World
Local Reaction
London bombing brings condemnation.
DON COHEN
Special to the Jewish. News
L
ocal reactions to the bombings in London July
7 uniformly condemned terrorism, including a
statement issued by the Islamic Center of
America in Dearborn.
A grand opening Sunday at Skewers, a Jewish-owned
Middle Eastern restaurant at Haggerty and Maple in
Commerce, provided a sampling of Jewish opinions:
"The bombing is just anoth-
er example of the terrorism
around the world. But, in the
end, the British will give
money to terrorist groups just
like the $3 billion they just
approved for the Palestinians
[as part of the G-8]. You'd
think that after being bombed
they'd know better. You
shouldn't give money to peo-
ple you know are corrupt. You
don't give it to terrorists.-"
— Ted Kahn, West Bloomfield Kahn
"It's another example of the
barbarism targeting innocent civilians for no valid rea-
son. It serves no purpose. For all the terrorists know,
they blew up people who agreed with their own causes.
Seeds Of Initiative
A
s a Jew, a Zionist and a student, I have long
been in contact with the poignant and bit-
ter bile of hatred towards Israel and its cor-
rosive effects on Israeli society and the lives touched
or destroyed by violence.
After graduating from Yeshivat Akiva in
Southfield in 2002, I spent the following year in a
seminary program in a small West Bank city, con-
• tributing to the Detroit Jewish News with articles
about my experiences in Israel and the lives of the
people around me. My first knowledge of the devas-
tating terrorist attacks that took place last Thursday
morning (July 7) in London came from an AOL
news bulletin Thursday afternoon.
As I made my way through the accounts and the
quotes from politicians, words already so familiar, I
was struck most by the pictures. Pictures of the car-
nage itself were few, but photographs registering the
shock on people's faces as they wandered the streets,
the bewilderment of the victims, were what resonat-
ed the most.
After all, who does the world expect to be the vic-
tims of this brand of terrorism? Not sweeping, sym-
bolic acts of violence, but the sort of terrorism that
is all the more frightening because it can strike on a
7/14
2005
16
It's indiscriminate, random, horrible and
cowardly. When we were in London [pre-9-
11], it seemed that their security was much
more advanced and sophisticated than the
United States. It's tragic that with all that
infrastructure this could happen."
— Joel Shayne, Farmington Hills
"This is just another example of radical Islamism's
declaration of war against
those who don't believe as they
do. It's another example of the
insanity that's taken over the
Arab world.
"When Islamic leadership
makes public statements in the
U.S., it's for public relations.
They need to come out and
act against this kind of mad-
ness and condemn it in reli-
gious terms. They should issue
a fittwa [Islamic religious rul-
Gunsberg
ing] against Osama Bin Laden
and other terrorists."
--- Lan)" Gunsberg, Farmington Hills
"It boggles my mind that people have any belief they
can achieve their goals through this kind of horror. I've
been immensely impressed by the reports of how the
British have handled this. We, both Americans and
Israelis, need to have the same level of resolve as them."
—Jeremy Salinger, Southfield
(by phone)
The statement from the Dearborn-based Islamic
Center of America said, in part:
bus, at a sidewalk cafe, at any moment in the midst
of daily life.
It insinuates its way into a nation's consciousness,
a shadowy presence lurking in the periphery of peo-
ple's minds. My heart still skips a beat whenever I
turn on the news just in time
to see footage of an explo-
sion; I reflexively assume that
I am seeing a street in Israel,
not a car bomb in Baghdad.
On that Thursday, howev-
er, when the shockwaves in
London rolled right across
the Atlantic, it finally struck
me that no one is safe. The
current ubiquitousness of ter-
rorism is a saddening and
RACHEL KOHN
frightening worldwide men-
Special
ace.
Commentary
In his book Guide to the
Perplexed, the medieval schol-
ar Maimonides identified
ignorance as the root of all bad in the world,
because from ignorance and lack of understanding
come fear and hatred. Fanatics, in their world of
absolutes, draw no lines other than the one separat-
ing "Us" from "Them" and live in a myopic pseudo-
"The Islamic Center of America unequivocally con-
demns the heinous acts of terrorism against the people
of London. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the
families of the victims and the British people.
"Islam considers the use of such brutality to be total-
ly unacceptable. No cause could ever be justified by
such immoral acts. We pray to the Almighty God for a
speedy recovery of those who have been injured —
physically and emotionally — as a result of senseless
and inexcusable acts of terror. We are all one humanity
and we will continue to pray for safety and peace in
America and throughout the world.
"We reject and condemn terrorism under any name.
We specifically reject those who defame the peaceful
faith of Islam with their violent acts."
Imam Hisham Al-Husainy, Karbala Islamic Center,
Dearborn
Imam Hassan Al-Qazvvini, Islamic Center of America,
Dearborn
Imam Abdul Latif Berry, Islamic Institute of Knowledge,
Dearborn
Imam All Elahi, Islamic House of Wisdom,
Dearborn Heights
Imam Abdullah El-Amin, Muslim Center, Detroit
Sheikh All Sulaiman Ali, Western Suburb
Community Mosque, Canton
Imam Muhammed. Musa, Muslim Unity Center,
Bloomfield Hills
Imam Achmet Salie, Islamic Association of Greater
Detroit, Rochester Hills
Mandi Ali, president,American Muslim Center, Dix
Avenue, Dearborn
Victor Ghalib Begg, Muslim co-chair, National
Conference for Community &Justice
Mahmoud A. Elhamid, The Islamic Cultural Institute
Mosque, Saint Clair Shores
reality. Thus far, they do not believe in dialogue but
in monologue, and the monologue of death at that.
The current conflicts in Israel, Iraq and other
regions around the world are not going to be
resolved by any grand statement I might make.
Neither soldier nor politician, there is little I could
do to affect high-profile change; but as a concerned
member of society I — we all — can do more than
just be aware of what is transpiring and what is at
stake.
We can work to foster understanding and compas-
sion among the people and communities around us.
By delving into this swirling world of gray, even
though being open-minded is often more challeng-
ing and confusing than shutting one's ears to outside
opinions, we can interact with those different from
ourselves in order to rectify the deficit of under-
standing in this world, the lack of real dialogue.
Difference and discord need not go hand in hand,
but individuals must take initiative to change the
status quo. These actions will not eradicate the evil
people who already exist, but will plant the seeds for
a world different from the one we live in today. 0
Rachel Kohn, 21, of West Bloomfield now attends
Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass