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Folk Music Legend Headlines California Peace Rally
By Ali Asadullah
PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept 16 (IslamOnline) - Legendary 1960s folk singer and strident civil rights activist Joan Baez, made an unexpected appearance at a Palo Alto prayer vigil and peace rally Sunday.
Sponsored by a coalition of faith-based organizations, the event sought to both memorialize those who lost their lives in Tuesday's tragedy and make a general call for peace and restraint as the United States prepares to respond to the attacks.
Following a recitation and translation of some Qur'anic verses, Baez took the stage and, showing her true '60s eclecticism, said, "Alhamdulillah, that was beautiful."
The Palo Alto native then proceeded with an a cappella rendition of "The Lord's Prayer", with the crowd of 500 responding after each verse in unison with "hallowed be thy name." Baez slipped quickly off the stage after her performance, without addressing the attendees.
The event itself was truly an interfaith gathering, with religious representatives from several local churches, community action groups, synagogues, a Buddhist temple and the local Muslim community, all taking turns at the podium to express words of peace and insight on the week's happenings.
Omar Latif, president of the Islamic Society at Stanford University (ISSU), spoke on behalf of area Muslims and read the translation of the very same Qur'anic verses used by Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) president Muzammil Siddiqi on Friday at the President's prayer service held at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC:
If any do seek for glory and power, to God belong all glory and power. To Him mount up all words of purity. He exalts all righteous deeds. But those that lay the plots of evil, for them is a terrible penalty; and the plotting of such shall not abide. (The Qur'an, Fatir 35:10)
Goodness and evil are not equal. Repel the evil with the good. Then will he between whom and you was hatred become as it were your friend and intimate. But no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and restraint, none but persons of the greatest good fortune. (The Qur'an, Fussilat 41: 34-35)
Speaking to IslamOnline, Latif explained his choice of scriptural passage saying, "It speaks about people who do evil acts, that they will be punished, because God punishes those who do evil plots."
"It also says that when you take vengeance you should use restraint and repel the bad with good," continued Latif. "And I think that as Americans it is important to use the ideals of our country of freedom and justice and keep that in mind when we take aggression against the perpetrators."
An overwhelmingly non-Muslim gathering, attendees ranged in age from the very young to the very old, and included people of several ethnicities and walks of life.
Charlie and Jessie, an elderly couple who spent most of the lives in New York, sat just behind the crowd, which filled the plaza of Palo Alto's City Hall facility. Speaking to IslamOnline, they shared their thoughts on the attack and the rally.
"It's somewhat like Pearl Harbor in that it compares with the nature of the sneak attack, and the effect it had on the American public," said Charlie, himself a World War II veteran.
Said Jessie of the event itself: "This gathering is an outpouring of love and concern from everybody, including the Muslims. They're concerned and we're concerned and nobody here hates anybody."
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