Reply to Echoes in an Empty Hall

Gunshots echo in the empty halls. A madman is lost in a video game. Now his voice is finally heard, and he imagines a moment of freedom in false martyrdom.

Then he is no more. Program closed. Logged out. His body is dead, he is dead, but the echoes in our minds remain. And even as you read this, others are buying their bullets on E-Bay.

The motto of the state is “Virginia is For Lovers” but everywhere we wish our time of youth to be light-hearted. So often it is not, and out of habit we continue to add burdens to our souls and the souls of those we love. Fears. Self-hate. Loneliness. Blame. In the military it is seen as normal to leave one’s rooms to hunt and collectively shoot down young men and women. Sad to say, it is not so unusual in our tribal conflicts and domestic quarrels. But how strange to train to kill in the springtime of one’s life, as an Army of One.

These early spring days my rooms are cold, while the sun burns bright outside. Along the little street I walk, with the scent of hyacinths tickling my nose with memories of the Spice Bazaar, its dim long halls.

What is that light at the end of the tunnel? What freedom do I hope for, after a season of restriction and withdrawal? As the bare trees transform themselves in flower, I would leave the struggle for winter wisdom for the self-surrender of summer; submission to Beauty, in the marketplace of the Beloved. I have been a rabbit in a cage waiting for another small piece for carrot. Let me free!

I ride in the subway and open an Italian orange. There is a small Mexican child opposite sitting me. If I lived in another country, a Muslim country, I would offer her a piece of orange. What do I do in this public place? Do I dare?

What freedom do we Muslims hope for in this anxious time? In this America, managed, mediated, misguided in its culture of control? Can we leave the court of public opinion to the lawyers and others who scratch their heads and join the princes of the court in their more joyous game? Jump-shots and lay-ups have awakened their fingers; their hearts are transparent, aware. Awhile.

As we pray, can we remain awake after the last prostration is done? Can we feel the transparency one minute, two minutes, after? How long can we remain in love and in Reality?

Is Islam a rule-based religion or a Reality-based religion? Many call it a way of life, but as a way of faith it calls us deep into our souls. Let Muslims be with the whole hearted, and those who freely laugh.

Sermons are not enough. Our mosques can provide safe spaces and social services, not merely textual analysis of the Qur’an. Our homes can provide the silence of listening, not just yelling and competition for attention. Our teachers might guide the heart as well as head.

And yes I too have been known to sermonize. As evidence, my previous columns gather dust here in cyberspace at http://americanmuslimadems.blogspot.com. But I try to combine reflection with incitement to positive action.

This week it is a defensive action I request of you dear readers. The Islamophobes at www.militantIslammonitor.org have been attacking a colleague with lies and insults. An interfaith group of volunteer educators came together and proposed a school that would give Arabic language and culture a place in the curriculum. Masha’Allah, the grant went through and, named after the Arab humanist poet of sweet spirituality, the Khalil Gibran International Academy is scheduled to open in the fall. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of Arab American Family Support Center and Sister Debbie Almontaser and others! But now they are being attacked for opening a supposed islamist medrasa paid for with our tax dollars…a danger to us all…the crazy negative comments multiply and spread from coast to coast.

As a school attack, this does not compare with Virginia Tech. But it is an attack by a group of neo-conservative thugs living in a paranoid alternate universe. They misuse Google to misrepresent statements as extreme and convince others of a looming threat. The organizers of this project are solidly behind interfaith and multicultural dialogue—I can think of no better examples. It would be too bad to lose the school!

This school is an excellent educational opportunity for students regardless of religion or background and will build bridges between Arabic speaking and other communities of New York. Certainly at this time it should be important how important this resource is, to avoid hate crimes against us, unnecessary wars, and alienated, self-hating youth!

The school has solid support but there is pressure from the extreme Right. Numbers count, and your email or phone call will help. To express support for the Khalil Gibran International Academy, please contact (in a clear and positive way) Chancellor Joel Klein JKlein@schools.nyc.gov and 212-374-0200; and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at 212-788-9600 (voice). You may also wish to contact the city council at quinn@council.nyc.ny.us and the Council Education Committee at jackson@council.nyc.ny.us.

It is Spring. Time to target passersby with easy grins, not fully loaded Glocks. Time for positive action. Springtime is for lovers, not thugs or killers. Surely Khalil Gibran would agree.