A Vision of Jerusalem
By C. Naseer Ahmad
Washington, DC
Washington, DC We are in an age of uncertainty, opined Gillian Tett on June 5, 2012. Serious people pay attention to what the author of “Fools Gold” and Managing US Editor, Financial Times, says. Many are raising fears of an impending financial cliff at the end of the year. Not to mention that MF Global scandal erupted not long after the Bernie Madoff rip-off.
In these times, can one have faith in anything or anyone? Rough experiences might shake our confidence but it seems that faith is an instinct in human nature.
In Great Britain, for example, Queen Elizabeth’s face on the Pound is a symbol of the faith that facilitates financial transactions. A manifestation of faith in herself and her subjects was the impressive fly over the Buckingham Palace by Royal Air Force – leaving trails of red, white and blue smoke on June 5, 2012 – commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of rule of Her Majesty.
An elegant jubilation also occurred on the same day in a very respectable neighborhood in Washington marking the 10 th anniversary of Interfaith Voices, hosted by Rev Maureen Fiedler, belonging to the Loretto Sisters Community. In these challenging times, it was a matter of faith that led to the radio program’s creation. Faith too helped volunteers achieve success in making people of different beliefs feel at home in a Jewish house of worship.
Though she does not wear a crown, Rev Fiedler commands incredible respect. She does not have an air force but Sunday afternoons she rules the airwaves and for some she might as well be the “Queen of hearts”. In her realm of faith, she is helped by colleagues – such as Laura Kwerel, Ellen Rolfes and Eric Crouch – with princely charms covering subjects that are always interesting.
In every Muslim ritual prayer, one seeks blessing on Prophet Abraham and his progeny. As I walked through the hall towards the dining area, I could not help but notice the pictures of the children of Abraham for whom all Muslims pray every day. Each face I saw suggested a story worth writing about, I thought as I prayed again for them. It seems those were the same sentiments of Imam Yahya Hendi, Muslim Chaplain, Georgetown University as he referred to the commonalities in the holy scriptures of all faiths represented that evening.
Celestial movements are not just of interest to scientists but also to people of faith who try to find spiritual meaning. It is not clear whether Providence meant it that way but the transit of planet Venus in front of the Sun occurred on this day also. For some, Venus symbolizes love and one wonders if that was meant to be for this day. CBS News reported that the next transit will be 115 years later.
Just like the harmony in the motion of heavenly bodies, the celebration of ten years of Interfaith Voice - an important medium for dialogue - moved at a graceful speed. When hardly any positive news comes out of Afghanistan these days, this event was started by Afghan singers with their Sufi-inspired music. The mystical poetry of Rumi provided the sweet perfume.
The fear of God in every believer is sometimes overtaken by the mortal thought of a speaker latching on to the microphone past bed-time. Fortunately such fears never materialized because speakers like Rev Jane Dixon – the retired Episcopal Bishop of Washington – spoke for only three minutes as directed by Rev Fiedler.
Between the salvos of humorous lines from speakers of different faith, the message was to “celebrate our differences” and not just tolerate them. Though it was thousands of miles from Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock, the gathering reminded me of vision of Jerusalem taught by my parents – with the promise of rapport and without the rancor of real estate disputes. And, in this age of uncertainty, I left with the faith that a peaceful vision of Jerusalem can become a reality someday.
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