Choosing Unity: Choosing the Upward Path For America
In The American Muslim, Dr. Robert D. Crane, former Deputy Director for Planning for the White House National Security Council and Director of Da’wa at the Islamic Center on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C., explains a Qur'anic dictum in the light of so much Islamophobia post-multiculturalism.
I do love America and its many diverse peoples, but above all I love what America was created to mean. We have accomplished a lot, have worked mightily to overcome the blot of slavery and of genocide against the Native Americans (my father’s people), and now we must work equally hard to overcome the more recent projection of our original failings onto the entire world.America, Pakistan, and Israel are the only three countries deliberately created to embody and carry out the higher objectives of justice and freedom, and all three so far have failed to live up to our joint calling. All three of us have followed a rocky road and have a long way to go. The road seems to be getting rockier, but Allah tells us in the Qur’an that those who choose the upward path when all roads get rocky are the favored ones.
And what is the "upward path"?
So then, what is the "upward path"? I wholeheartedly believe we can find the truth in the eternal words of Scripture, in the concepts expressed in the book of Amos, in 5:4-5:5, and 5:14:
5:4. For so said the L-rd to the house of Israel; Seek Me and live.5:5. But seek not Bethel, neither come to Gilgal, nor pass Beersheba, for Gilgal shall be exiled, and Bethel shall become nought.
5:14 Seek good and not evil in order that you live, and so the L-rd G-d of Hosts shall be with you, as you said.
5:15. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; perhaps the Lord God of Hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Some people mistakenly understand these verses as only being an exhortation to refrain from oppressing poor people. The words of the prophet Amos go far deeper than that.
The words G-d uses in 5:4, "dirshuni v'chyu", "seek Me and live", imply a soul searching, searching not only outside of oneself, but also within oneself. Dirshu es ha'melech b'himatz'o, "seek the King when He can be found", Jews are taught, is the central theme of the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These 10 days are also referred to as the "10 days of Repentance", which, according to Jewish Law, involves confessing one's sins to G-d, regret over having sinned, and making a resolution not to sin in the future.
So we see that by examining our actions to see what our sins are, confessing them to G-d and expressing our regret and intent to do better to Him, we are, in effect, "seeking G-d". To do this takes a certain level of humility -- we are not the ones running the rules, dictating what we can or cannot do, G-d is. Seeking G-d implies this recognition.
From this point of recognition, one is almost behooved to seek "good", good being defined either as that which brings us closer to G-d (R' Tzadok ha'Kohen) or that which is a manifestation of G-d's Will (Nachmanides). In addition, we are told not to seek "good" from or desire things from points external to G-d's Will (here in the book of Amos, idolatrous faiths), for they will "become naught", become nothing when paling in comparison to the Creator of the Universe.
It is time for America to take a long look at itself. How many lives have been extinguished for oil? How many lives have been ruined -- in violation of Scripture -- in the pursuit of "morality" with no Scriptural basis?
The upward path becomes obvious once one realizes that there is an "up".
The upward path becomes a possibility once one realizes that 21st century America is not the pinnacle of human achievement. Were we to realize -- without pointing fingers -- precisely how we (and Israel and Pakistan) have failed ourselves and other nations, if we could admit our own injustices, then and only then can we truly move towards "establishing justice".
Otherwise, if we continue with incessant justifications as to why it's acceptable to offend person X, kill family Y, and alienate and marginalize person Z, we have no hope. We will continue to give nothing more than lip service to the foundations on which America was built. Opportunity does not exist in the face of virulent racists, one can never achieve a dream -- much less the "American" one -- in the nightmare of class-based oppression.
"G-d, bless America."
America, give Him a good reason to.
