Rabbis, Imams and Ministers Prepare for 9/11 Anniversary

September 8, 2002

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/nyregion/08SERM.html?ex=1032519140&ei=1&en=61c52e61121df85c

On September 8, 2002 The New York Times reported that "the contemporary words that many New Yorkers take away as a frame for reflecting on Sept. 11 will come from the mouths of the clergy. It will fall to the city's priests and rabbis, imams and ministers, to give spiritual comfort and moral compass. To find the words, clergy members said they would reach back for images to the days after the tragedy, to biblical stories, to the example of the selflessness of the rescuers. The Old Testament theme of the destruction of the Temple is on the minds of many members of the clergy. Many imams see themselves facing a different task than comforting or explaining God's ways. It is to extend their message of the past year, that Islam is a peaceful religion and that the terrorists aboard the planes were an aberration."