End the War in Afghanistan

President Obama, the latest Noble Peace Prize honoree, has sorely disapointed many of his most fervent supporters with the decision to send 30,000 additional US troops to Afghanistan, a war which we were told 8 years ago was initiated for the purpose of routing the terrorist group Al-Queda. Despite his eloquent and no doubt heart-felt rhetoric delivered at the US Military Academy at West Point, those of us who are old to enough to remember the Vietnam War could not help but have a terrible sense of deja-vu. Now,as then, an otherwise progressive, ground-breaking president with an agenda of social change long overdue allowed himself to be sucked into a quagmire of death and destruction by listening too much and too hard to those whose business it is to make war. Now, as then, an American president's vision seems to have forgotten that democracy is not, nor can it ever be imposed at gun point by a foreighn power, no matter how well-intentioned. Having inherited a war without direction by a president who was too busy pursuing hiw own dreams of global empire to actually complete the mission he had originally claimed, President Obama seems destined to head down that same road as he tries to build a nation in Afghanistan, a country that can boast of having defeated every imperial power in history that has tried to do that very same thing. Long divided into tribes and factions, Afghanistan has a long history of very little central government and an antipathy toward foreignors; an antipathy that has not subsided with the installation of the corrupt regime of Hamid Karzai in Kabul by the US and it's allies. For eight years our troops have been stretched to the breaking point by the two wars begun under the Bush administration and it is time to bring them home to the honor they deserve not to waste more lives in a fruitless attempt to build a western style nation in a country and culture we neither understand nor appreciate, trying to build a nation that no one seems to want or care about other than those whose feeble grasp on power in the area around Kabul is bought with the blood of coalition troops and the lives of countless innocent Afghan civilians.

If our purpose remains to root out the terrorists, that has been accomplished, if not totally by our direct effort, then also by the fact that Al-Queda has simply moved on to other safe havens in failed states and tribal areas in Somolia, Yemen and Pakistan. We can declare victory and go home. If we are seeking to build a nation in Afghanistan, we must be prepared for decades of bloodshed in an attempt to do what this small place has successfully resisted since the beginning of history. Afghanistan has been at war for 30 years this time around. We have to ask what we can possibly expect to gain by throwing 30,000 more of our young men and women into that killing field. Perhaps we should look more closely at our own history, at the principles of our own democracy and the circumstances of our own founding and recognize that Afghanistan deserves what we all deserve, a chance to forge their own destiny, whatever it will be, according to their own lights, without a gun to their head. We need to be ready to help, not with predator drones, and human fodder for their killing fields, but with genuine aide, contingent on their adherence to the principles of self-determination, liberty and the right of peoples to make their own history. If Vietnam taught us nothing else, it should have taught us that.


Al-Queda, now thought to have less than 100 members in-country, is no longer based there

Religious Discrimination Hurts us All

Despite some of the positive changes that have occurred in terms of the acceptance of diversity in our country with the election of our first African-American president and improved relationships with Muslim nations across the world, the backlash against that progress has contributed to a rise in discrimination and hate crimes against Muslim-Americans. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the outrage of extremists on the right over the election of President Obama fueled by the hate speech of pundits in the media like Beck and Limbaugh, the difficult economy- all of these contribute to the search for scapegoats, particularly Muslims. Since much of the anti-Muslim sentiment in this country has been, if not perpetrated, at least encouraged by government policies, not to mention government officials that have made Islam out to be the enemy of America and our democracy, Muslim-Americans are often fearful of the police and loathe to report abuses outside of their own communities. This makes Muslim people easy targets, for politicians who build their campaigns on fear and bigotry and for those who take it on themselves to discriminate, and even attack Muslim people and their property.

Besides the obvious outrage against morality and our nation's cherished ideals of religious liberty and equality in the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, these acts committed against our fellow Americans are an affront and a challenge to us as people of faith and good will as well. Every one of the world's great faiths commands it's adherents not just to tolerance of those who are different, but to justice in our dealings with them. Just as our Declaration of Independence declared that all of us are equal and endowed with our Creator with certain unalienable rights, the Abrahamic religions command us to go beyond justice, to love of the stranger, the one who is different. This is, we here at TIA-Long Island believe, is more than an admonishment not to engage in acts of hate and discrimination, it is a commandment to pro-active advocacy for our brothers and sisters of every faith (as well as no faith). The rise in hate crimes in particular is a challenge not just to Muslims, but to Christians and Jews and especially the clergy to stand up and stand with our Muslim brethren, to demand justice, to preach it from our pulpits and to be visible in rebuking those, particularly those who claim our traditions, as a justification for these acts. I invite all Christian and Jewish clergy in particular to join us at TIA-LI in a new effort to become advocates for Mosques, on-call resources and educational leaders in our own communities and in the public square. It's time for us to speak truth to power, practice what we preach and erase the blight of prejudice that is like a plank in the eyes of our congregations and traditions. Get involved, join TIA- Long Island the national Interfaith Alliance. Together we really can be the change we want to see in the world.

