Walead Mosaad – Campus Vigil Lehigh University for New Zealand Shooting
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AI: Transcript ©
In that 100 statement, it's not clear when I will damage your
windows, you know, one second if you have any doubt,
or when you do Fantasia Lucida.
I start off by saying this
to all of my brothers and sisters settled in this beautiful place.
And I asked God, to forgive us our trespasses, our mistakes, and the
evil that They lurk within all of us.
It was just last week
that my counterpart
in Linwood mosque, Christchurch, New Zealand, wearing similar robes
to what I'm wearing, and speaking right about the same time that I'm
speaking
when
that event took place,
and before it was over,
elated
but not before his roles were completely blasting.
To me,
that's a model
that he remainded he defended, he didn't run away. And he's
partially right. It was another member of that congregation for
prevention. And it was like at the second mosque, I think it works
within the class, the first one was to a mosque.
So I guess it's part of my job as a university chaplain, to offer
thoughts and prayers. And of course, that's very important.
But I think it's very important also.
We have a prophetic tradition
that goes back to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that
says, help your brother, whether he is an oppressor, or he is the
oppressed.
The people around the prophet at the time were dumbfounded by what
he said. Because they said, Well, we know how to help someone who's
oppressed, we access how you help the oppressor.
He said, stop him from oppressing.
But a stop to his oppression.
And interesting thing to me is that he's still a brother.
I pray for the salvation of that person in New Zealand, to
Australia to death.
And I pray for the salvation of the person who killed him survives
the tree of life. So I'm wondering, in Sherman Oaks,
and the one who did Oklahoma City bomb, and those who did the World
Trade Center. For those who didn't either the
list goes on
us assembled here today,
in a church,
originally dedicated to Christ.
And that attack in Christ Church had nothing to do with Christ,
nothing to do with the church.
Even though the government terrorists may have used some
Christian motifs in his manifesto.
And so for me, the real measure of a person
is your moral fortitude, your moral leadership, your ability to
maintain your principles and your ethics, even under duress.
There is no suspension of morality,
when the time is called for it, because we're only defined by what
we do matter to us every minute.
It's easy to do things. When you're not under arrest. It's easy
to be kind to the people you're like, it's easy to praise, the
ones that get along with.
It's easy to not get angry with those people who make you feel
good about yourself.
But that's not really the measure of humanity.
Because everyone can do that.
I think a true measure of humanity. How would you react to
how to deal with those that you don't like? That you don't know?
That you don't know anything about?
Me surprise you to know
that the status of United States is older than founded in the
United States. My brothers and sisters
first came to the shores probably in the mid 16th century.
But they can change
and they were forcibly removed
from their communities, Senegal, Gambia, ma
Like,
data back then they weren't gonna buy those things
they were doing as limiting kids to will have stuff like this.
But they can.
I was down here recently, three months ago.
And it's related to that one of those, okay.
There's a river mineral springs from Gambia. And it's very
convenient because it leads right out to the Atlantic Ocean. So the
slave trade came through that river. And there was a staging
point, an island, called Punta Cana, the island, where they're
going to move on to the North American shores.
And this person managed to escape.
And he ran back to his community.
But he was alerted. Scott was in he met.
His father said, What are you doing back here?
He's said,
I escaped, what do you want me to do?
He said, Go back.
Who's going to teach those people when they get older? Who's going
to be with them? Who's going to console them?
Who's going to be their leader? Who's going to kill them?
So God makes monitors out of people.
But then the question becomes, what about the ones left behind?
What is it that we're supposed to do? What moral lessons can we draw
from that?
Another think I'm going to be honest with you.
We know that what happened in New Zealand, or happened in Pittsburgh
or anywhere else, it's all related. We know it's not a New
Zealand issue. We know it's not an Australian issue. We know that
that man knows the names of other mass murderers on his weapons as
he walked in. We know that he mentioned other names in his
manifesto, even some of the political leadership in this
country.
So we can say that it's been related.
And I have to be honest with you, as well, I really didn't think is
to make chocolate
Crusher stuffing. If you read some of the comments, on the articles
dealing with physical attraction, you will find people living not
just the United States, not just indefinitely, but people on this
campus people who support what happens, or at the very least
another distrust about us.
So we have this amongst us, we don't have to look too far. We
don't have to think about how to reform a ceiling. Because I think
honestly, it was mentioned earlier. The people in New Zealand
got it right. And they understand a little moral and principled
leadership is and I applaud and commend Prime Minister Arthur,
Zealand for principled leadership in this time of crisis.
And
I recall, one of Aesop's Fables
about the Red Bull, the white gold and black
war, were able to fend off the lighting,
because they stuck together.
So the light became a bit sneaky little bit sly his approach, he
knew that he couldn't take off away from us.
