By Rabbi Ben Kamin
ENCINITAS, California — What we know is this: three innocent people, young, educated, blameless, smiling at the future, were gunned down in Chapel Hill, NC strictly because of their Muslim faith. I call upon every Jewish, Christian, and all other theological leaders in this nation to join me in expressing moral outrage, condemnation, and concern. We have to be as fervent and angry about this about this as we are about any atrocity committed anywhere.
It is only when our fury with and our denunciation of sectarian violence transcends all issues of creed will we have a chance to all faithfully coexist on this planet. God is not going to do it for us; we have to do it for God.
For those who wantonly hate Muslims and today have harbored a secret sense of satisfaction at this triple homicide committed by an insane person with a skewed understanding of the human spirit, I say: shame on you and shame on those who have taught and influenced you!
For those who whisper to others, “They deserved it for what ISIS is doing,” let me inform you that such sentiments only hand the barbaric “Islamic State” yet another victory.
Today I am aggrieved specifically for Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, and his wife Yusa Mohammed, 21, and her sister, Rozan Mohammed Abu-Salha, 19. They were students, family members, people of dignity and unlimited promise. And I am bereft for that fleeting sense of Judeo-Christian ethics that once prevailed with its notion that we need to be as strong a nation as we are a righteous civilization.
Dr. King said: “Do not let any other man bring you down so low as to hate him.”
*
Rabbi Kamin is an author and freelance journalist. Your comment may be posted in the space provided below or sent to ben.kamin@sdjewishworld.com
The American Jewish Committee sent the following press release:
AJC is shocked by the brutal murders of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Deah Barakat, a student at the University of North Carolina; Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, who was to enroll at UNC in the fall; and Reza Mohammad Abu-Salha, a student at North Carolina State University, were shot dead by a lone gunman at a condominium near the UNC campus.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families, as we await further details from investigators regarding the shooter’s motive for these brutal killings,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “But some things should be absolutely clear and non-negotiable. In America, we must always affirm the sanctity of human life, the blessing of pluralism, and the commitment to freedom of worship for all.”
Craig Stephen Hicks was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Law enforcement authorities have not yet determined if the murders were hate crimes.
Rabbi Kamin,
The words I have read in comments on other sites have been disheartening. Most disturbing were ones that were made by people who appeared to be Jews. It seems they have forgotten what responsibilities come with being a Jew. Thank you for repeating words of Dr. King that are seldom seen.