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You can listen to the original 13-minute discussion between students Faizzan Ahmad and Dan Kopp that inspired this article. Faith Matters (18.3mb)

We Are Not All Bearded, Fully Veiled and Close-minded

This month United 93 releases in theaters across the country. Standing almost five years away from the tragedies of 9/11, the film recounts then hijacking of the fourth plane on that fateful morning, the plane that crashed down in Pennsylvania.

The events still put a knot in your stomach.

And the film will open fresh discussions about faith that breeds violence, justice that resembles vengeance, and sacrifice that is not measured by love.

The religious response is challenging. Jesus said to love our enemies, pray for them, and be contributors to peace. But big questions still surface. Why do some Muslims hate America? How should America protect itself? How can tolerance be promoted?

About Islam

Commentary with Faizzan Syed Ahmad

“We are not all bearded, fully veiled, and closed-minded,” Faizzan Syed Ahmad insists. He’s a sophomore at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Faizzan directs the campus chapter of the Muslim Student Association, an organization that began more than forty years ago and now has local chapters in nearly every state. “Islam teaches that if you save one life, you save, in essence, all humanity,” he says, “and the opposite is also true, if you kill one life, you kill all humanity.”

It sounds good, but Faizzan understands the dilemma: Muslim men killed thousands of people on 9/11 as an outgrowth of their faith. “It’s the wrong of a few people,” he says. “We as Muslims need to work to alleviate the wrong.” And, this is one reason why Faizzan is actively trying to change the stereotype. Perhaps his New York City upbringing combines with his family’s embrace of Islam to inform a strong hope for change. “Terrorists are often from low income, uneducated places, where suicidal occurrence is accepted,” he says. “Martyrdom, in my opinion, is not justified by the means of suicide, and education can alleviate some of this and offer respect for other beliefs.”

Perhaps the Muslim Student Association at Vanderbilt represents a new spirit, one of coexistence no matter what faith someone holds. After all, the group sees themselves as a “platform of pluralism,” Faizzan says. To this end, the group hosts joint activities with Jewish and Christian student clubs that include working together at Matthew 25, a homeless shelter in downtown Nashville, and co-hosting interfaith programs and discussion groups.

About Christianity and Judaism

Commentary with Dan Kopp

Dan Kopp sees things a bit differently. He’s a Christian and a recent graduate from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He grew up in Israel where Islamic and Jewish clashes are a daily routine. He’s not convinced the remedies are simple. “There are many levels to the tensions – history, socioeconomics, and context,” he says. “Unlike the West, memories are not short in the Middle East and anything can give cause or excuse for new conflict – whether it reaches back 100 or 1,000 years.”

This long view of history colors the interpretations of events. “In the Middle East, there is sympathy with Bin Laden,” Dan says, “and many are given over to extremist views, in part, because they believe a conspiracy is involved and the Jews are in the center of it. But, through reform and reconciliation we can hope this might eventually change.”

The situation is not an easy fix. It’s like an old man carrying a heavy sack up a mountain. He knows he might not make it all the way to the top and view the other side, but if he doesn’t struggle to climb forward, there is no hope.

Faizzan may say it best. “Crisis is a time for different religions to come together,” he says. “We need to learn from where we are now and work to coexist.”  United 93 is another opportunity to think about the struggles of cultural divides and religious differences and work toward a better future.