Religious leaders protest terror attacks

TALI FEINBERG

Last Friday, Rabbi Alexander joined religious leaders from the Muslim and Christian faiths for a silent vigil to protest against recent terrorist attacks on houses of worship around the world, including the massacres in Pittsburgh, Christchurch, Sri Lanka, and Burkino Faso, which they especially wanted to highlight.

“The Burkino Faso attacks on various churches over the past few weeks have received little media coverage. Does this mean that African lives don’t matter? This was the main reason for our vigil, and also to lament the fact that there have been so many attacks on places of worship over the past year,” says Iman Rashied Omar of the Claremont Mosque.

“Attention is often brought to how religious extremists kill people of other faiths in the name of G‑d,” says Rabbi Alexander. “This perpetuates the myth that religion is warlike, destructive and dangerous to society. It obscures the truth that wars and atrocities are conducted in the name of money, land, power, religion, and political systems.

“Both Father Michael Lapsley [the South African Anglican priest and social-justice activist] and Imam Omar have dedicated their careers to speaking out against injustice and religious intolerance, while at the same time teaching their faith from a deeply religious perspective. I was proud to stand by their sides,” he said. “In fact, on Friday 31 May, Temple Israel is inviting Muslims to pray in our synagogue, break their Ramadan fast with us, and join us for Shabbat dinner.”

Father Lapsley, who heads the Institute for Healing of Memories, spoke at the Claremont Mosque before the vigil. “In different parts of the world, we have seen during the past year that holy places of the three Abrahamic faiths have suffered terrorist attacks,” he said.

“It is often overwhelming and depressing when we see violence and terror all around us. It is very tempting to be an ostrich. But let us not fail to see and be signs of hope. I have long come to the conclusion that if we want the human family to live together in peace, we all need to embrace an interfaith future.”

He said that this year is the 50th anniversary of the murder in detention of Imam Abdullah Haron, who was tortured to death by the apartheid security police in 1969. Father Bernard Wrankmore was an Anglican priest who began a fast to demand that the apartheid government open an inquest into the imam’s death, to which there are still no clear answers.

“On the 40th day of his 67-day fast, Father Bernard organised an interfaith service to pray for an end to the vicious system of apartheid. Father Bernard didn’t know Imam Haron. He was of a different religion and a different colour. On what basis did he act? His own sense of right and wrong, of justice and injustice, of a common humanity,” said Father Lapsley.

“This was the genesis of the interfaith movement in Cape Town, which was forged during the struggle against apartheid,” explains Imam Omar. Although the faiths may disagree politically, they aim to work together on issues of common concern, and “affirm the full humanity of each other”. His community, in particular, is against extremism of any kind, especially regarding its own religion, Imam Omar said.

Father Lapsley said that the fact that he was born in New Zealand gave him a personal connection to the terrorist attacks on the mosque in Christchurch. He spoke of his admiration of the actions of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after the attacks. “The next day, the prime minister came to Christchurch wearing a hijab, and the following Friday, the call to prayer was broadcast live on national radio.

At a national memorial ceremony, she said, “The world has been stuck in a vicious cycle of extremism breeding extremism, and it must end. We cannot confront these issues alone, none of us can. But the answer to them lies in a simple concept that is not bound by domestic borders, that isn’t based on ethnicity, power base or even forms of governance. The answer lies in our humanity.”

Father Lapsley has dealt with extremism in his own life. During apartheid, he was sent a letter bomb which blew off his hands, destroyed an eye, and burnt much of his face. In spite of this, he stood on the streets of Cape Town emphasising a message of compatriotism and forgiveness instead of anger and hate.

“If anyone would like to get involved, they can reach out to organisations like the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum, or the youth organisation Face to Face/Faith to Faith. Then there are more spontaneous events, like this silent vigil, so there are lots of opportunities for people to get involved,” said Imam Omar.

“It’s not always easy to navigate this interfaith path, but it is important. We have forged good relations over a long period, and we have an unparalleled interfaith solidarity movement in Cape Town, not easily found elsewhere,” he said.