ACLC Clergy Proclaim Peace amid Anti-Muslim Sentiment
In Detroit, a coalition of pastors, imams and rabbis stood behind Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi and 40 other clergy to sign a proclamation promoting peace between religions. The event on December 17, 2015, at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, was a culmination of several years of outreach between American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) Leader and FFWPU State Leader David Kasbow and a local group of interfaith pastors.
When Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom, a longtime friend to ACLC, recently received death threats because of his Islamic faith, Rev. Kasbow and the other ACLC pastors rallied around him. A press conference was held to condemn the anti-Muslim rhetoric and to read a proclamation that they all had signed.
Rev. Kasbow wrote the proclamation calling for unity, based upon True Parents’ perspective on religions. It states in part, “We Jews, Muslims and Christians come together to declare that though our beliefs vary, the universal religious values we share, kindness, sacrifice for the greater good, belief in spirit and in the Almighty (called by our variety of honored names, God, Allah, Jehovah) who created us, bring us together as brothers and sisters, the children of Abraham and Adam.” You can read the full proclamation here.
Rev. Kasbow was interviewed after the press conference and appeared on the local nightly news. A newspaper article also appeared in the Detroit Free Press which quoted several faith leaders in their support for their Muslim brothers and sisters, and decrying racism and hatred.
Rev. Craig A. Williams
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We need more serious, open, honest and truly respectful dialogue between all parties concern in this emerging national and world crisis between the world’s major religious faiths.
We need more than just more of the same type of peace and unity rhetoric, speeches, events and posturing that we have often seen among various leadership bodies and groups within the various faiths connected on some level and to some degree within the ACLC and other groups.
Real world problems require real solutions that take into considering what is really happening in our nation and in our world on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. With the very real potential of a world wide “religious war” on the horizon, it behooves us as religious leaders, faith leaders and social and political leaders to act wisely, honestly and seriously among ourselves first to find true common ground for the various and varying positions we take in response to what is really happening in our nation and our world. To simply try to ignore or cover up the serious and complex differences in views and perspectives that exist between and among us and to simply engage in more of the same “hype talk” and the same “political correct” religious, social and political dialogue that has not brought us any closer to “real problem solving” in the areas that are truly dividing us, dividing our nation and dividing the people in our world at this time, seems to me to be a seriously spiritually and morally irresponsible path to take as religious leaders.
I believe that we must have more to offer the people in our nation and in our world who are desperately looking to us for true leadership and true heavenly and holy guidance in these days of religious conflict and turmoil.
These are seriously dangerous times for the nation and the world. Many believe that we may be on the verge of a nation and worldwide “religious war” the likes of which the world has never seen before. The question for us now is, “What role can and will the ACLC really play in helping to avoid such a every real pending potential national and worldwide catastrophic and unprecedented event?” I believe that we can and must play a central role in helping to avoid national and world level religious conflict and in bringing the world’s major religious faiths into true harmony and true peace, now and in the future.
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Bob Gauper
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While visiting churches seeking material for my blog, I have witnessed a well-known Christian motivational speaker, Dave Roever, inflaming a church audience with shouts of “Our God is better than their God!” when referring to Muslims. I also got to watch a skit depicting Muslims and other non-Christians as Satan’s friends. Tonight a local church is hosting an event titled “Islam:The Muslim Threat” while the pastor of that same church is writing an anti-Muslim column called “Islam’s Credibility Crisis” in our regional newspaper.
Obviously, we need a resurrection of ACLC here in Northern California. Thank you Detroit ACLC for standing up for righteousness!
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Rhonda Williams
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Thank you. May this proclamation spread throughout the US and the world.
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Louise Strait
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This is very inspiring! David Kasbow has been working for a long time in Detroit, and here we see the fruits. Imam Elahi has been a shining light for many years, and I’m grateful to read of this effort in his defense, and in defense of the true principles of this country.
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Eric Richardson
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Good job, ACLC, Detroit!
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Monty Johnson
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let us all become muslim – then maybe we could have peace?
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