From Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) “Religion and Faith News“:
This calendar year, Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah, two of the most sacred times for Muslim and Jewish people, begin on the same day, September 12. We, in the Religion and Faith Program, hope the season carries with it profound blessings for both Muslim and Jewish people. For our Muslim friends, we pray that your fast is meaningful, that you find opportunity for regular prayer, for reading the Qur’an and for reflecting on Allah’s love. We wish our Jewish friends shanah tova, a blessed New Year. May this time of reflection and introspection usher in a year sweet with the promise of joy and peace. It is our deepest wish that the rich teachings of compassion, self-discipline, and contemplation, present in both the Qur’an and the Torah and reflected in the observances of Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah, enrich all our communities of faith.
I ditto this.
We are all worshiping the same God. We just happen to call God by different names, just like some of us say Ma, others say Mom, and others say Mommy. Same person, just different titles. We see God through different doors. I may see Mom as Mom but Ryan sees her as Grandma and Jim sees her as Honey. Same person, just different angles. We all have holy books. The Qur’an, the Torah, and the Bible all teach love, faith, neighborliness, and how to pray. Some of us pray on our knees, others on our feet. Some pray with their heads on the floor, some pray with their face to the sky. Doesn’t matter. We. Are. Praying. To. The. Same. God.
I am tired of the entire Islamic religion being blamed for the actions of what amounts to very few. We don’t blame all the Christians for Pat Robertson, do we? Not all Christians see life the same as Robertson (thank God, Allah, and G-d!). And while Robertson’s followers didn’t fly four planes into buildings and the ground, I’d bet even more have died as a result of his statements and actions. Death by suicide bomber or suicide is still death.