An Evening of Hope
By Jonathan Hayden
Dr Akbar Ahmed
(second from left) at the award ceremony
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Late at night in the bitterly
cold winter of 1943, with many of the 900 soldiers on board
asleep, a torpedo pierced the midsection of the USS Dorchester
starting the quick-sink off the coast of Greenland. In the
panic to save their own lives, soldiers scurried to try to
find lifejackets. The four chaplains, of different faiths,
that were on board began passing out the lifejackets, saving
lives. When they reached the bottom of the stack they wasted
no time in taking off their own and passing them out. These
soldiers were their flock. They would die for them. Just before
the boat finally sank, soldiers are said to have seen the
four chaplains huddled, on the verge of certain death, praying
together to the same God.
It was in this spirit, in the memory of these four chaplains,
that The Chapel of Four Chaplains was established. The Chapel
promotes interfaith dialogue and understanding. The Chapel’s
highest honor, the Humanitarian Award, is given annually to
the individual who best exhibits the spirit of the Chapel
Friends and colleagues gathered to be witness to the 2005
Humanitarian Award presentation on April 19, when the Chapel
honored Dr. Akbar Ahmed with the Award. The Kay Spiritual
Center on campus at American University was packed with many
distinguished guests gathered to honor Dr. Ahmed for his work
in interfaith dialogue.
Diplomats, Ambassadors, business and religious leaders were
gathered to celebrate a man who has spent his career bringing
these types of people from different faiths together in harmony.
Foreign Secretary Shafi Sami of Bangladesh who flew in the
night before from Dacca, and Ambassador Aziz Mekouar of Morocco
opened the ceremony by remarking on their respect for Dr.
Ahmed’s work. Sami said that he was a close friend of
Dr. Ahmed for four decades since the time they joined the
elite civil service cadre and saw the “compassion with
which Dr. Ahmed dealt with people”.
Rabbi Cohen, Executive Director of AU Hillel, then informed
the distinguished guests of the work that Dr. Ahmed is doing,
noting that he is a scholar, diplomat, teacher, humanitarian
and more. He said, “His influence spreads through the
voices and work of his devoted disciples, of whom I consider
myself one”. Reflecting on the theme of the panel, Cohen
spoke of the common roots of the Abrahamic faiths. “At
their worst, they represent insularity, and bigotry. When
they do, the terms Christian, Muslim and Jew are just the
names of tribes. At their best they offer the best hope for
all of humanity”, said Cohen. He concluded by calling
on the individual saying, “Angry people have an angry
god. Loving people will have a loving god. Which is the authentic
Christianity, Judaism or Islam? We can find texts to justify
whatever it is we were predisposed to believe.”
Rabbi Cohen’s stirring speech was marked by the repetition
of a quote from ancient Hebrew text, “It is not for
one man to finish the work, but neither are we free to neglect
it”. He added, “Each of us has a role and a sacred
task.” Dr. Akbar Ahmed has not finished the job, but
he sure hasn’t neglected it.
Following Rabbi Cohen, University Chaplain Mark Schaefer continued
on this theme. He spoke of the covenant between man and God
and the need for us to find the collective similarities between
the faiths and form a covenant with each other. “The
covenants we have with God are only made sensible when we
recognize the covenants we have with one another”, Schaefer
said. “Perhaps God is calling us to be a covenant of
people far more broadly than we had envisioned.” Of
the honoree, he remarked, “Dr. Ahmed has challenged
us to reevaluate our faith. Our faith is dead if we do not
reach out to others.”
Before introducing the award presenter, Panel moderator Joe
Eldridge told the audience of Dr. Ahmed’s accomplishments
adding he was “the right man in thee right place at
the right time”, referring to Dr. Ahmed coming to Washington
D.C. one month before September 11. He noted that Dr. Ahmed
has been called “The new Ibn Khaldun”. Dr. Ahmed
has educated many about Islam including Prince Charles and
President Bush.
Fred Honigman, Co-Chairman of the Chapel’s Board of
Directors, was present to give the award to Dr. Ahmed. He
explained the significance of the award before handing it
over. The audience, moved by the proceedings, gave a standing
ovation to Dr. Ahmed.
Ahmed confessed to the assembly that he was speechless, noting
that this kindness and love was typical of the people on the
panel. Once the emotion subsided, Ahmed said that we must
“remind ourselves that God is compassionate and merciful”.
It was Rabbi Cohen who initiated the award ceremony when he
quietly nominated Dr. Ahmed for this prestigious award. This
was on of the most remarkable elements of the evening. Where
else would you see a Rabbi call for an Islamic scholar to
be given such a high award? This award has been given to Presidents
Truman, Eisenhower, Carter and Reagan. Bob Hope and John Glenn
have received the award. We, who were fortunate enough to
participate in the event, saw in action the result of friendships
that have developed from people of different faiths coming
together to try to find something in common within their respective
faiths. Imagine if this type of friendship could inspire others
to do the same – find some commonalities between the
faiths and embrace them, hold onto them for dear life.
Ahmed then went on to tell the gathering of his personal mission
since 9/11: to build bridges between the faiths and use the
similarities as a means for peace in the world. He repeated
the refrain of the prior speakers: that we share something
stronger than that which divides us. “Though there is
much warmth and friendship here this evening, there is also
much fear and hatred in the world. We cannot be discouraged.
The greatness of the Abrahamic faiths lies in compassion and
unity.”
Dr. Ahmed thanked all of the celebrated guests that came for
the presentation. He left everyone on a cheerful note by reminding
that the Abrahamic story is full of hope. At he end of the
story, “Abraham brings his sons together in reconciliation”.
Following the award ceremony and panel discussion, Dr. Ahmed
and Dr. Brian Forst treated attendees to the launch of their
book and a signing session. The two have collaborated to edit
After Terror: Promoting Dialogue Among Civilizations. The
book is a collection of essays by the world’s most renowned
scholars, political and religious leaders offering an alternative
to the “clash of civilizations” theory that has
been widely accepted. The book includes essays by the likes
of Queen Noor of Jordan, Kofi Annan, President Mohamed Khatami,
Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Tamara Sonn, Former Archbishop
of Canterbury Lord Carey, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Bernard Lewis
and Walter Isaacson among others.
In the almost four years since September 11, I have experienced
a myriad of emotions. I have been saddened, embarrassed, angered.
The list goes on. But I have too rarely been proud. On April
19th, I was proud. Proud of the work that Dr. Akbar Ahmed
is doing. Proud of the gesture that my fellow Americans were
showing in the honoring of Dr. Ahmed with the Humanitarian
Award. Proud that for a least one day, that Muslims in attendance
got to see the face of America that is generous and compassionate,
warm and inviting, instead of the face of the soldiers at
Abu Ghraib. Who do we think about when we think of Islam?
What picture comes to mind? How about followers of Judaism
and Christianity? I believe that for this evening the faces
of Islam, Judaism and Christianity were well represented and
left an aroma of love and compassion in the Kay Spiritual
center. The media is inclined to project the negative. This
is one of the challenges that we have been confronted with
since September 11. It is important for the world to see that
efforts are being made from all sides. Perhaps the most important
byproduct of 9/11 is challenge to humanity to think about
our differences, find a way to connect and embrace each other.
Dr. Ahmed often speaks of finding common ground and bringing
people together under these similarities. On this evening,
the common ground was Dr. Ahmed.
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