A ray of hope against Hatred and Hype (updated after the fold)
Posted: January 9, 2011 Filed under: Human Rights, Main Stream Media, Middle East | Tags: Arizona shooting, Egypt, Elizabeth Edwards, Hatred-Hype-and-Consequences, hoping against Hope, humanism, Rabindranath Tagore, religion, Rumi, toward a peaceful coexistence 15 Comments
Stained glass by Sarah Zirkel, zirkelmosaics.com (Click thumbnail to go to the site)
I often blog about hoping against Hope, but after yesterday’s haunting display of violence, I want to briefly turn to (and then pivot from) the undercurrents that drove that display: Hatred and Hype.
Too much of both has been polluting the dialogue in America for far too long.
That pollution has Consequences. We saw that yesterday.
But on the flip side of Hatred and Hype is authentic hope. From my hoping against Hope essay:
Authentic hope is grounded by healthy skepticism and action, not by a glossy Shepard Fairey poster.
Positive reframing of thought is rethinking things in a way that is constructive rather than destructive. It must be met with a positive reframing of actions — a plan.
Public policy that gestated at the Heritage Foundation before being passed by Democrats is not a plan.
We can’t just close our eyes, imagine a better world, open our eyes to watch as more wealth is transferred to Wall Street, and then expect that better world to somehow spontaneously manifest itself. At the same time, if we close our eyes and see nothing, nothing will ever progress. We need vision to have a plan, and that’s where hope comes in. It has driven humanity against the odds time and time again. Real hope is a call to action.
Real hope is this — “Egypt’s Muslims attend Coptic Christmas mass, serving as ‘human shields’” (from ahram.org, with Yasmine El-Rashidi reporting):
Muslims turned up in droves for the Coptic Christmas mass Thursday night, offering their bodies, and lives, as “shields” to Egypt’s threatened Christian community
H/T to Susie Madrak via C&L.
I strongly urge you to click over to read the entire story and give it the extra hits and traffic that a feel good story like this deserves. I will excerpt a portion for you here, though:
Egypt’s majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside.From the well-known to the unknown, Muslims had offered their bodies as “human shields” for last night’s mass, making a pledge to collectively fight the threat of Islamic militants and towards an Egypt free from sectarian strife.
“We either live together, or we die together,” was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea.
Among those shields were movie stars Adel Imam and Yousra, popular Muslim televangelist and preacher Amr Khaled, the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak, and thousands of citizens who have said they consider the attack one on Egypt as a whole.
“This is not about us and them,” said Dalia Mustafa, a student who attended mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly Street. “We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together.”
In the days following the brutal attack on Saints Church in Alexandria, which left 21 dead on New Year’ eve, solidarity between Muslims and Copts has seen an unprecedented peak. Millions of Egyptians changed their Facebook profile pictures to the image of a cross within a crescent – the symbol of an “Egypt for All”. Around the city, banners went up calling for unity, and depicting mosques and churches, crosses and crescents, together as one.
A plan of daring rooted in the idea that we are all in this together. That is the real essence of hope.
The rest of what tries to pass for it is merely anesthetic to get us drowsy and keep us fighting the shadows on the wall.
Some excellent reporting and commentary on this story via Zaid Jilani at ThinkProgress:
It is a frequent complaint among opinion makers in the United States that the global Muslim community does not condemn and prevent terrorism. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has even said that Islam needs a civil war similar to the one the United States fought in order to deal with its extremists. But the truth is that moderate and progressive Muslims all over the world are battling extremism. Here in the United States, one-third of al-Qaeda related terror plots have been broken up thanks to intelligence provided by Muslim Americans. It is up to the press to report these positive stories and not exaggerate the sway that extremists hold over the global Muslim community.
And, it is up to us to demand that they report it.
These words from Elizabeth Edwards in April ‘o8 come to mind:
If voters want a vibrant, vigorous press, apparently we will have to demand it. Not by screaming out our windows as in the movie “Network” but by talking calmly, repeatedly, constantly in the ears of those in whom we have entrusted this enormous responsibility. Do your job, so we can — as voters — do ours.
So please, take a moment and visit ahram.org to read the entire article. Let the press know that these are the stories we want to hear! Spread this one far and wide. Make it the buzz of the internet this month!
I want to close with a verse that I posted on New Years’ Day:
MIND WITHOUT FEAR
(Gitanjali, Verse 35)Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up
into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening
thought and action-
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake–Rabindranath Tagore
Update: There’s a Rumi quote I should have included, but it slipped my mind. Not that anyone will see this update, but for the record:
Outside ideas of right doing and wrong doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
–Jalal al-Din Rumi
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Lol. Every time I post Tagore, my post gets lost in the shuffle.
