Rev. Kathi's Message

I looked at the faces and read the stories of the people killed in New Zealand last Friday. I saw my own grandchildren in the face of a 3-year-old boy. I felt the anguish his family must be going through losing such joy from their lives. I thought about the children who no longer have a mother or a father, and the people who lost a brother, a sister, a best friend. It’s moments like this, when I see the human impact of hate, that my heart cries out “Why God? Why?”

Christians are explicitly called to love our neighbors, those who are like us and those who are not. Jesus’ example prioritizes the margins of society and reaching out to those who are deeply hurting. Christians are to not bear false witness against another, which should prompt us to stand against falsehoods being spread about a group of people.

This theological grounding is a major part of why I think we are called to create peace with our Muslim neighbours. But there’s something else that should be pulling white Christians into addressing Islamophobia: it’s our problem.

Anti-Muslim hate is deeply intertwined with white supremacy and racial bias. The work to dismantle the root causes of this hate falls heavily on Christian communities. Church should be involved because if Christians don’t take responsibility for un-fertilizing the ground that breeds hate and violence, then we will not see change. It’s on us to confess how some Christians have contributed to Islamophobia and transform our repentance into collective action.

White Protestants in the United States hold the most negative views about Islam and Muslims, according to a recent survey. Politicians know this and play on these negative feelings in order to win political support by scapegoating Muslims for all sorts of social ills. While running anti-Muslim campaigns may be a losing strategy since most of us believe that Muslims deserve the same rights and dignity as any other community, the rhetoric that politicians use has deep and lasting effects.

When mainstream media gives seven times more coverage to acts of violence committed by people self-identifying as Muslim compared to similar acts perpetrated by people of other backgrounds, we have a recipe for hate and violence against Muslims as a group. Those on the fringe of our society who harbor extreme anti-Muslim views are emboldened to proudly wave the flag of hate in the public square, and even to commit horrific acts of violence like the New Zealand tragedy or like the mosque shooting in Quebec two years ago.

White Christians must recognize our responsibility to be at the forefront of fighting anti-Muslim discrimination and violence. It’s our communities that hold the most alarming anti-Muslim views. Those of us who wield influence must use it at this critical time. If we want to roll back the tide of hate, we can start right now in our own communities. And may God be with us.

Rev. Kathi