We are hosting a college classmate of my oldest son in our home. Having just graduated from college, she is in the area looking for a job. Z is a delightful person who happens to be Muslim. In the spirit of her faith tradition and the holidays, she wanted to volunteer over the holidays and thought it might be nice to do something on Christmas day. She came up with an opportunity, organized by the Jewish Community Center of Washington, DC to coordinate a group of volunteers to sing Christmas carols at a retirement community in Washington. Muslim woman, Jewish Community Center, Christmas caroling. Priceless!

Peace

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In this season of reflection, of hope, we are thankful for our Interfaith Alliance family around the country. This note was sent in by our Oklahoma Affiliate President Jeff Hamilton. Rev Mark Davies helped host our 2009 High School leadership program in OKC and Orhan Osman and the Turkish community center recruited students for LEADD.
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In Buddhism, we have practices called the “Eight Fold Path.” The name of each one begins with the term “Right”. Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, etc. The word “Right” in this case, means in harmony with Universal Truth – the highest choice for yourself and others. The key is to embody these practices so that we live from them naturally, not as something external we refer to, or have to think about. When we function from this integrated perspective, we are highly attuned to another teaching of Buddhism – the interconnectedness of everything and everyone.

Recently, a man who had been active with Interfaith Alliance here in Oklahoma City, passed away. When Orhan Osman who is head of the Turkish Community Center heard that this man had no particular church affiliation, he offered to host a memorial service at his Center. Orhan asked Rev. Mark Davies, a Methodist minister from Oklahoma City University to officiate the service.

On that day, the room was filled with people from all faith traditions. They came together out of a sense of community.They came together to honor the life of a friend and fellow human being. They came to share in their grief and compassion.
They came to share…

There is something very “right” in Oklahoma, when an Islamic Center joins with a Christian minister to lead an interfaith congregation in a remembrance and acknowledgment of the lifetime of an individual from the community in which they all live.

Rev. Kris Ladusau
RK Buddhist Dharma Center of Oklahoma and Board member of Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma

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Caving to religious bigotry, Lowe’s pulled its advertising from the TLC program, “All-American Muslim.” The show examines life in Dearborn, Mich., through the lens of five Muslim American families. Dearborn is home to the largest mosque in the United States, serving more than 3,000 worshipers.

The Florida Family Association has said it finds the show offensive because “The show profiles only Muslims that appear to be ordinary folks while excluding many Islamic believers whose agenda poses a clear and present danger to the liberties and traditional values that the majority of Americans cherish.” Why is it so shocking to profile Americans, who are also Muslims, as “ordinary folks?” The program is educational, informative and illuminating; it could hardly be described as “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.”

Interfaith Alliance believes that religious freedom is best served by respecting individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy. While we have struggled with religious diversity in the U.S. since before its founding, we believe it has been the basis for America’s great strength. TLC’s “All-American Muslim” presents a neutral view of challenges faced within American Muslim communities as they deal with building new traditions in a country where their religion is a minority, an experience not unlike the challenges faced by every other immigrant community that has come to the United States.

It is time for Lowes to exert some of its energies on self-home improvement by supporting programs like “All-American Muslim” – and their creators’ efforts to share the lives and cultures of American Muslim families with the rest of the country – and refusing to surrender to pressures from anti-Muslim groups who are far too easily able to influence the greater public with their views.

Consider expressing your disappointment with Lowes’ quick decision to remove advertising dollars from TLC programming by calling Lowes’ customer care line at 1-800-445-6937 or visiting its customer care page to leave a comment: You also can express appreciation for TLC.

Interfaith Alliance President Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy recently weighed in on Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry in an interview for a new effort, “My Fellow American.” Check out that clip here: My Fellow Americans

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