Marriage Equality: It's about time

Few of the current debates about social issues generate as much heat and as little light as the one about marriage rights for gay and lesbian Americans. As Maine recently became the fifth state to legalize marriage equality and California was gearing up for a re-match on it's infamous Proposition 8, Governor Patterson of New York and Mayor Bloomberg of NYC also "came out"publicly with their support for marriage equality in New York. As Patterson and Bloomberg both said, marriage equality is a matter of equality before the law.

They're right. Marriage is a legal institution in this country as it is in most countries. It comes with legal rights and responsibilities, special tax status,and other provisions that married people enjoy. If those rights are denied to some people simply because of who they are, that is a denial of one of our most fundamental constitutional rights, namely equal protection under the law. Just as miscegenation laws were invalidated a generation ago, laws against same-sex marriage should be invalidated now because they deny an entire class of people access to the rights and privileges of an institution open to others.

Of course, most of the arguments against marriage equality are religious, not legal. Luckily for those who have a religious objection to marriage equality, the Interfaith Alliance and other groups like us have been fighting to maintain the wall of separation of church and state that protects their right as religious groups and organizations to choose to marry whom they choose according to their beliefs. Marriage equality is about civil rights to marry under civil law, contrary to some of the propaganda put out by some groups opposing marriage equality, no religious organization or clergy person can be forced to perform same sex marriages any more than any of us can be forced to perform any marriage under the current statutes. This is not about forcing anyone to do anything, its about fairness, its about family, its about the pursuit of happiness for everybody. That's about as American as you can get. It's about time.

Immigrant Rights are Human Rights

The recent revelations about the apparent lack of interest on the part of law enforcement in Suffolk County with respect to assaults on Latino immigrants is an unfortunate illustration of what happens when our elected leaders fail to live up to their obligations to provide genuine leadership to the communities they serve. The contrast between Suffolk and neighboring Nassau Counties, both with large Latino immigrant populations (both documented and undocumented) demonstrates to all those with eyes to see, just how much influence government really has when it comes both to public attitudes toward immigrants and the protection of the constitutional rights of the people under their jurisdiction. In Nassau County, where Police Commissioner Mulvaney refused to participate in ICE raids and other government-sanctioned persecutions of immigrants and where County Executive Suozzi has tried to take a more realistic approach to the realities of immigration and migrant workers, hate crimes are vigorously investigated and incidents are fewer. In Suffolk, where County Executive Levy has spent much of his political career bashing immigrants and exploiting the fears of older residents, the county police have gotten the message, as have local young people, that the right to be protected from bodily harm is a privilege to be enjoyed only by those who have the proper ethnic background and the papers to prove it. Even as the continuing revelations come to light about the pervasiveness of hate crimes in Suffolk County, so too is the fact that the police have not only under-reported these crimes, they have consistently shown an attitude of indifference to victims and an unwillingness to go after perpetrators.

That's more than a tragedy, it is an anathema to people of faith and good conscience. Frankly, in a nation built by the labors of immigrants, a nation in which our founding documents posit "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as "unalienable rights" of all people and in which the Bill of Rights is specifically noted to apply to all people under our nation's jurisdiction this situation is an outrage against all of us as Americans. The enforcement of our nation's laws is the sworn responsibility of all elected officials and the moral responsibility of every American. When the police fail to protect our citizens, they have failed to serve their oath as law enforcement officers. When our elected officials pander to the fears and prejudices of those who would deny the same opportunities and protections to others that they themselves enjoy, whatever their status, they have failed their own oath and betrayed the public trust. And without presuming to speak for other faiths, when I and my colleagues, as Christian clergy, fail to speak out and to hold our congregations, our elected leaders and our government responsible for acting with integrity, wisdom and compassion toward all of those who share this island and this nation with us, whoever they might be or however they have arrived here, then we have betrayed our faith, our calling as clergy, and our God.
This is not about legal status. It is about our fellow human beings and they deserve better than they are getting. We need to stand up, speak out and work for justice for all human beings.

Gaza Attacks

A few days ago, the Israeli Air Force, using American made F-16s and Apache helicopter gunships began the bombing of civilians in the Gaza killing at least 195 people and injuring countless others. As of this morning the death toll is over 350 with more than 1400 wounded even as Israel is talking about an all-out war with the Hamas-led government of Gaza. This in retaliation for rocket attacks launched from the inside Gaza. Attacks which, while inexcusable and heinous, have yet to take a life.

There are few things more painful and difficult than to call an old friend and staunch ally to account. Israel has been a beacon of hope to the victims of not only the Shoah, but to people who have known persecution all over the world. Surrounded by enemies, she has courageously defended herself and kept democracy alive in the Middle East. But as people of faith and good conscience committed to peace and also to justice, as well as friends and supporters of the state of Israel, we must take a stand and demand that Israel cease its disproportionate attacks on the Gaza; attacks which are taking innocent lives and causing terrible suffering to a people already groaning under the deprivation of an embargo which has deprived them of food, medical attention and most of the things that any people today need to live what John Ging, head of opertaions for UNWRA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, calls, "a dignified existence."

