WASHINGTON, 16 September — In a somber, yet uplifting ceremony, the nation united together at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. yesterday, in a day of remembrance and mourning for the victims and the survivors of Tuesday’s tragedy. Prayers by Muslims, Christians and Jews filled the Cathedral during the special prayer service, which was attended by President Bush.
The president had asked all Americans to bow their heads at noon yesterday, and to seek diving guidance for their grief and outrage stemming from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
“Those of us who are gathered here – Muslim, Jew, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu – all people of faith want to say to this nation and to the world that love is stronger than hate,” Episcopal Bishop Jane Homes Dixon said at the National Cathedral, where the nation’s leaders gathered for prayer and remembrance for the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The service began with the prayers of Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, President of the Indiana-based Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), who read verses from the Qur’an, and expressed Muslim grief for those who were killed or injured in the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
“With broken and humble hearts and with tears in our eyes, we turn to you, O Lord, to give us comfort,” said Dr. Siddiqi. “Keep us together as people of diverse faith, color and races.
Dr. Siddiqi then quoted chapter 35, verse 10 of the Qur’an:
“If any do seek for glory and power, to God belongs all glory and power. To Him mount up all words of purity. He exalts all righteous deeds. But those that lay the plots of evil, for them is a terrible penalty; and the plotting of such will not abide.”
In a symbolic gesture, a Jewish rabbi accompanied Dr. Siddiqi to the base of the podium, and spoke after him.
The imam’s prayer was meant to reinforce President Bush’s emphasis on the fact that the vast majority of Muslims are nonviolent believers in a kind and loving God.
President Bush attended the Washington service with first lady Laura Bush, along with former presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford and their wives. Former vice president Al Gore was also present. Cabinet officials, members of Congress, the Rev. Billy Graham and hundreds of mourners, were also present.
Similar message were sounded throughout the day in government offices, churches, mosques, temples and businesses. Other Muslim leaders who took part in the invitation-only event included Omar Ahmad and Nihad Awad, who head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic advocacy group.
“American Muslims share the same sense of grief and loss felt by all Americans during this time of national crisis. We were honored to join the president in expressing support for the families of those who were killed or injured in these horrible attacks,” said CAIR’s Ahmad. Ahmad added that American Muslims have an added burden because they not only feel the pain of all Americans, but also are also experiencing the fear and apprehension caused by unjustified harassment based on anti-Muslim hysteria and scapegoating.
Other leaders from the Muslim American community included representatives from groups in the American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC). The AMPCC consists of American Muslim Alliance, American Muslim Council, Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Muslim Public Affairs Council.
The Islamic Center of Detroit, meanwhile, held a regular service and an interfaith prayer vigil yesterday, said Ron Amen, a trustee for the center.
In the regular service, he said, the Muslim imam said that “the perpetrators, whoever they may be, if it turns out they are so-called Muslims, they have nothing to do with Islam. What they have done is absolutely against the tenets of Islam. We have no connection with them.”
