Peace and Forgiveness on the 10th Anniversary of September 11

By: Eddie Crise

I had the privilege to attend a community event remembering 9/11 and looking to the future for peace.  After the event, we also went on a peace walk around City Park.  Both religious leaders, city and university administrators, and the University of Iowa Interfaith Service Group's Michael Goldberg spoke at the event.  He eloquently related the focus of peace to the Interfaith work we are doing.

 Michael Goldberg

Here is what Michael said:

"I would like to thank the other speakers for coming, and I would thank the Consultation of Religious Communities for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight in memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

I was in fifth grade when the terrorist attacks took place. My generation remembers 9/11, but many of us had a limited conception of the world before then. We’ve come of age in a post-9/11 world, a fact that presents both disadvantages and opportunities.

I’m speaking here tonight as a representative of the University of Iowa Interfaith Service Group, a student organization on the Iowa campus that was just established this past spring semester.

This organization is a service group that seeks to include participants from different faith and non-faith backgrounds, people with diverse beliefs and practices. There are two main activities that the group focuses on. The first is action—where participants work together to perform community service. The second is dialogue—where participants share their experiences with the service and share the beliefs that brought them there and inspire them to act.

Some chose to demonize religion after 9/11. Conversely, we recognize an opportunity to be constructive, to find and work together with people who share in our commitment to building a better society.

9/11 was an example of the harmful form belief can take. It was an act intended to control people through fear, to divide and incite hatred. That is why interfaith service, cooperation, and dialogue are as important as ever. And that is why it is so crucial that we come together; that we stand and proudly voice our common beliefs in building a more inclusive society and improving our communities. 

Thank you for your time."