So he goes to the Red Bull and said, you know, if you just let me
eat the whiteboard, then I'll leave you guys alone when it comes
to worry about, just give me him and we'll be okay. So he thought I
said, Okay, we stopped me saying after that, so the line would be
quite good.
Then the line goes back to the Red Bull again. He said, you know,
you'll be safe just looking at the blackboard.
He said, Okay,
in the light of the black.
Then it comes around to the whiteboard before the line
containing and he said, I was eating, or the Red Bull, I was
eating the day, the white bowl.
And they are letting me by you I was myself eating already.
So if we allow hatred, we allow fear of the other. We allow our
own
shortcomings and anxieties, to overcome us to agree where we were
others, then it's it's an attack on us. It's not just one of us. We
are facing crisis and not just the United States. But this.
Suicide rates have not been a sign with our county as they are.
Opioid Addiction has never been as high as it's been right now.
people's feeling of validation and isolation. And feeling like nobody
cares about them, I think are also historic highs.
So I'm not going to talk about gun legislation and whether or
something like that shouldn't be banned or control or any of that
the type of thing. That's for our politicians in Washington
directly.
probabilistic couples, what what can we do? What do we have at our
disposal that we can do? And I'll begin by saying about myself.
I love every single person is.
And I mean, that's the bottom line, oh, my god, I love every
single person whose
You honor us with your presence, You honor us, with your concern,
You honor us contribute to gentleness.
And I wish that we can all feel that way. Like
I wish we live in a world where even when we have differences,
when we have disagreements, we learn how to speak to one another
and overcome those differences. And not let those differences and
disagreements allow us to demonize. And as I said earlier,
other eyes, other people. I mean, isn't that what a university
education is about? Isn't that more and more here, it's not what
we come here to learn how to get along with people with diverse
backgrounds, and beliefs, and ethnicities and languages.
It's not the idea of
so why don't we come together and resolve as a community to do that
for one another.
And what a motivational is also for profit is begin with yourself
and those around you.
We can change our society was, but I can certainly change what I do
with myself, within myself community, within my family,
within my small group of friends, we certainly can do that.
So these are some of my reflections on the first part of
the sermon. Well, it might have the second part where I will when
we have the talk about the sales goals and stuff. seek forgiveness
from God is the one he does. So it was like it felt safe.
Under the surface, that I was everything that I was talking
about.
So I'd like to conclude
by thanking University thanking President Simon, Provost Vera,
university, chapter 1.7. In the last thing, they said, that
allowed him to have our staff for supporting our efforts, supporting
this effort, and really trying to bring about some positive change.
And I think
positive change may begin with things that are administrative in
nature. But they can, we can appoint to all of the diversity
and inclusion staff or personnel that we want. But at the end of
the day, it's not going to change your culture by itself. That takes
resolve for me and for you, and for all of us here. So
unfortunately, I don't think it's the last time we're going to do
something like this.
But maybe,
just maybe, if we have a resolve, it's the last time we have to
issue protocol like this.
And maybe beginning Tonight, or tomorrow, or the day after,
we can introduce positive changes in our own lives, and in other
people's lives.
I have this one piece of advice that let's all resolve that when
we leave the you know, out the doors of this magnificent church,
where Jewish services are done Catholic services about the
products and services of dominant Muslim services I've done that we
pledge with one another, that any human being we come across, we
pledged to having positive interactions
that we don't want to come across another human being and we leave
them in a worse state than what they started with us.
And that can be accomplished with a simple thing like a smile.
You go back to your offices, you go back to where you work, or can
we smile, especially if you're a leader. It'll change the whole
answer in the office as you're working.
Let us resolve to come over our differences and learn more about
one another. As I said earlier, Muslims have been in this country
since the 15th century in the 16th century. And we're not going
anyway. I am not going to start low to Friday services, I'm not
going to stop doing them even if it means my life. Because that's
what we are. That's what defines us.
And I think there are some things in life that are worth sacrificing
for as a sacrifice everyone's rights moral principle, what's
ethical is one of those things.
Thank you. I'm going to close off with a small prayer and we'll
begin with the ritual prayer here on the side for instance, for like
to join us to do so. I asked God to reflect upon us and Chinese
bipartisan to lift the burden upon all levels and Sisters where they
will be is cut you off offer or solace to all the victims of all
those tragedies wherever they may be, whether they be in this
country, whether it be in New Zealand, whether it be in Europe
or Africa, or in Afghanistan, Palestine, or anywhere that they
may reside as gods and different all those trials and tribulations.
I asked her to make this a community of loving, brothers and
sisters, that we love each other that we see karma with one
another, that we learn to overlook each one of our missteps and our
states and bring us to an understanding of one another, so
that even before we may get to the paradise in heaven, actually
create some sort of livable paradise here on earth. Amen.
Up and slowly