|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
by Dina Rashed CHICAGO (Islam Online) - Most American political candidates would rather depart from the issues of faith and religion lest it drive potential voters away. Senator Lieberman has been going against the conventional wisdom ever since he was asked by Al Gore to join the presidential ticket.
But only this Monday was he asked to spare the public his preaching of religious values and beliefs; even more, he was asked to do this by a Jewish organization. A letter to Lieberman by Anti Defamation League (ADL) national chairman Howard P. Berkowitz and director Abraham H. Foxman said, "Candidates should feel comfortable explaining their religious convictions to voters… at the same time, however, we believe there is a point at which an emphasis on religion in a political campaign becomes inappropriate and even unsettling in a religiously diverse society such as ours." Last Sunday, Lieberman spoke widely on the importance of faith in the life of Americans, in an address delivered during service at the Fellowship Chapel Church, an African American congregation in Detroit, Michigan. In the 30-minute speech, he quoted heavily from Talmudic rabbis and the Bible arguing that the country was founded on Judeo-Christian values such as equality, and that many of America's major movements - civil rights among them - have been influenced by spiritualism. "We know that the Constitution wisely separates church from state, but remember, the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion," he said. The ADL letter was provoked by such remarks. "We do not think that religion belongs in the political campaign and the political arena," Mr. Foxman said. "There's nothing wrong with somebody professing their faith and going to church or synagogue, but this is almost hawking it." Foxman also added that they sent similar letters to all candidates in December before the start of the primary elections. He said that the ADL drew a line to Bush and Gore and that now Lieberman seems to have crossed it. Nevertheless, on Monday, Senator Lieberman said in an interfaith breakfast meeting in Chicago, "This is the most religious country in the world and sometimes we try to stifle that fact or hide it… we are not only citizens of this blessed country, we are citizens of the same awesome God." Members of the B'nai B'rith International have opposed the ADL letter arguing that when Lieberman mentions his beliefs it is only to explain why he does things a certain way. However, Ivan Chorlins, a board member of B'nai B'rith from St. Louis, said he agreed with the ADL because, "I don't think religion should become a compelling factor in this campaign." A survey conducted by the Center for Jewish Community studies in Philadelphia showed that Jews have long been supporters of the separation of church and state; and still are, despite all the cheers for the nomination of a Jewish senator. The survey showed that 59% of non-Jewish Americans in the study favored allowing non-denominational prayers to be read in public schools, compared to only 20% of the Jewish public and 2% of Jewish leaders. On the statement, "Church and synagogues should keep out of political matters," 44% of the Jewish public agreed, as did 14% of Jewish leaders, compared to 36% by non-Jewish Americans. When asked whether the clergy can discuss political candidates or issues from the pulpit, 73% of Jewish leaders and 35% of the Jewish public agreed, while non-Jews hovered around 35%. Stephen Cohen of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs commented on the results saying that Jewish leaders are more committed to the right of religious institutions and leaders to engage in public life and discourse. Jews have been willing to work with a government that is supportive of religion rather than a neutral one despite calls from Christian churchmen, initiated at the beginning of the 20th century, campaigning for the explicit declaration of the U.S. as a Christian nation. Jews, at the time, fearing alienation, and with the memories of years of persecution and discrimination in Christian Europe still fresh, allied themselves with non-religious secularists in a struggle to make public schools and other government entities religiously neutral. |
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
