At this difficult time in interfaith relations when one of our faith traditions is under attack, I am reminded of a poem by Martin Niemoller. An ardent nationalist in Germany, Niemoller was a German pastor and theologian who at first supported Hitler’s rise to power, then later organized a group of German Christian pastors opposed to the Nazi’s. He was arrested for treason and sent to several concentration camps before finally being released. This is a version of his famous poem:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
valium online no prescriptionvalium online without prescriptionbuy valium no prescriptionbuy ambien no prescriptiondiazepam online without prescription online pharmacybuy phentermine no prescriptionbuy tramadol online no prescriptionsoma online pharmacybuy ativan online without prescriptionklonopin online no prescription
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.

Our Muslim American and international Muslim students, and students from religions (such as Sikhs) who are mistakenly thought to be Islamic, are some of the kindest, hardest working students I know. They are an integral part of our diverse, freely practicing, fully American community, and at the Fish Interfaith Center we seek ways to support them as we do all of our students. I truly believe the current rhetoric against Islam in our country is not about party affiliation, but about misunderstanding religion. As scholar Karen Armstrong points out, it is not religion we have to fear, but fundamentalism in any religion or philosophy.

It may not produce the fastest results, but education is essential in supporting our students – and it is what we do best at Chapman University. This semester I taught a Religious Studies course on Interfaith Leadership, Understanding and Engagement to 25 bright Chapman students from a diversity of majors. Each student was part of a small group taking on a real case study that involved some kind of interfaith conflict. Students were asked to research the religion involved, visit a site, and interview practitioners before determining a solution to the case study. In her final paper, one student described her visit to a Sikh Gudwara. The case study she was working on outlined misguided prejudice against a Sikh worker following all the fear engendered by 9/11. One statement she wrote touched me and showed me that education really does work:

Prior to learning about Sikhism and visiting the Gudwara, I would without a doubt have succumbed to the negative predisposition associated with “people with turbans” that has been engrained into my mind by society since the attacks of 9/11 … I remember developing a fear of anyone wearing a turban … However, after learning about the Sikh religion, developing a friendship with (members of the faith) and visiting the Gudwara my heart sank after reading this case study.

It’s a long road, but education is worth it!