I tell you Wonk that Tagore is wonderful. I have his work on my Amazon wish list. I am retweeting the C&L article. This is something that needs to be seen. It is very important.
Thanks for the response, Minx. I’m glad you, Kat, and Outis read this at least. All the awful things going on right now has just left me feeling numb. I am exhausted by the meanness and the ugliness and the void of basic compassion for our shared humanity. Everyone is more focused on scoring political points or defending themselves instead of taking an honest inventory of themselves and of our society so we can work toward solutions.
Tagore is wonderful. There’s a Rumi quote I should have included too but it slipped my mind. No one will probably even see it, but I think I’m just going to go ahead and update the post to include the Rumi bit.
I just retweeted it a couple of times and put it up on my face book.
and the little dove stain glass is beautiful …
I’m going to stop going over to facebook for awhile. I’m tired of the Sarah Palin apoligistas. They get me riled up and they I have to post something here.
Yeah, the palin podpeople are really not worth debating imho. It’s just reached the point of total and utter indefensibility.
Sorry, I purposely hit the schedule button to give this two hours on its own. I was merrily typing away on it still and it posted. Some times, the squirrels just don’t listen they way they are supposed to listen.
No problem, Kat. Thanks for re-airing it.
I have a friend from my doctoral program that is an Egyptian/Coptic Christian. He likes to rail against ‘arabs’ and ‘muslims’ alot. He insists the coptic christian are the real egyptians. I got the feeling he really wanted to work for the CIA and translate stuff. He loves the US and is just super keen on becoming an American. Anyway, after Katrina I got a call from him and he was in Egypt. His mother insisted he call me and say they’d pay for me to fly to Egypt so I could have good hot meals. That’s one of my favorite Katrina stories. I was amazed at how kind-hearted so many people were. On my trip up to Nebraska through Texas, I had some amazing people offer to help me and help me in small ways.
Wow, that’s so moving to hear Kat!
One of my roommates in undergrad came from a Coptic Christian upbringing… very liberal true blue Dem, not the type to rail against Muslims…one of the most genuine and supportive persons I’ve ever met.
Thanks so much for this story. I’ve taken a break from blogs because of all the finger-pointing and apologia. Your sentiment that WE must create what we want–the government, journalism, and communities that we want–is very compelling and cannot be said often enough.
The situation reminds me so much of how people are feeling that we in this country are reaching a breaking point. And there is so much fear of what will erupt. From the article:
“The economic woes of a country that favours the rich have only exacerbated the frustration of a population of 80 million whose majority struggle each day to survive. Accounts of thefts, drugs, and violence have surged in recent years, and the chorus of voices of discontent has continued to grow.
The terror attack that struck the country on New Year’s eve is in many ways a final straw – a breaking point, not just for the Coptic community, but for Muslims as well, who too feel marginalized, oppressed, and overlooked by a government that fails to address their needs. On this Coptic Christmas eve, the solidarity was not just one of religion, but of a desperate and collective plea for a better life and a government with accountability. ”
Stories like these may show the way to all of us, that something can be done, that we do have the power to resist what seems to be all the powers crushing in around us. I commend all those Egyptians who made such a strong showing, and resisted violence with non-violence and personal sacrifice.
Outis, thanks so much for getting the spirit of this post and taking the time to comment.
“Stories like these may show the way to all of us, that something can be done, that we do have the power to resist what seems to be all the powers crushing in around us. I commend all those Egyptians who made such a strong showing, and resisted violence with non-violence and personal sacrifice.”
YES!
This is truly WTV at her best – positive post – thank you. We don’t hear enough about kind Muslims – that was a brave and loving action on their part. Elizabeth Edwards was a very smart woman – I had missed the quote from her you included in this post.
You said **All the awful things going on right now has just left me feeling numb. I am exhausted by the meanness and the ugliness and the void of basic compassion for our shared humanity.**
I’m in a stupor almost – have such strong feelings of despair. There is so much undeniable wrong in the world, so many people are struggling, so much hate. We got a huge dose of it during the presidential campaign. It was a season of hate – unmasked – with no shame. I fear the reason for that is the tentacles of the venal are so deeply entrenched – no one with any sense of humanity will be allowed to act. I’ll be here reading every post – just not commenting a while til I get a grip.
Wonk, I just wanted to let you know that I keep a copy of Sadhana next to my bed. My friend Vijay–that stayed with me after Katrina–gave me a copy. It sits among the dharma books that I use frequently to get perspective on life.
Absolutely lovely post, Wonk. I’m really glad you highlighted what happened in Egypt. Reading about it filled me with hope. I KNOW people are people world round, I know most are gentle, upright, stolid folk. But dang, the media, the politicos, all of them want us to believe different.
I posted a link to the article on my facebook page. So far one person has read it and liked it. I hope others do too.