. military classes that justify wiping out mecca and medina, not as manifestations of islamophobia which we must acknowledge and debunk but to ask muslims to explain why people felt that way about them. it’s like asking jews to explain why there’s been so much anti-semitism in the world – why is there such “distrust”. it’s ridiculous. being an interfaith meeting, i thought that we’d start with the assumption that all racism, prejudice, stereotyping and profiling is unacceptable. that’s where i come from anyway.

the other moderator tried to find some common ground by talking about parallels between anti-semitism and islamophobia, but that comparison was cut short. islamophobia is a reaction to the events of 9/11, whereas anti-semitism is baseless the rabbi seemed to imply. also, he said, where both communities stand today in terms of “modernity” is completely different. he went on to comment that this fact was visible in the room. wha? first, i reminded him of something called “orientalism.” the otherness of the muslim is not a post 9/11 phenomenon. and the otherness of the jew is not that antiquated either. remember the protocols of zion? plus bigotry has nothing to do with how “modern” one is or how “integrated.” german jews were pretty well-integrated no?

and let’s not even get into what was said about palestine. oy vey!

Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities
Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities