*Sightings* 9/20/2010

*Until There Are Churches in Saudi Arabia*

— Martin E. Marty

The tantrum ¢â‚¬”let ¢â‚¬â„¢s call it what it is ¢â‚¬”against government, taxes, Muslims, and
moderates continues to rage, and will through November and perhaps long
after. A child in a tantrum eventually stops stomping and rejoins the
family, where speaking and hearing, agreeing and disagreeing, can resume. *
Sightings* would like to move on to other topics about religion and public
life, and may do so soon, out of boredom, fear, weariness, or, dare we hope,
with hope for better, tantrumless times.

In the meantime in these mean times, out of thousands of choices from
columns, blogs, and books, let me select two, one of the best, and one of
the worst. In *The New Republic* Leon Wieseltier challenges readers with a
question: Is Islam, as some defenders say,  ¢â‚¬Å“a religion of peace? ¢â‚¬  He
answers,  ¢â‚¬Å“It is not. Like Christianity and like Judaism, Islam is a religion
of peace and a religion of war, ¢â‚¬  depending on which era and which
circumstances bring forth  ¢â‚¬Å“the tendencies ¢â‚¬  within the religion. To relate
terrorism to movements within Islam  ¢â‚¬Å“is not Islamophobic. . . Quite the
contrary: it is to side with Muslims who are struggling against the same
poison as we are. ¢â‚¬ 

As for the World Trade Center attacks, he pleads, don ¢â‚¬â„¢t erect a cross as a
memorial.  ¢â‚¬Å“Christianity was not attacked on September 11. America was
attacked. They are not the same thing. ¢â‚¬  American Christians who use the
cross in their ads against Islam  ¢â‚¬Å“do not deplore a religious war, they
welcome one. ¢â‚¬ 

Now read William McGurn in *The Wall Street Journal*. Ask yourself what does
he and the tantrum-throwers to his far right, the Newt Gingriches and
company want? Peace? Moderation? Can you find the beginning of the beginning
of a way to peace in the McGurn column? Note that, for good measure, he
links American liberalism to radical Islam. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf,
 ¢â‚¬Å“perhaps ¢â‚¬  a  ¢â‚¬Å“moderate Muslim, ¢â‚¬  Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign
Relations, and others support  ¢â‚¬Å“ ¢â‚¬Ëœinterfaith dialogue, ¢â‚¬â„¢ and called for
American Muslims and non-Muslims to  ¢â‚¬Ëœbreak bread ¢â‚¬â„¢ together. ¢â‚¬  Not on your
life, says columnist McGurn. Stooping lowest he asks,  ¢â‚¬Å“What are the fruits ¢â‚¬ 
of the efforts at moderation and dialogue?

These efforts, he writes, produced as fruit the  ¢â‚¬Å“obscure Florida Pastor ¢â‚¬  and
other would-be Qur ¢â‚¬â„¢an burners, those who tear out pages of the Qur ¢â‚¬â„¢an in
front of the White House, and ¢â‚¬”this one is half right ¢â‚¬” ¢â‚¬Å“angry marches between
pro- and anti-Islamic Center crowds, ¢â‚¬  all to be blamed on one  ¢â‚¬Å“typical
experiment in liberal bridge building. ¢â‚¬  He implies that there should be no
efforts at  ¢â‚¬Å“interfaith dialogue, ¢â‚¬   ¢â‚¬Å“breaking bread together, ¢â‚¬  or
differentiating moderates from extremists in all faith traditions. Whom to
blame for the current rages? Muslims, of course; one Imam, of course; and
 ¢â‚¬Å“folks who cling to their liberalism and their antipathy to people who
aren ¢â‚¬â„¢t like them. ¢â‚¬ 

McGurn does have the grace to scold  ¢â‚¬Å“Republican politicos ¢â‚¬  who, thanks to
 ¢â‚¬Å“liberal hectoring, ¢â‚¬  exploit tensions,  ¢â‚¬Å“saying no mosque near Ground Zero
until we see a church in Saudi Arabia. ¢â‚¬  Which sets us up for Wieseltier ¢â‚¬â„¢s
best line:  ¢â‚¬Å“I also hear that there should be no mosque in Park Place until
there are churches and synagogues in Saudi Arabia. I get it. Until they are
like us, we will be like them. ¢â‚¬ 

*References*

William McGurn,  ¢â‚¬Å“’Bridge Building’ and the WTC
Mosque, ¢â‚¬ 
The Wall Street Journal, September 14, 2010.

Leon Wieseltier,  ¢â‚¬Å“Mosque
Notes, ¢â‚¬ 
*The New Republic*, September 2, 2010.

Martin E. Marty’s biography, current projects, publications, and contact
information can be found at www.illuminos.com.

———-

*Sightings* comes from the Martin Marty
Centerat the University of
Chicago Divinity School.

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*Sightings* welcomes submissions of 500 to 750 words in length that seek to
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