Tolerance, Forgiveness, Let's Move Forward

Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as
WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.

Muslim Relations in the US

(image courtesy of Wikipedia)

If the clothes were more familiar to what we wear at Christmas; if instead of Mrouziya, Seviyan, and Sheer Korma you saw turkey, dressing, and jibblet gravy, what would be the difference? The difference, if we must find one, is religion, which is no big distinction between people and their morality.
How exciting to gather with family and friends to celebrate! During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink each day from sunrise to sunset as a lesson in patience, humility, and spirituality. During this month, Muslims believe God's revelations to mankind are more frequent and noticeable, as this is believed to be the month God revealed the first verses of the Qur'an to Mohammad. At the end of Ramadan is Eid ul-Fitr, commonly known as Eid. On this day, Muslims hold a breaking of the fast known as the Iftar dinner (Farah Pandith, Secretary of State Clinton's Special Representative to Muslim Communities);
and, did you know that the US State Department holds an annual Iftar dinner? The first president to attend an Iftar was Thomas Jefferson (Wikipedia).

In several weeks this holiday will take place again. Much like Christmas and Hanukkah, on Eid in the US, the day of the Iftar, Muslims gather with friends and families in Islamic Community Centers and convention halls to eat and pray. Wealthy Muslims donate to the less fortunate and sometimes reserve amusement parks and skating rinks to host the celebration (Wikipedia).

Why not celebrate too? No, I know it may not be your faith, but how nice it would be to invite a Muslim to join for turkey and dressing. Why not try some traditional sweet and spicy Islamic cuisine?

Mrouziya
Ingredients 2 pounds of lamb chunks
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons Ras El Hanout
1/4cup of honey
1/4cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of whole blanched almonds, toasted
1/4 cup of raisins


How To Cook: Bring the oven temperature up to 345 degrees. Coat the lamb with Ras El Hanout spice. Place spiced lamb in a 5-quart pot covered with a lid. To the pot, add the water, honey and olive oil Bake for about 2 hours until the meat softens. Remove the meat from the pot and keep warm. Remove extra oil. To the pot, add the raisins. Boil until the raisins are fully cooked. Return the lamp to the stew. Boil for about 2 minutes. Decorate with the toasted almonds. Serve with warm bread, or with cooked Saffron rice, Raisins and Almonds.
(recipe found Here)

Zelda Wonders What I Got

I walked through East Texas, round Longview. The pines were high and my shoulders were low, loaded with the weight of all my things. I set them down, guitar, backpack, and my small bag of food. Exhausted, I prepared to lay a while and catch up on much-needed rest and relaxation, when up ambled Zelda.

Zelda's tall with a shaved head, crooked teeth, those still hanging in her gums, others fallen out by some reason I never asked for.

"What're you doing here?" she questioned in the third degree. I sat fiddling with a stick and she didn't trust me.

"Just getting some rest," I replied, polite as I could given her authoritative demanding manner.

"Where you from?"

I hesitated. It's been so long since I've been from somewhere, I couldn't remember. New Orleans? South Dakota? Thackerville? "Tyler," I told her. That's where I'd slept last, anyway.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked again as she glanced among my things, searching for something. "You on drugs?"

"No."

"You got any marijuana?"

"No."

"Mind if I look through your bags? People like to come out here and do drugs."

"Do they? I don't know anything about that. I'm just walking from Tyler and stopped for some rest and relaxation." I unlatched my jug of water from my side and took a sip.

"I'm just curious. I wanna know."

I looked at Zelda, devil in the eyes. "I look so like I do drugs that you gotta look through my stuff?"

She looked at me back, wicked and straight. "You got a reason I shouldn't?"

Such a Good Idea?

I ran Tuesday morning to get to work. I didn't want to take too much time walking there and, I believe is the truer reason why I ran, I wanted to prove to myself that I could still do it. It's been ... how long? Well, there you go. I can't remember the last time I did it, so it was quite some time back.

I hurt. But I know I can still run. And I don't know how far I ran, probably not all that far. Maybe a mile, but I did it. My muscles feel like they've been caught in a cowboy's lasso, that coarse rope squeezing tight around them, rubbing them raw. They'll heal...

I believe

We are all a gift from God and each of us is given the individual gift of praising God for the beautiful, tragic, struggling, rewarding lives we have.

If I'm passionate about one thing it's this: We have the ability of compassion, which ought to be manifested through us daily.

I don't suspect many disagree with this idea, yet, I'm frustrated by titles. "In whose name do you show compassion?" Love is love is love is love, eternally.

Here's An Idea

September 11, 2001, an attempt by maniacs to hurt the United States of America. And the pain went through the citizens, families wept, the nation mourned, and flags waved at the peak of each pole. "We stand united," the nation cried.


Yet, nine years later, debate over Mosques being built around the country, as if Muslims did the damage, rather than fanatics. Maniacs. Let's politely disagree rather than dramatize difference of opinion and reach a mindful conclusion.

And many differences of opinion come to the surface of the Mosque debate. I'll leave it up to you to read (one view) the arguments (another view) and develop your own idea of whether or not it's legal to build or to deny, or if it's a matter of respect or "wisdom" to build two blocks from "Ground Zero." I'll say this much:

1) Absolutely allowed by 1st Amendment rights.
2) Muslims ought not build as a matter of respect.
3) A matter of respect for non-Muslims to acknowledge Muslims did NOT do this damage, but Maniacs.
4) We MUST acknowledge those who fell victim to the Maniacs were, in fact, Christians, Jews, Hindus, people of no faith, AND Muslims.
5) I hold as my opinion that anyone should have a place near "Ground Zero" to hold vigil and mourn those they loved in their own way.

     Let me continue from here with my idea:

This is an idea of COMPASSION, not STRENGTH. RESILIENCE, not ARROGANCE. GROWTH, not FEAR.

Along the perimeter of "Ground Zero," I recommend a community center sponsored by every arm of faith represented in the United States. A Christian Community Center, a Jewish Community Center, a Hindu Community Center, a Buddhist Community Center, and yes, an Islamic Community Center, for THIS IS WHAT THE United States ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT. Unity despite faith. Pride among all faiths. Acknowledgment of all faiths. And, required by all faiths, Compassion.

This site does not need a tall building to show strength as a nation. THIS SITE NEEDS A REPRESENTATION OF THE RIGHTS, LIBERTIES, AND UNITY WE CLAIM AS CITIZENS.

Race

'Get out the way, man!' honks the white girl, waving her hands angry.
He's black.
Taylor and Jenna get nervous.
Beatrice drives on. 'Ugh, so frustrating!'
The black guy turns and shouts back, then gets hit by a car.
                                                                                                                

The cat that led the other behind the bushes
5ifty three minutes later
lays in the cool dewy grass, and looks up for cars
and relaxes as the school boy walks home,
passing him.
The school boy is black.
As, if it matters, the scruffy white guy cuts glances at his potential obstruction of insubordination with loud voice and criminal ways.
They glance at each other. Scruff gives a nervous nod, thinking, 'I'd do it if he was white,' and looks away.
Jack, carrying the book bag, looks away, thinking, 'He thinks I'm black.'