This week, bullets filled the air near a Philadelphia masjid, interrupting a beautiful spring afternoon during a crowded festival marking the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.
At least 30 gunshots rang out near 47th and Girard during the Eid al-Fitr event, which was attended by an estimated 1,000 people. The event, which marks the end of a month of fasting and prayers for Muslims, turned into a rather frightening moment. Believers were rushed to safety.peace It collapsed into chaos. The atmosphere that was supposed to be pious and thoughtful turned to blood and panic.
A 22-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and a boy was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to his hand during a dispute involving two opposing groups, police said. A child was hit by a police car and broke his leg. Police said an officer at the scene shot an armed 15-year-old male, then arrested him and took him to the hospital. Police said they also arrested three men and a woman who fled the scene with guns.
In the coming days, some will try to blame the chaos on the Islamic faith. I don’t. Because I don’t believe that America’s spiritual malaise and the resulting violence is tied to any particular faith. Rather, the Philadelphia shooting incident About lack of faith and our collective refusal to respect anything spiritual.
In 2021, the Pew Research Center surveyed the religious makeup of the United States. They found that the share of Americans with no religious affiliation is up 6 percentage points from five years ago and 10 percentage points from 1991.According to a Pew report, “approximately 3 in 10 (29%) U.S. adults” are religiously “unaffiliated.” —People who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religious identity. ”
But when researchers dug deeper, they found that Americans who practice religion participate less in prayer, are less committed to religious services, and are less likely to engage in spiritual belief systems than those who responded to previous surveys. proved to be less restrictive. In short, this study shows that spirituality is becoming a choice, not a necessity, in America.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone. In a world where cell phone connection often outweighs spiritual connection, many Americans no longer value places of worship, and it shows in deadly ways.
In 2015, Lutheran congregant Dylann Roof entered Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina, observed a Bible study, and killed nine people in a violent attempt to promote white supremacy. In 2018, Robert Bowers, who also practiced the Christian faith, entered a synagogue in Pittsburgh and killed 11 people. Did either man think about his faith just before committing the crime?
That’s the question I’m asking as I think about what happened at the Islamic festival. Have the gunmen on either side of the conflict declared themselves Muslims, and if so, what does it mean to them? What does faith mean to us? ?
As a licensed Baptist minister, I am at a disadvantage when it comes to knowing the complexities of Islam. We understand that you may have certain dietary restrictions. I know that in Islam, like in other religions, faith is an inner decision, which influences outward behavior. But more than that, I know that in Arabic the word Muslim means someone who submits to God. The principle of submission to God’s will is also an important element of my faith.
Who do we believe? What do we trust?
But what do we submit to in a country where people of so-called faith commit violence in sacred places? Who do we believe? What do we trust? Sadly, I think we trust our most selfish desires instead of following what is right.
Perhaps America has turned away from religion and turned to violence. Or, if believers actually practice what we preach, our faith may keep chaos at bay.
