September
11: Religious Perspectives
on the Causes and Consequences
Edited
by Ian Markham and Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi'
View the table
of contents with 4 full chapters available for reading
Reflecting the
collection's commitment to pluralism and the necessity for informed
debate, contributions from theologians, sociologists, and Islamic
scholars sit alongside essays from a Baptist minister, a Presbyterian
Pastor, and a Medical Mission Sister. Together they unravel the web of
social, moral, and political issues, including:
- the root of the
hatred between Islamic extremists and the West
- US foreign
policy and the connections between the Palestine-Israeli conflict
and 9.11
- the impact of
the attacks on religious communities throughout America
- implications of
the Patriot Act on civil liberties and human rights
- theological
responses to the existence of evil in a world created and ruled by
a "good God"
"The Day the World Changed": The Social and Cultural
Context of 9.11
In the
introductory chapter to this collection, Heidi Gehman takes us
back to the morning of September 11, narrating the incredible and
horrific events that unfolded. Setting the scene for much of the
debate that follows, Gehman identifies the fears and anxieties that
have surfaced in the months following the attacks. She proposes that
only through a better understanding of the troubled relationship
between the Islamic world and the West can Americans get to grips with
the historical and religious issues at the heart of this matter and
move towards greater inter-religious understanding.
Tackling this
issue head-on, Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi's essay on modern Islamic
history continues this contextual approach. His historical survey acts
as a map though which to navigate relations between the Muslim world
and the West. Reaching as far back as the Ottoman conquest of
Constantinople in 1453, Abu-Rabi' argues that Muslim-Western relations
have been soured by the forces of imperialism, globalization, and
Islamic revivalism. Focusing in particular on social and educational
conditions in Saudi Arabia, the home of Bin Laden, Abu-Rabi' concludes
that the Muslim world desperately needs to foster a more pluralistic
and democratic environment, where opposing political and religious
opinions can be freely expressed.
Nancy T. Ammerman and Carl S. Dudley locate 9.11 in a
specifically American context. Ammerman sees September 11 as
illustrating the existence of "social capital" in America.
She highlights the role of congregations in "bridging and
bonding" the American people, putting into action a pre-existing
practical and spiritual infrastructure to mobilize volunteers,
organize donations, and offer spiritual support to all those affected
by the attacks. As Carl S. Dudley points out in his sociological
critique of faith-based communities, when people seemingly have
nowhere else to turn, they turn to churches, synagogues, and mosques.
Both Dudley and Ammerman agree that September 11 demonstrated the
dormant strength and power of religious institutions in times of
national crisis.
In a later chapter
Medical Mission Sister Miriam Therese Winter pays tribute to
this burgeoning and distinctively American spirituality by pointing
towards spontaneous expressions of grief in ritual shrines around
Ground Zero in an unashamedly patriotic and upbeat essay. Jack W.
Ammerman underlines the importance of documenting these phenomenal
responses, offering a model for librarians and scholars to follow so
that future generations can gain an accurate insight into the
contrasting reactions to the attacks.
Theological
Reflections: Was Religion to Blame?
The second section
of the book confronts contentious theological issues from a notably
political standpoint. Ingrid Mattson speaks from an American
Muslim perspective. She describes the feeling many American Muslims
have experienced post 9.11 of being caught between dual allegiances:
to their religion and to their country. In this forthright
contribution, Mattson advocates that Muslims should now play a far
more active role in shaping US foreign policy. Advocating a
non-violent response firmly rooted in faith, this essay acts as a
rallying call to Western Muslim communities to have the courage to
stand up to human rights abuses in whatever form they take.
At the heart of
Christian theologian Kelton Cobb's essay is the controversial
notion that "there is a violent recessive gene in every religious
tradition." Cobb suggests that Al Qaeda represents a real, though
bloody and immoral, strand of Islam which should be recognized and
acknowledged as having textual validity. Cobb goes on to describe the
role of "founding myths" in the development of religious
bigotry, highlighting violent episodes in the history of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. In an attempt to explain Bin Laden's
motivation for the attacks, for example, Cobb highlights a 1998
interview that appeared on PBS's "Frontline" in which Bin
Laden revealed an all-pervasive and shocking anti-Semitic worldview as
at the root of his hatred for the American people.
