Freedom of Religion Means The Right to Worship

I am often asked what kind of Christian I am. Telling people I am a minister with the United Church of Christ doesn’t seem to clarify the matter so I have adopted a quick short-hand: “My people were the Pilgrims, the ones with the tall black hats and buckles on their shoes.” Sometimes I add, “The ones who were escaping religious persecution or looking for religious freedom.” I don’t go into my mother’s side of the family with the French Hugenots or my father’s side with the discriminated Irish Catholics.

In the past few days I have become keenly aware of the boundaries or the denial of religious freedom here.  Last week across the globe Jews celebrated Purim that joyous holiday that celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction. According to the Book of Esther, Haman’s plan to kill the Jews was foiled by Mordechai and Queen Esther. This day of deliverance is a day of feasting and rejoicing often accompanied by the wearing of silly hats and noise makers. People are expected to send food parcels and give to charity.

Hitler banned the observance of Purim in fear that like the Persians, he too would be foiled from his plan of extermination. In 1943 on Purim eve, over 100 Jewish doctors and their families were shot by Nazis in Czestochwa.

This year’s festival day was celebrated on March 20. However the Israeli army enforced a full closure on the occupied territories from midnight of Thursday March 17 through Monday March 21. Palestinians with permits to enter Israel were not allowed to do so until the closure was lifted. All terminals to Gaza were also shut down.

What this meant on the ground was thousands of Palestinians went without work. On Friday, the Muslim holy day all were denied access to Jerusalem to go and worship at the Al Aqsa Mosque. Though this closure or “siege” was advertised in the news it was not known to the hundreds of people who came to the Bethlehem checkpoint to begin their journey to Jerusalem to worship. These people were denied their right to worship during a festival that celebrates deliverance.

A further sad irony is that four people were arrested in Al Aqsa Mosque last Friday for apparently chanting too loudly, “God is Great.”

Lutheran Pastor and fellow American Ecumenical Accompanier, Rev. Amy Mckenkle blogged a few weeks ago about the freedom to worship in Hebron. Ecumenical Accompaniers on the Hebron team accompany Muslim worshippers through the checkpoints to the mosque on Fridays so they can worship. They are often barred from going by soldiers shutting down the street or met with hostility or violence by the settlers (see Amy’s blog at http://thingsthatmake4peace.wordpress.com/).

Sabeel Ecumencial Liberation Theology Center’s Wave of Prayer this week reminds us that Easter and Passover will coincide this year so we should pray that the peoples of all faiths be able to access their holy places during their holidays and “for the time when checkpoints, especially those separating Palestinians from Palestinians, are no longer present.”

God is great and his son, Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish Palestinian, is also great. As you move through this season of Lent reflecting on our collective Biblical and spiritual history, I invite you to join me in remembering that freedom from oppression is for all of us because all of us are beloved and chosen and thus, no one should be denied the freedom to practice their religion on their day of worship, or as loudly as they wish. Let the people sing and shout, Amen.