Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Muslim, Christian leaders denounce attacks
By Jacque Petersell
Staff Reporter

Islamic and Christian scholars were in agreement Tuesday, both in their offerings of solace and condemnation for terrorist attacks on the New York City and Washington D.C.

Some area worship centers opened their doors to show support, while scholars searched to find a meaning.

People may turn to religion for understanding and strength after a devastating experience, said Rev. Brian Young, United Methodist campus minister.

“I think in any tragedy people are searching for that which we have in common,” Young said. “People may be more drawn to prayer services more than they would have at other times.”

However, not everyone in the area was allowed to gather in prayer. Moujahed Bakhach, chairman of the Imam’s Council of Tarrant County, said an activity involving 600 to 700 people was canceled at the Islamic Association of Tarrant County because the mosque received threatening phone calls. He said it was not safe for people to attend and suggested they perform their daily prayers at home.

“We cannot take any risks,” Bakhach said. “We have to take all precautions.”

Bakhach said the alleged terrorist attack was unacceptable under Islamic religion.

“If you were a true Muslim, you would not have committed this act,” Bakhach said.

Ronald Flowers, a professor of religion, said people tend to jump to conclusions when there could be a religious reason for an act of terrorism. In light of Tuesday’s attack, Flowers said people may look at the Islamic religion as one of war, when in fact it is not.

“Islam would reject an act of terrorism,” Flowers said. “Islam is a religion of peace. The name Islam means peace.”

Mark Toulouse, dean of the Brite Divinity School, said people with more traditional ideas may try to connect the act to prophecy in the book of Revelation in the Bible, which predicts the end of the world through a series of catastrophes. He said people with more mainstream ideas do not share that view and believe biblical prophecies were not made for our time.

Eugene Boring, a professor of New Testament at Brite, said faith and religion have a connection with the destruction, but the connection is not through prophecy.

“The way to respond to this religiously is not if it was predicted in Revelation, but how this causes us to pray and think through what it means to live as human beings in this world,” Boring said.

Young said the goal now is to reach out to the community through prayer and to help out where needed.

Jacque Petersell
j.s.petersell@student.tcu.edu