What words do we associate with 9/11/01? Hatred. Revenge. Anger. Genocide. Acceptance. Forgiveness. Love. I'll be the first to admit that I felt anger and the need for revenge against those who did this. Was there a reason for it? To them it was genocide ( "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, Race (classification of humans) , religious, or national group" ). We did not believe as they did.
It was difficult to face Muslims in public without having feelings of blame. But we needed to remember what Jesus Christ would have done. It's important to remember that there are good and bad alike in all religions and people. We need to learn acceptance of one another. Hope for forgiveness for feelings of hatred towards people who because of the color of their skin or the clothes they wore, took the brunt of America's anger. And we need to love one another in the spirit of God, Allah, or Buddha.
Gayla Mendenhall
