If it were only jelly beans, toast and popcorn, that would have been ok.
No this year, Rima Barakat and Imam Kazerooni teamed up with the Muslim Brotherhood, AKA, the Muslim American Society, to sponsor the interfaith Thanksgiving service, proving that Sunnis and Shiites can work together, after all. At least when they have a common enemy:
Kazerooni said he doesn't think there will be strong objections to downplaying the concept of a historical Thanksgiving based on the Pilgrims' arrival in America."It may have had some historical context when it started, going back to the Puritans," he said.
But when it comes to making it the only way to celebrate Thanksgiving, "the concept is no longer valid," Kazerooni said. "Now it comes in the context of church and faith and thanking almighty God for everything we have and bringing this kind of blessing to everyone else."
Look, when we celebrate Thanksgiving, we nod to the fact that the original Thanksgivers were Puritans, and then we go on to celebrate this American holiday by giving thanks for being in America. If Barakat or Kazerooni evinced such sentiments, they didn't make it into the Rocky.
I'll point out again that Kazerooni's Abrahamic Initiative is funded by the Rose Foundation, hosted by a church, and includes no Jews, except on an ah-hoc basis. An Abrahamic Initiative that includes Ishamel and Esau but excludes Isaac and Jacob except as underwriters seems, ah, incomplete.
Muslim participants this year are Kazerooni; Imam Abdul-Rahim Ali, of the North East Denver Islamic Center; and Djilali Casem, president of the Denver Muslim American Society.
Note that the Muslim American Society is the American branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, as detailed here and here.
Then, there's MILA.
This year, donations from participants will go the Muslim outreach program Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism, which provides assistance to Muslims who are impoverished or needy. (November 22)At the offering, the parishioners and congregation gave monetary donations to help the Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism, or MILA, a charity that provides services and educational programs to members of the Muslim community. (November 23)
Certainly it could be both, although the former is more likely to attract non-Muslim donors, one would think. Still, it's worth asking just what sort of educational programs the interfaith were supporting this year.
- 7/21/06: Raed Tayeh
- 3/06: Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
- 3/12/05: Dr. Mokhtar Maghraoui
- 4/21/03 and 4/02/02: Tariq Ramadan
Given this all-star roster, I think it's pretty clear exactly what kind of activism local Muslims were being encouraged to learn about.
