Loving The Enemy

There’s a very hip and widely-seen bumper sticker (in the Bay Area at least!) which is inspired by Jesus’ teaching that we must strive always to love our enemies. The bumper sticker, in an obvious comment on ‘our’ lovely war on terror and against Islam and Muslim and Arab people, says something to the effect of When Jesus Said to Love Our Enemies He Probably Meant Don’t Kill Them.

Y’know, I have a problem with this message, as it applies to current US foreign policy goals and actions. Sometimes this teaching of loving ones’ enemies is a useful instruction. I remember when the Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority and vicious attacker of non-Christians, queers, feminists and oh-so-many-others, died recently. I felt torn because I try to always retain the capacity to mourn at a loss of life. . .and I feel strongly that he and his agenda have already gotten more than enough attention from me and the world, at the expense of better people, ideas and movements upon which I’d rather concentrate. Plus, he really hated everything I stand for and in which I believe. I was heartened and educated by some mainstream gay organizations that publicly encouraged their communities to respectfully mark his passing while remaining unapologetically focused on human liberation. This, to me, is the essence of loving an enemy, to be able to acknowledge that there are those grieving Falwell’s death, in spite of the fact that Falwell and his followers did everything in their power to declare themselves my enemy.

However, people darker than I am, in lands unfamiliar to me, of religions different from mine, are actually not necessarily at all my enemies. Often they are strangers (still a far cry from enemies), and sometimes they are familiar friends. They can be and in many ways are comrades and teachers of mine. My enemies, those whom I love and those towards whom I am not (yet?) able to feel any affection or respect, are not the people my country is making war against.

Better Late Than Never

Whenever I miss a day or two of news, I’m always glad to get back in the radio and newspaper loop. . .Even though often the news that I find myself catching up on is anything but joyful and encouraging. I really do want to be fully human and alive and I know and feel good about what that task actually means, which is, in part, facing the suffering of the world. (As well as working to transform and lift pain and cruelty and also reveling in beauty and fun.) But the news can be a real downer, right? I’m so grateful when news of resistance and love and peace worms its way into my heart and consciousness too.

Now that it’s Thursday, for pity’s sake, I’ve just this morning gotten around to reading last Sunday’s The New York Times. In the November 18, 2007 edition, there appeared a paid open letter from Christian leaders, clergy and scholars. It was titled Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word Between Us and You and is in response to A Common Word Between Us and You, which was a recent open letter written and signed by 138 Muslim scholar and clerics who represent all major schools of Islamic thought in the world.

(The English website where you can read these texts in their entirety as well as find additional information and endorse the letter yourself is acommonword.com. (You need to click on the link called New Content, in order to find the text of the Christian letter that appeared in The NYT.))

Both of these open letters were totally new to me. Sheesh-- Where have I been? I read this letter with deep interest and genuine pleasure! It’s nice to be able to say that in these trying time, huh? I was especially excited to observe how the Christian response began by offering gratitude and props for the many Muslim efforts towards peaceful coexistence. It’s crucial for dominant culture folks (here, Christians) to be able and willing to recognize and name that they follow the leadership of those whom they have wronged historically and continue to treat unjustly today. Such humility and understanding goes a long way in avoiding the all too common mistake of social change agents with privilege unwittingly re- inscribing the very oppressive dynamics they work so diligently to counter by how they go about their work. This is especially true in terms of how people understand who instigates peace and justice work and who offers the first hand in friendship and solidarity.

My Vegetarian Beef

I’m really aware of how progressive and educated people work to interrupt Islamophobic discourse by trying to educate people about Islamic theology. A really key point that often gets raised is that the prophet Mohammed, may peace and blessings be upon him, isn’t considered the founder of a brand new religion. This is a common misconception for lots of people from different political and other perspectives. I know I’ve had really fun and thought-provoking conversations with people when I share the little I know about Islamic thought and Muslim history. I think dialogue like this is an important piece of any strategic work around these important issues today.

So here’s my beef: As a result of Christian supremacy, most religious philosophy gets continually compared to Christian theology and Christ-centered frameworks. So I hear people who are trying to be good allies to Muslims insist that Mohammed isn’t like Jesus, the same blessings upon him also, who is assumedly the clear and undisputed founder of the sparkly new Christian religion.

But HELLO. That isn’t true either! Jesus was a Jewish radical. So were his mother and Paul and most of the people we now consider early Christians, for that matter. Christianity did not spring forth, fully formed, from a static and monolithic Judaism. And at the very least, Jesus had no conception of a separate religion, let alone the intent to create one by his lonesome. It’s cool that what ended up happening is now a distinct religion but we need to remember and interpret our history correctly here, people.

Isn’t it interesting how we can disorient simplistic versions of one thing and keep the same idea completely intact elsewhere?