How do we respond to fear with the power of Love? How do we get beyond the rhetoric and hate speech to act in a way that starts to transform us and our neighbors? How do we live our faith through action?
In 2009, the FCNL community approved an Epistle Encouraging Quaker Engagement with American Muslims. It begins with these words: “As Quakers we are called to “answer that of God in everyone.” Our work begins with ourselves and our own country. This work must include our embrace of the “other,” in order to replace “tolerance” with understanding, respect, and sustained collaboration on issues of mutual concern.”
We have to start with ourselves. For the last two years, my family has shared our Thanksgiving dinner with refugees from Bahrain. What happens if we all opened our homes and our tables to refugees this Thanksgiving. Or if your meal is already planned, how about another dinner in the next two weeks?
Our friends at MoveOn have taken this a step further, organizing #RefugeesWelcome dinners with members of Congress and refugees in Evanston, Illinois, Nebraska and other parts of the country.
Breaking Bread, Overcoming Fear?
We may not all be able to break bread this holiday with a refugee or someone from another religion. But maybe you can invite someone from a refugee community to your Meeting or your next community event? Or make contact in some other way?
Then consider telling your neighbors about that experience with a note in their mailbox or a letter to the editor. And telling your elected representatives in Washington.
On Thursday, the House voted 289 to 137 to approve legislation that would effective block Syrian refugees from entering this country. I hope you’ll let your representative know how you feel about their vote.
So much of the fear comes from lack of lived experience. Or from experiences that we cannot overcome. We fear refugees fleeing violence because we don’t know them. We fear others because they don’t share our religion, or our culture.
We can’t overcome that fear without beginning to act. I’m very glad that I was with 400 other people from around the country lobbying for peacebuilding at our Annual Meeting when the news from Lebanon and Paris first reached us. Fear is real. But how we respond is up to us. Being together with so many of you allowed me to join with you in responding with Love.
