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4 Southern California faith leaders reflect on Charlottesville violence and the ‘toxin of white supremacy'

From left: Rev. Norman D. Copeland, pastor at St. Paul AME Church in San Bernardino; Rabbi Ed Feinstein, Valley Beth Shalom; Rev. Susan Russell, All Saints Church in Pasadena; Imam Muzammil H. Siddiqi, Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove. 

By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News

POSTED: 08/14/17

The Southern California News Group surveyed faith leaders around the region on how they thought it was best to heal and move forward as a nation following the “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally and the eruption of violence in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend. Three people were killed, including a 32-year-old counter-protester who was rammed into by a car driven by an Ohio man as she crossed the street.

Here are excerpts of their reflections:

RABBI ED FEINSTEIN, SENIOR RABBI OF VALLEY BETH SHALOM IN ENCINO

My family came to America in the beginning of the 20th century because life in Europe became unbearable for Jewish people, but they never forgot. My grandfather would take me on a walk and whenever he would see someone wearing a uniform, he'd pull me across the street because he was a man who was filled with fear of everybody. But what I learned from his experience is that you don't take tolerance for granted.

I think we have to tend to our children and remind them that tolerance is a value, that it is the special gift of American democracy to be able to share a community, a school, a sports field, a shopping mall with people of every color, every race, every culture, every faith.... That's what makes America strong, that's what makes America unique among world cultures. We should remind our children of this, and speak about it very explicitly, very openly.

If we don't do that, you're going to see this rising up all over the country, which is what everyone is afraid of; (that) Charlottesville is the beginning of something not the end. We can create the cultural expectation that says no to racism and no to hate and no to homophobia and Islamophobia, all of those movements of exclusion.

In the same way we created a culture that says ‘don't smoke, it's not good for you,' and people listened and incidents of smoking are way down. We have to do the same thing with hatred. This is a reminder to become conscious of this. You don't allow people to get away with words that are ugly. You don't allow comedians to make comments that are derisive.... We make fun of political correctness, but political correctness is a good thing, because it says, I will not accept hate.

THE REV. NORMAN D. COPELAND, PASTOR AT ST. PAUL AME CHURCH IN SAN BERNARDINO

This is not the first time that this kind of violence has flared up in America. It has a long history of somehow blaming the victim, those persons who are part of this nation, who are a different color, a different religious background than their own. It seems to, for some reason, bring fear to a segment of our society.

We have to look at the kind of coverage that (hate groups) receive from the national press, giving them a platform to create even more havoc rather than letting them do what they do. The old question is if the tree falls in the forest and nobody hears, does the tree make a sound?... Certainly, they have a right to their point of views, but those views should not be violent in how they manifest themselves.

I think (the dialogue) starts with the one who has the moral pulpit, and that is the president of the U.S. and Congress, Senate, and city commissions and those who disperse funds in terms of promoting unity and restoration of the community. (But) what we say to appease people and how we act are two different things. Legislation and laws, the attacks on voter rights, the attacks on certain organizations and structures that exist within our nation... We can say platitudes in terms of speech, but actions speak louder than words.

THE REV. SUSAN RUSSELL, SENIOR ASSOCIATE OF COMMUNICATIONS AT ALL SAINTS CHURCH IN PASADENA

It's critical to recognize that what happened in Charlottesville was not just an event but a symptom of something that has existed in this country for a very long time. What it's done is it has drawn attention to the toxin of white supremacy, and I think the exact right question is ‘how do we begin the healing process?'

What we have to do is start recognizing what the disease is and then looking for treatment... One of the steps we need to take as white Christians is to name what we're talking about as white supremacy. I think we have a particular opportunity as a people of faith and white people to stand up and get our own house in order, to challenge those who want to leverage their white privilege to keep other people subjugated.

I think one of the ways we heal moving forward is to amplify voices of color, to hear the reality of what it's like to live in a country where white privilege continues to marginalize and oppress.

We as faith leaders have a crucial part to play in keeping the Christian gospel of love, justice and compassion from being hijacked by those who would use it as a weapon of hate, divisions and oppression.

If we do not move to be agents of healing, I would say that what is at stake is nothing less than our democracy.

IMAM MUZAMMIL H. SIDDIQI, RELIGIOUS DIRECTOR OF THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF ORANGE COUNTY

What's happened (in Charlottesville) is very sad; it's something that nobody should accept. It should be condemned by all religious leaders.

All kinds of racism is wrong and there is no such place in America for white supremacy or black supremacy or anything like that. We all have to work together... Here, people of different races and colors live together, and that is what we stand for and these are the great values of America. (Bigotry) should be condemned very strongly by the government, also.

Unfortunately, these tendencies are there. Sometimes they are encouraged directly or indirectly by statements of our officials. People know what went on during the (presidential) election last year, and this has created mistrust and racist feelings against each other. That is the tendency that's being supported by careless statements... not only by (Trump) but a number of others who have spoken the same way. We have been complaining, as Muslims, of islamophobia, but that was not the only issue, there was a wider issue of xenophobia and racism.

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