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