Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 4 October 2001 — Page 6

The ivluncie Times, October 4, 2001, page 6

WITNESS FOR JUSTICE

Columnist: Don’t blame all Muslims for the terroristic acts of a few

Somehow those words of the title of James Baldwirfe book cametomyheadthisweek; The Fire Next Time. Perhaps it has come to pass. With the death toll now over 6,500, it certainly feels thatway As each story of men, women, and children killed is printed, our hearts break and our anger is kindled. But almost as disturbing as the events of Sept. 11 themselves, have been the reactions of seme Americans in the aftermath: attacks across the country by those so filled with rage and hate that they have murdered Muslims and Arabs and even those who looked‘foreign.” In only 2 or 3 days, more titan 2,100 incidents have been reported by the Islamic Council; from verbal harassment of Muslim children to the defamation and destruction of Muslim mosques to the physical attacks on ArabAmericans or people thought to be Arab to the murders of a native American girl in Oklahoma; a Sikh from India to Arizona; a Pakistani Muslim in Dallas; and a Egyptian American near Los Angeles. Undoubtedly, thousands of unreported incidents have occurred in towns and cities across the nation

In Cleveland, where I live, a man drove his car into a mosque. Another threw bleach at Muslim store owners. While some have tried to dismiss the destruction of the mosque as the act of a drunken man who had just argued with his girlfriend, the question must be asked why he chose to drive into that building and not a car dealership or a drug store. The FBI is investigating these incidents, as well as 40 others in the Cleveland area alone, and many others across the nation, as hate crimes. But it is up to all of us to say loudly in our own communities: we will not allow such hatred and intolerance in our towns. Then there have been the remarks by such fundamentalist Christian leaders as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, blaming the attacks on the American Civil liberties Union, feminists, gays and lesbians, and those who are pro-life. While Falwell has since apologized and President George W Bush has condemned such remarks, it is just that kind of religious leadership by a few fundamentalist clerics which has brought us to this place. Throughout history, all faiths have had fundamentalists who have led members into

attacks on members of other feiths and, sometimes, on their own. Indeed, this intolerance has driven many away from organized religion. These horrible terrorist attacks have reminded us that we must denounce hate talk, no matter where it comes from. But perhaps most frightening were the remarks by our president that Osama bin Laden is “wanted dead or alive.” Bush made the remark himself, using the old West cowboy context. That is, indeed, the mindset firm which such a remark would come. But even in a time of crisis, we live by a Constitution and by the rule of law. In a time of lawlessness, laws must become much more important International courts have been created to try crimes against humanity with which U. S. support after World War II, because our nation understood the importance of trying and punishing such criminals, even those who were responsible for the deaths of millions. Tb turn our back on this legal system now, to exact vengeance, would be to ignore our own legacy and the principles upon which this nation was founded

Bernice Powell Jackson

Finally as painful and as difficult as it might be, we, Americans, in the midst of the tears and the resolve to obtain justice, must try to understand contexts of our world, to see how millions of human beings have been suffering around the world at the same time as our nation has prospered. We must educate ourselves about Islam, a faith that is part of the JudeoChristian heritage. When James Baldwin wrote the book The Fire Next Time, he was writing about the civil rights struggle in the United States and how our nation was treating its African American citizens. In an interview later, he said, “What I tried to do, or to interpret and

make dear, was that no sodety can smash the social contract and be exempt from the consequences and the consequences are chaos for everybody in sodety” There must be political, diplomatic and legal solutions to this terrorist attack. We must not condemn a whole nation or a whole religion for the acts of a few extremists. In the midst of the pain and the fear and the anger and the tears, we must draw together and understand in new ways the (xmmandment to love. Bernice Powell Jackson is the executive minister for the United Church, of Christ Justice and, Witness Ministries based in. Cleveland, Ohio.

NAACP supports public financing of elections

The NAACP adopted a resolution asking its branches “to support efforts to enact vduntary systems of full public financing of elections.” In endorsing public financing of elections, like the Ciean Money/Clean Elections systems in place in Maine, Arizona, Massachusetts and Vermont, the NAACP is supporting comprehensive campaign finance reform that would enhance the ability of all citizensdnot primarily the wealthydto partidpate equally in the electoral process. In doing so, the NAACP is meeting the “Fannie Lou Hamer Standard’ Fannie Lou Hamer, the

legendary African American voting rights champion, who led the Mississippi Freedom Democrat Party delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City in 1964, could not afford to give campaign contributions. The Fannie Lou Hamer Projects, named in her honor, has developed the Fannie Lou Hamer standard. Simply put, any campaign finance reform that would help someone like Hamer; who had little financial means but plenty to offer in terms of dedication and leadership, meets the standard. Publicly financed elections meet the Fannie Lou Hamer standard because anybody who

is qualified could stand a chance to become an elected representiveonotjust people who have access to wealthy donors or are wealthy themselves. “Fannie Lou Hamer would be proud of the NAACFj” said Stephanie Wilson, executive director of the Fannie Lou Hamer Project. “Public financing would mean that someone like her is not hurt because all the politicians in office must answer to their donors first and her second “In endorsing public financing of elections, the NAACP is taking a great step in building a multi-racial movement for reform. The leadership and resources of the

NAACP will be instrumental in working for real reform of our system.” NAACP officials agreed with Wilson's sentiments. ‘The NAACP views this as a very important move in opening the electoral process, equalizing the playing field for all candidates. Those with riches and/or access to a vast amount of resources are now the only ones who can seriously pursue public office. Individuals with limited access but are capable of serving have no chance,” said Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington Bureau of the NAACP “This is an important opportunity for all NAACP

units to affect policy that has a great impact on the lives of African Americans and other minorities in America,” said Walter Butler Sr., president of the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP. “We felt that campaign finance reform is a cause that is long overdue because of the seriousness of its effects on the lives of African Americans and minorities. We know that this is a civil rights issue that should be dealt with as other civil rights issues of the past. The Georgia state conference of the NAACP plans to support all eflbrts to push for legislation on a state and national level to effect this change.”