Salahuddin Hasan

I flirted with inter-faith dialogue and understanding for some time. But it was not until I met Salahuddin Hasan over fifteen years ago that I really made this a more consistent part of my on-going pilgrimage. He challenged me "to come on board" so to speak and to reach out to those of other faiths so that I might learn and relate. My attempts at doing so have been nothing short of enriching. And now my mentor is gone. Salahuddin died yesterday morning after a rather lengthy time of ill health.

Salahuddin was the Imam at Masjid-Al-Muminum here in our city for many years. His wife, Linda, was the manager for a dozen years or so at My Sister's House, the local shelter for women and children fleeing abuse. Though he was a great talker, theirs was not a faith-expression of words. They acted. And in so doing, they made a difference.

Salahuddin held his convictions strongly. He was not going to be intimidated by anyone. But he encouraged others in their convictions, even if they differed from his. Following 9/11, he bore down hard, insisting that Christians, Muslims, Jews, and anyone else talk to each other, get to know each other, walk and work together. Our community of faith and his celebrated numerous Thanksgiving Eve worship services together.

I know that the heat continues to be turned up by some Christians insisting that their way is the only way to God. I reject that notion and have long since moved past it. The way of Jesus works for me. But there are many roads on this one journey and Salahuddin found the way that worked for him. To believe there is only one road is to claim complete understanding of the mind of God and, for me, is an arrogance to the nth degree.

I know. I know. Many will want to quote John 14:6 about Jesus announcing, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." That's clear enough, right? Well, take a deep breath and hear me say - I don't believe Jesus ever said that. In the Synoptic Gospels Jesus doesn't talk a whole lot about himself. In John's Gospel, he just talks on and on. The "I am" statements are prime examples. It only makes sense to me that much later followers, looking back at who Jesus had become for them, put those words into Jesus' mouth and now the church has tried to make them mandatory for everyone. No sale, here. But by the way, while we are on the subject, what was "The Way" of Jesus? Was it not for everyone to die to self and come alive to a whole new unfolding experience? And that is the main thrust of all major faith expressions.

Salahuddin helped teach me this.

He was strong and gentle, intense and humble, lover of family and a gift to friends. And I will miss him. Rest in peace, Salahuddin Hasan.

CHOICES

Yogi Berra (in his own inimitable style) once said, "When you come to a crossroad, you have to take it." We are faced with crossroads every day, sometimes in excess. It becomes a matter of making a choice as to which one we take. Who among us does not look to their past and wish they could take back some choices? There is hope that we come to the end of our days without too many regrets. But choices can leave their stamp. Choices may be made that are extremely unwise, on a dare which we later wish we had never made, out of fear or ignorance. Sometimes our decision of the moment so wounds us that we carry a scar for the rest of our life.

The Good News of God, as announced through the centuries, is that not even our choices can separate us from this God. And they need not separate us from each other. Forgiveness can be offered and accepted, grace applied, and the extension of a love that welcomes us all back. A bad choice is not the end of everything.

But not all choices are bad. Daily choices can bolster us in hard times. Some choices are so remarkable in their end result as to be indescribable. There is the thought that with wisdom of years come better choices.

The ancient word was, "Choose this day whom you will serve." That could mean many things, some of which would be to our detriment. But the better interpretation would be to choose God, as one understands, and offer oneself up in a diligent, on-going response. The choice of God does not mean that we therefore shut other people out. We have come through a time of "Holy Wars" (which are anything but holy), the building of walls which exclude others from our presence, and a stance of retribution toward those with whom we disagree. There is even the sense from some that such is a proper choice. Unless someone speaks our God-talk, follows our doctrine, agrees with our beliefs, and has a god created in human image, then that one is out. I believe that such is a bad choice.

On Thanksgiving Eve, a group of us will gather for brief moments to sing, to listen to sacred readings, and to greet one another with openness and warmth. It is a time that I cherish each year. There will be representatives of the Abrahamic faith, (Jews, Muslims, and Christians) all under the same roof. I look forward to the day when those of Eastern Religious expression can join with us. No one will be asked to compromise their faith. The subject of who is right and who is wrong need not even come up. In a time when there is insistence that we pray "in Jesus' name" or that all other believers are infidels, surely we must find ways to come together, not feel threatened, and model the idea of a larger spiritual family.

I believe that such is a good choice.

Happy Thanksgiving!