Ten-Year Memorial of the 9-11 Attacks

Introductory remarks: Helen Roland

Ten years ago, we watched as the world trade towers collapsed, the pentagon was attacked
and a high-jacked plane crash landed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after
passengers attempted to take control before it could reach the hijacker's intended target in
Washington, D.C.

The al Qaeda attack on the US caused nearly 3,000 people that day. But the deaths since 9-
11 of military and civilians —from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the increase of
terrorism world-wide—have far exceeded the deaths that day.

Nine-eleven was horrific for Americans and many still live in fear. Fear of another attack,
fear of the loss of liberties taken in the name of protecting us, fear of our brother and sister
Americans because they look and worship differently from us. But not all the responses to
9-11 have been negative. Some have pursued the hard road of healing, forgiveness, and
reconciliation. People all over the world are trying to connect.

For example, on September 11, 2001, Phyllis Rodriguez' son, Greg, was killed in the
terrorist attacks on theWorld Trade Center. Two months later, Aicha el-Wafi's son,
Zacarias Moussaou, was indicted on charges of conspiring to plan the attack that killed him.

In 2002, the two mothers met. Over the years they have built an unlikely friendship based
on forgiveness, peace, and hope for the future.

"When Greg was killed I thought, 'I will never forgive the people who murdered my son,'
but I have come to see forgiveness as more than a word; it’s a context, a process. I don’t
forgive the act, but trying to understand why someone has acted in the way they have is
part of the process of forgiving. Forgiveness is being able to accept another person for
being human and fallible," Rodriguez wrote.
"When I watched Zacarias at the trial my heart was broken because I could not look at him
as a stranger. I saw him as the son of my friend Aicha."

And here in Davis members of our faith community came together and began the annual
Celebrations of Abraham to help us to understand and rejoice in the many religions that
comprise theWoodland-Davis area. Today we celebrate the fact that in Davis, we’re
trying—and I want to emphasize trying because bigoted things still happen in this town—
but we are trying very much to hold each other with care and learn to understand each
other. We are trying to not reproduce the hate that’s being reproduced in so many
communities. Over the ten years we have learned to love and better understand each other,
and we hope we have modeled the way of living together in a beautifully diverse world.

The Celebration of Abraham is based on the idea of religious pluralism. Pluralism is not based
on the idea that all religious traditions are the same but rather we should come together to
learn and depend our own faith. The Celebration is not about proselytizing, but celebrating
our diversity.

According to Diana Eck, the head of the Pluralism Project at Harvard:

First, pluralism is not diversity alone, but the energetic engagement with diversity.

…
Second, pluralism is not just tolerance, but the active seeking of understanding across
lines of difference.

Third, pluralism is not relativism, but the encounter of commitments. My commitment to
Christianity is not lessened by dialoguing with individuals from other faith traditions, just
as Rabbi GregWolfe is remains committed to his understanding of Judaism and Khalid
Sayedi deepens his appreciating of his Moslem tradition by sharing it with those from other
tradition.

Fourth, pluralism is based on dialogue.

We thank you for coming to remember all those who have died and to celebrate all those of who are working to make our world more loving and compassionate.