We cannot stand by and allow this to continue. Even in its own defense, proportionality is key to how an ethical nation behaves even in war. Israel maintains one of the most powerful militaries in the world, a military which is now engaged in an attack on a civilian population. The result of this is more bloodshed, more suffering and the seeds of discord for generations to come. As we have stood shoulder to shoulder with those who have condemned our own nation's abuses of human rights, its pre-emptive invasion and conduct of the unjust war in Iraq, so I appeal to people of every faith and no faith, along with organizations like Jewish Voices for Peace, Americans for Peace Now, and every other major peace and human rights organization in America and across the globe to join me in condemning the bombing of Gaza and in demanding that our friend and ally, the state of Israel, live up to its own commitment to work toward a just peace with its neighbors. It is time for Israel to withdraw its forces, stop the massacre and end the embargo against the people of Gaza. The only way to peace, is to stop the violence and work for justice- for everybody.

Equality Denied

In the euphoria of the election this year, it was easy for many of us to overlook the fact that in addition to the election of our nation's first Afro-American president, we also saw a major defeat for human and civil rights in several states, most particularly in California with the passage of proposition 8 banning same sex marriage. Apart from the disturbing fact that this defeat occurred in a so-called "blue" state, is the fact that this campaign was carried out by religious organizations.

Don't misunderstand me, people of faith, just as much as any other Americans have the right, indeed the obligation as citizens of a democracy (as well as by the imperatives of their faith's moral code) to work toward their particular vision of the good for the nation even if, as in this case, many of us who share that same faith may strongly disagree. Rather, what is particularly disturbing about the prop. 8 campaign are the misapprehensions, deceptions and outright untruths surrounding this issue, and the fact that many of those untruths and half-truths were perpetrated by and in the name of faith.

In my humble opinion, the most destructive of these is that marriage equality would violate the rights of churches to determine who they will or will not marry. That in other words, marriage equality is an assult on the separation of church and state by the state. But marriage equality concerns only civil marriage,an institution which in this nation confers rights and privileges on individuals that unmarried people do not have. From consents to tax regulations, married people enjoy a special legal status in this country, one that is denied to gay and lesbian people because they are not permitted to marry. Our constitution denies the government the right to intrude on the sacred rights of the church, but civil rights are the province of the state and to deny the legal rights of marriage to some but not others violates one of the most basic of our constitutional guarantees, the right to equality before the law. Prop.8 violates that right for millions of Americans. It is not only unjust, it is unconstitutional.

While it is the right of churches and church people to promote whatever vision of society that they see fit, the prop. 8 campaign was a blatant misinformation campaign aimed at encoding injustice and inequality into the California state constitution. That injustice is a call to people of faith and good conscience, even those who do not or can not theologically support same-sex marriage to stand up for the civil rights of their fellow Americans to civil marriage and the rights and privileges it confers.

On Sunday, May 3rd at noon in Independence Mall, Philadelphia, Pa, the Equality Forum is sponsoring a rally to support marriage equality. The Interfaith Alliance- Long Island is one of many co-sponors. Come and join us as we stand up for the rights of our fellow Americans. Remember the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "no one is free when others are oppressed." See you in Philly!

The struggle goes on

With the election of a new President, there is much optimism among many of us that the rather too cozy relationship between certain religious and religio-political groups and the White House may give way to a more even handed and constitutionally viable approach to both the relationship between the state and the church and to the vast diversity of religions and religious expression that is so much a part of the American landscape. There is much to be optimistic about, as President-elect Obama's own experience as a Christian son of a Muslim father and as a leader who has reached out to religious minorities in his campaign has indicated.In fact, with the election of Barack Obama, many folks see a repudiation of the religious right, particularly in the person of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin and maybe even an end to their power in US politics.

That would be a mistake. History has shown that fundamentalism and political extremism, the seed beds for the religious right in this country, are extremely tenacious movements that give voice to deep-seated fears and frustrations that, if anything, grow stronger in the kinds of uncertain economic times that we are experiencing. President-elect Obama, no matter how committed to change, is not the biblical Messiah, he is the leader of a democracy in which all voices, including those that advocate positions contrary to those on which that democracy are based, have the right to be aired and respected. Indeed, that is what the Interfaith Alliance is all about- protecting religious and civil liberties for those whose views we disagree with, even abhor as well as for those who views we applaud.

What all that seems to mean for us, is our work is far from over. There is much yet to be done. And while we congratulate President-elect for his hard won and historic victory and look forward with hope to an administration with a more open ear to our concerns than the one it replaces, we reocgnize that our work is not over, it has just begun. We need all Americans, people of faith and people of no-faith, with us, if we are to help to build a nation in which religious and civil liberty is not just an aspiration, but a reality for all. Please join us.