By in
Rhode Island’s Future
During an interfaith vigil for peace on Saturday, Rhode Island
religious leaders implicitly and explicitly blamed Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich
and the Republican rhetoric opposing religious freedom on the national
political stage for vandalism that happened at a
mosque in Kingston, Rhode Island on
Thursday night.
“In
one sense this incident is an isolated incident,” Rev. Don Anderson, the
executive director of the Rhode Island Council of Churches who organized the
vigil, told the crowd of well more
than 100 people who
came to be with the members of the Masjid al Hoda mosque Saturday.
“But
we also need to understand that this happened in a context,” Anderson
continued. “It took place in a context where there is irresponsible, hateful
speech in our country. It is being applauded by many of our fellow citizens and
it demands that we make a statement and stand up together.”
The
isolated incident in question was an attack on the Muslim Community
Center of Kingston, near the University of Rhode Island campus,
Thursday night.
A vandal broke windows in the mosque and spray painted “Muhammad
prophet of butchers” on an outside wall.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I disagree with Rev. Anderson’s characterization of
the attack on the Kingston mosque as an “isolated incident.” In the past year, State Senator Elaine Morgan (R),
who represents the northern half of Charlestown, got nationwide attention to
bigoted remarks she made aimed at refugees from war-torn Syria plus more than
our fair share of hate-driven incidents. Click HERE and HERE for examples. - W. Collette.
“When
someone says that all Muslims should be banned from American shores, even
temporarily, it hurts us all,” Anderson said.
“When
someone suggests that unconstitutional, anti-American suggestion that every
American Muslim has to take a faith test, that is absolutely and positively
wrong and we must stand together and acknowledge that and help people to
understand that we don’t believe that. We do not believe that is the America
that we want to live in. and we need to say that long and loud.”
Trump,
the Republican nominee for president, has called for Muslims to be temporarily
prevented from entering the United States. Gingrich, on Friday, said Muslim
Americans should be subject to deportation based on a faith test. While
Anderson didn’t name Trump or Gingrich specifically, other religious leaders
did.
“The
hatred and the animosity that is being spewed by … I can’t even describe them
as leaders,” said a dismayed Iman Farid
Ansari, a well-respected leader in the local Muslim community. “For
Newt Gingrich to even suggest that there’s a test… What is it about freedom of
religion that he doesn’t understand?”
Ansari put US Attorney Peter Neronha, who also spoke at the
vigil, on the spot about Gingrich’s call for a religious test for Muslim
Americans, an idea that was widely panned as both unconstitutional and
un-American.
“Our US Attorney is here,” Ansari said, motioning to Neronha,
who was seated nearby. “Don’t you think it’s against the constitution? I think
it is.” Neronha laughed along with the crowd, but didn’t otherwise offer a
legal opinion.
Neronha’s
office sometimes investigates vandalism against religious institutions. He said
they are helping South Kingstown Police investigate the Kingston incident.
About a similar hate crime against a Muslim school in West
Warwick two years ago, Neronha said, “We’re
still working on the incident at the Islamic school and there is promise in
that investigation. I’m convinced we will bring that person to justice.”
Neither
Neronha nor Congressman Jim Langevin followed the theme of putting some blame
for local violence on national political figures. Of the three secular speakers
at Saturday’s event, University of Rhode Island President David Dooley came
closest to putting the local incident into a global perspective.
“It
does seem, and in real ways it is true, that we face unprecedented times,”
Dooley said. “The challenges, the diversity of those challenges, the magnitude
of those challenges, is perhaps greater than it has ever been. But I think we
can take some comfort, at least I hope we can, in the recognition that in many
respects the hatred that we fight today has long been with us, and we have
defeated it in the past.”
While
the secular speakers shied away from being overtly political, the religious
leaders did not. A Muslim, a Christian and a Jew each parsed the vandalism
against the Kingston mosque as a symptom of the national dialogue.
“To
think that a man running for president could promote and exacerbate policies of
hatred, fear and suspicion is just simply unbelievable for all of us,” said
Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman.
He
implored people to follow the example of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, who denounced Donald Trump earlier this week in spite of the
tradition that justices remain apolitical.
“Don’t
be shy,” Voss-Altman said. “Stand up, speak out. We will stand together to
oppose hatred, and division, and fear. We do so today, we do so tomorrow, we do
so on November 8 and then we continue to do so.”
Bob Plain
is the editor/publisher of Rhode Island's Future. Previously, he's worked as a
reporter for several different news organizations both in Rhode Island and
across the country.