Efrain Agosto
and Judy Fentress-Williams, both specialists in biblical
studies, analyze the kind of response the world needs from religious
leaders in the aftermath of September 11. Finding inspirational
examples in the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul,
Agosto describes key leadership traits, while Fentress-Williams sees
the Bible itself as embodying the possibilities of inter-faith
dialogue. Agosto and Fentress-Williams suggest that it is possible for
all religions to seek out in their own sacred scriptures the resources
to promote effective spiritual leadership.
"God Bless
America?": Internal Security v. Civil Liberties
President of
Hartford Seminary Heidi Hadsell provides a crisp appraisal of
the major security measures put in place since September 11. She
highlights the consternation many feel at the lack of
"substantive, national debate" on, for example, the proposed
crackdown on immigration procedures, the provision to allow military
tribunals, and the US government's increasing marginalization of
dissenting voices.Hadsell expresses
disappointment at the conspicuous absence of religious leaders in
recent discussions of human rights in a terrorist age. She suggests
that the Christian commandment to "love one's neighbor", a
refusal to demonize even one's enemies, and an ethic of inclusive
hospitality to immigrants, are moral
imperatives for all religious faiths in the aftermath of 9.11.
Cautioning that religion should keep "a loyal but critical
distance from governments" in times of crisis, Hadsell proposes
that the role of faith communities is to act as the conscience of
democracy.THE FUTURE:
"DIALOGUE OR DIE?"Ian Markham
classifies September 11 as a pivotal event, which cruelly demonstrated
"the illusion of the view that secular, liberal democracy is the
dominant ideology in the world." Markham takes up the recurring
theme of dialogue, and provides an overview of reactions to September
11, suggesting four distinct positions:
- MAINSTREAM
AMERICAN OPINION which is generally supportive of Bush, opposed to
totalitarian ideologies, seeing the war as a battle between good
and evil
- PRO-ISRAEL
JEWISH POSITION which affirms that all terrorism is despicable but
asserts that acts of terrorism against Israeli citizens are no
different from Bin Laden's terror
- PRO-ARAB
PALESTINIAN POSITION while also condemning the attacks stresses
that the US must accept some responsibility for the environment in
which terrorism flourishes and is angry at the seeming
indifference the West shows over the plight of Palestinian
refugees
- CHRISTIAN
FUNDAMENTALIST OPINION as exemplified by the views of Pat
Robertson and Jerry Falwell, which interprets the events as God's
punishment for the secular sins of modern America
Markham reflects
that meaningful discourse between these positions flounders due to a
combination of factors: language barriers, the weight of historical
and cultural baggage, and a "closed" world perspective. Yet
despite their differing world perspectives, the contributors to this
unique collection are united in their belief that it is now imperative
that both religious and secular communities rise to the challenge of
dialogue. The maxim "dialogue or die" may seem dramatic, but
Ian Markham concludes that in our post 9.11 world, these are now our
only alternatives.
Table of Contents
Read the introduction on the Oneworld website.
Cover,
excerpt, and full index on Amazon.com
1. September 11: The
Terrorist Attack on America (Heidi Gehman)
PART I: The
Cultural and Social Context
2. A Post-September
11 Critical Assessment of Modern Islamic History (Ibrahim M. Abu
Rabi')
3. Grieving Together: September 11 as a Measure of Social Capital in
the US (Nancy T. Ammerman)
4. Faith-Based Community Ministries in a 9.11 World (Carl S. Dudley)
PART II:
Theological Reflections
5. Stopping
Oppression: An Islamic Obligation (Ingrid Mattson)
6. Witnessing to the Spirit: Reflections on an Emerging American
Spirituality (Miriam Therese Winter)
7. Violent Faith (Kelton Cobb)
8. Religious Leadership in the Aftermath of September 11: Some Lessons
from Jesus and Paul (Efrain Agosto)
9. The Bible and Dialogue (Judy Fentress-Williams)
10. 9.11: Contrasting Reactions and the Challenge of Dialogue (Ian
Markham)
PART III: Broader Issues
11. Recording the
Moment: Moving from a Collection Model to a Documentation Model (Jack
W. Ammerman)
12. Internal Security and Civil Liberties: Moral Dilemmas and Debates (Heidi Hadsell)
