Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization

Epilogue: The Hope of the World

As seems fitting, our journey to the Muslim world ends at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the city where it began. One of Washington’s most recognizable and renowned monuments, the National Cathedral sits atop the highest hill in Washington, its towers visible across the Potomac in Virginia. Built of white and grey stone in the Gothic style, this magnificent and awe-inspiring structure houses dazzling stained glass windows and elaborate chapels.The windows depict American scenes, one of which displays a rock brought back from the moon. It was a cold February afternoon, with high clouds blocking the sunlight . Inside the cathedral, conditions were much the same, but I felt aglow. The bishop of Washington was dedicating a special evensong in honor of my being named the Washington, D.C., Professor of the Year 2004 in an unprecedented interfaith event. Together a Jewish rabbi, a Christian bishop, and an Islamic scholar read from their holy texts, delivered sermons from the pulpit, and talked of their friendship and outreach to each other in these difficult and troubled times. I surveyed the audience from the pulpit and felt the triumph of the generosity of the human spirit and my heart soared: This event itself is so highly symbolic to me. There are others at my university far more deserving of this unprecedented honor. Its symbolism alone is a landmark in interfaith dialogue. Imagine a Epilogue The Hope of the World 269 07-0132-3 epilogue 4/6/07 3:55 PM Page 269 270 Epilogue: The Hope of the World reversal of the event: the central mosque in Cairo or Lahore or Kuala Lumpur inviting a leading Jewish or Christian scholar at the Friday prayer and dedicating a sermon to the scholar. It is a great gesture and I hope will be reciprocated by Muslim religious leaders. Therefore I wish to point out my friends, John and Bruce, that you are the true leaders of dialogue, compassion, and understanding in our world and I know while I have been involved in this dialogue I have often received negative, even hate mail from others who do not believe in it. Equally I know that you two have had similar negative responses from your own people. Indeed I have seen the attacks on the Bishop under the banner “Washington’s first openly Jewish and Muslim Bishop.” My friends, these are titles of honor and I am sure that those great Biblical figures that inspire us from the time of Abraham would commend you for recognizing our common humanity in very difficult and dangerous times. Indeed I wish to place on record that I have seen and heard both the Bishop and the Senior Rabbi stand up and speak boldly against the human rights violations and loss of civil liberties that Muslims often have to endure. This is true faith and friendship. That Sunday evening, some 700 people had gathered to share in this powerful and special moment of interfaith dialogue. Participants included students, ambassadors, and former prime ministers. Guests came from outside Washington—from Palm Beach, Los Angeles, and Boston. A Zoroastrian friend, Jimmy Engineer, the Pakistani painter, had arrived from Karachi to join the event. Notable among the attendees were Muslim ambassadors, imams—including Imam Magid, head of the largest Islamic center in the Washington area—the directors of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the secretary general of the Pakistan American Congress . They were all aware that they were participating in an extraordinary experience. Emotions ran high, and there were many moist eyes—even a BBC journalist had tears in her eyes. The symbolism was powerful. This was, after all, the National Cathedral , one of the largest churches in the world, and situated in the heart of the capital city of the only superpower in the early part of the twenty-first century. This is where the president of the United States has prayed and state events are held such as the recent funeral service for President Ronald Reagan and even more recently for Gerald Ford.1 07-0132-3 epilogue 4/6/07 3:55 PM Page 270 This unprecedented event for the three Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—came as a result of my friendship with two remarkable souls: Episcopal Bishop John Chane, with his hearty laugh, open heart, and kind words, and Senior...