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Unity Day USA ceremony in Dallas

In a year when 9/11 commemorations felt as much political as reverential, a North Dallas ceremony the day after the anniversary tried to strip away the tension.


Zainab Khurrum (center), 11, of Irving talked to her 10-year-old sister, Hussaina, as they applauded during Sunday's Unity Day USA ceremony at the Unity Church of Dallas. "We're asking people to drop their sub-identity and look to each other as Americans and nothing but Americans," said Mike Ghouse, the president of the Foundation for Pluralism and the event's organizer and founder.

Sunday marked the sixth annual Unity Day USA, an evening ceremony intended to cull something positive from the 9/11 tragedy – a sense of cohesiveness, security and humanity.

Turquoise headscarves, navy turbans and sun-orange robes mixed on stage in the semi-filled sanctuary of Unity Church of Dallas as a handful of civic leaders and religious representatives spoke about the freedom of diversity and the naivete of fear.

"You belong to the country you live in," said Durriya Jamali, adjusting her white headscarf. "I've been here almost half my adult life."

A 43-year old Muslim from India, she's attended Unity Day celebrations since her daughter sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the inaugural event. "America is about all people and has nothing to do with religion," she said.

Speakers consolidated their beliefs into one-minute explanations of the "oneness of all religions" preached by Baha'i followers or the "universal oneness" practiced by Vedanta Hinduism devotees. About 100 attendees represented more than 30 religious denominations, including Zoroastrians, Muslims from five sects, and Methodists.

Ghouse had hoped to avoid the divisive issues that hung over this year's formal ceremonies. But they remained an inevitable undercurrent throughout the program.

"Not nearly enough leaders are standing up," said Dallas County Schools president Larry Duncan, referring to objections to an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero. "I know I am preaching to the choir because you are here. But each of us is standing up to be counted."

The program contained an insert that asked Muslims to pray for the well-being of those who burn the Quran – an indirect nod to the Florida pastor whose threats to destroy copies of the Muslim holy book dominated headlines last week.

"Politics," scoffed Madan Goyal, a 68-year-old Hindu who lives in Plano. "People will try to get whatever advertising they can. This means we can't take anything for granted."

Ghouse envisions a nationwide Unity Day and is making plans for celebrations in 10 cities next year. He said he chose the Sunday after 9/11 to draw a bigger crowd.

"All we can do is raise consciousness so others see people are aware of this," said Len Ellis, president of the Dallas Peace Center. "The alternative is to do nothing, and that's not a good alternative."

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God has offered us the opportunity to become nation builders and uniters of the people for the good of whole humanity.

The Unity Day USA event was an interfaith as well as Intra-faith event - Among Muslims we were blessed with the presence of Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi and Sunni and Warith Deen Muhammad traditions.

We have to come together on common grounds.

Thank God we live in America, the land of the free where you can be who you want to be. The current issues about Quraan Burning and one of the pastors calling Islam evil are all part of the living in a society. Part of the blame should be shouldered by us.

We have to come together to do good for the us and the humanity, what is good for Muslims has got to be good for others and vice versa to sustain the peace.

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Niki, when you toss in a line like " oh, we all admit that 'some' Muslims are extreme', or some such irreverence, it's clear you're only paying lip service to the matter, and would just as soon no one bring up the buckets of ugly truth. No, you'd love nothing better than to quickly read your 1 line disclaimer, and then scurry on to other, more interesting things, than to dwell on the brutality that's done in the name of Islam, globally, almost on a daily basis.

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How's that suppose to make us feel good ?

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