A Letter to My Cousins: Choosing Life in the Footsteps of Abraham
My dear friends and cousins in the Muslim world, my heart aches with yours. The horrors inflicted upon innocent men, women, and children of my people on October 7th, our sacred holiday, are beyond comprehension. These barbaric acts defy explanation, leaving us grappling with profound grief and searching for meaning in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
I know many of you have reached out, offering condolences and sharing in our pain. I know, too, that there are countless more across the globe who are just as horrified by this violence. It is to you, my brothers and sisters in humanity, that I speak today.
We are all children of Abraham, Ibrahim, the father of many nations. He walked this earth 3,800 years ago, right here in the land we all hold sacred. He dedicated his life to pioneering a path of love, kindness, compassion, and unwavering faith. What would Abraham say if he could witness the pain that engulfs us now?
Imagine, for a moment, his kind eyes gazing upon us. Can you not feel his heart breaking, too? He sacrificed everything – his home, his family, his past life – to build a world rooted in the Divine image he saw reflected in every human being. He taught us that each life is precious, a spark of God’s own light. To dishonor that light is to dishonor God, to dishonor Abraham, and to dishonor our own shared heritage.
Remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? Even when faced with wickedness and depravity, Abraham pleaded with God to spare them. He saw the potential for good, even in the darkest of places. He understood that our purpose is not to eradicate, but to elevate.
My dear Muslim friends, you are heirs to Abraham’s legacy of compassion. The God you call Allah, the God we all call by different names, has entrusted you with a mission: to bring light into this world. Your faith, your passion, your very being are meant to illuminate, not to darken; to heal, not to wound; to build bridges of understanding, not walls of division.
Yes, there are those who twist faith into a weapon of hate. But let us not allow their darkness to extinguish the light within us. Let us choose life! Let us choose love! Let us choose God! Let the headline be not one of violence, but one of radical empathy. Let the world witness the Muslim community, the Jewish community, all communities, rising together to embody the compassionate spirit of our shared forefather.
This is our defining moment. This is our opportunity to honor Abraham’s legacy by choosing the path of life, the path of blessing, the path that leads us, together, towards a world transformed into a divine garden of peace.
This is my prayer. This is my hope. Will you join me?
Let us continue this vital conversation. Please share your thoughts, reflections, and hopes for a brighter future. Let our voices combine in a chorus of peace that echoes throughout the world.
