Gratitude and Other Solutions

Boston

The Boston attack and the media focus on efforts to identify the culprits have upset me and many people I care about, and obviously the people who had to live through the attacks and the aftermath of fear, of staying home while the chase for suspects unfolded.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston, the families who lost loved ones, the people who have been injured, everyone who has witnessed this appalling crime and had prior trauma rekindled (as happens when folks with a history of trauma are exposed to a new traumatic event).

9/11 and related trauma
Some of the people experiencing trauma triggers are Muslims living in the USA. Some of us are very aware of the possible increase in hate crimes directed at members of communities to which the bombers have ties. For days, at the same time as Muslims have been reeling from the attacks themselves, we have been dreading a backlash, the result of collective guilt ascribed to all. And I am not just talking about verbal attacks like the Fox commentator who tweeted about Muslims, "Yes, they're evil. We should kill them all."

The fears are about more than speech, because, as FBI data shows, Muslims are three times more likely to be victims of hate crimes than anyone else. And the violence sends the message that we are not a part of the "us" in "USA." And Muslims, just like everyone else, are susceptible to trauma triggers. And the government itself had some responsibility for collectively blaming entire communities and treating all of its members as suspect by virtue of their ethnicity or religion.

I was here in NYC when 9/11 happened, and I still have flashbacks and anxiety related to the memory. I was attacked along with everyone else in NYC, from the air, by terrorist criminals. And, I was attacked on the ground, by fellow Americans, overhearing their hate and fear (several times hearing, "We need to round up all the Arabs!"), leaving me afraid to go outside and when I did leave my apartment, making sure I had my US passport on me. I remember the fear being so intense I could not engage in events like the candlelight vigils at Union Square to which my friend Daniel invited me to join him in attending.

This week, walking through NYC, hearing sirens, my stomach tensed and I could not understand at first my penetrating sense of dread. Then I connected the dots, and I remember feeling the same way immediately after 9/11: every alarm, every siren, was a harbinger of horror, of another attack. In fact, by day's end Thursday, a particularly difficult day, I was crying from the fear and the stress.

Focus on the solution
Thankfully, today I have several tools to deal with the fear and to manage the trauma. One of them is self-talk. I can reframe the story I tell myself about what the sirens mean (people are prepared to deal with a problem and help is available). So I talked myself through it: I am safe today. The attacks, however horrible, were limited in nature. I will not live in fear. I am resilient. I am a survivor.

Faith
I believe in a Gracious and Compassionate Divinity. This is my choice and it has been borne out in my own experience, which has resulted in my dawning awareness that my Divinity is indeed Gracious and Compassionate.

Acceptance
My life is not perfect. I am not perfect. I have my challenges. I am not alone in this (others also face challenges). But just for today, I need not live in fear, nor maintain my focus on a negative. I can accept my fear, as a human emotion that serves a purpose, an evolutionary purpose, to keep me safe and alive. I will not let it rule me. I have a mind, and I have choice. I can take action.

Gratitude
I also reminded myself to write out a gratitude list. It is by no means comprehensive, but is a simple thing I can do. I share it here, presented in no particular order:

1. I woke up today (another day of life! Thank You, ya Latif!)
2. I have a roof over my head (another gift!);
3. I have food in my fridge;
4. I have family & friends who love me & let me know it;
5. I get to go to a Retreat & see folks I love, to be a part of building a community that is inclusive & healing, and to explore my faith tradition in a diverse & non-judgmental environment;
6. I have a growing connection and sense of the Divine, which is called by different Names by different people;
7. I have access to affordable medicines and quality healthcare;
8. I live in a place that is not war torn;
9. I am blessed in more ways than I can count or that I am even aware of at times... 

Just for today, I choose to move forward in faith, acceptance, and gratitude.

I hope this may be helpful to someone out there.

Love, Light, & Peace,
Kamal

Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

Happy Passover! Happy Easter! Eid Mubarak wa Majeed!

Passover

This year, Passover started on March 25 and ends April 2. So, Happy Pesach! Chag Sameach! Eid Mubarak! Happy Holiday to all the folks who are celebrating! 

I remember my first seder, at Lauren Erdreich's parents' house in Edison, NJ, not far from where Lauren and I were in college. I remember being struck by the beauty and value of having an annual celebration focusing on liberation from oppression and enslavement, the moral consciousness this could awaken in a child, and the reminders it provided to adults. 

Over the years I continued to learn about Passover from such sources as T'ruah: the rabbinic call for human rights (formerly Rabbis for Human Rights - USA), Jewish Voice for Peace (l think it's worth noting this from them as well), and Tikkun.

Of course, who says holiday says food, yum! And though I was raised in Morocco, sadly, I have not been to a Mimouna celebration there. Inshallah, next year in Casablanca! I look forward to being able to exclaim, "T'frah, uw t'rbah!" (Be joyous & prosper!)

That first seder was not my last nor was it my only interfaith experience, sharing friends' religious festivals. I grew up in a multi-faith family, in Morocco, a Muslim-majority nation with hybrid heritage proud of its pluralism. Perhaps because of this, interfaith work gives me inspiration and a deep satisfaction.

You can imagine my pleasure, just as Passover is coming to a close, at finding this interfaith, comparative discussion of the Exodus story (how the Jews fled from ancient Egypt, led by Moses) as described in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions.

Easter

Passover is not over yet, but today is, of course, Western rite Christians’ Easter. Happy Easter to all those celebrating and observing!

This year, G*d willing, I will travel to Morocco to mark Eastern rite Christian Easter with my mom, who is Greek Orthodox. This year Eastern (or Orthodox) Easter falls on May 5. The Greeks and most Orthodox call Easter Pascha.

The Greek Orthodox Church in Casablanca my mom attends is a part of the Holy Archdiocese of Carthage, itself a part of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, which rules all of the Orthodox churches in Africa. The names alone, Carthage, Alexandria, sound ancient. They are of course, modern towns in Tunisia and Egypt respectively.

I can barely wrap my head around the ecumenical issues or the denominational differences in any religion, but here goes. The Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa is: 

the second in rank of the fourteen Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, which in their totality constitute the Orthodoxy, one of the three essential doctrines of Christianity, along with the Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Located in Alexandria of Egypt, its spiritual jurisdiction spreads throughout the African continent, which is accounted as a single geographical Church region.

I care about the Greek Orthodox church in Casablanca because of my mother's tie to it and my passion for diversity and inclusion and my dedication to interfaith work. I also care about it because it is part of the cultural patrimony of Casablanca. The church is a solid example of 1920's modernist architecture that can be found across Casablanca and Morocco, and is worth preserving and feeling proud about. Not too long ago it underwent restoration of its icons and internal décor and I found these photos on Facebook taken by someone who traveled there. [Note, the person who posted the album calls it a "Cathedral" but it has no bishop and is a small community church.]

Enjoy! And Happy Holidays!

Love, Light, & Peace,

Kamal

Also of interest:

Interfaith Easter at Sacramento Mosque

Bronx Mosque Opens Doors to Jewish Congregation

US Synagogue Welcomes Muslims Seeking a Place to Pray

United Nations Alliance of Civilizations: Many Cultures. One Humanity.

Morocco Celebrates Restoration of 17th Century Synagogue
Palestinian Christians Face Greater Restrictions this Easter
Egyptians Christians Head to Jerusalem for Easter