Being different doesn't mean you can't be trusted
In 1994 a Muslim woman walking in the skyways of St. Paul was ticketed by police because she was wearing the traditional scarf, or "hijab," over her head.
Now she is suing the city because she believes the police were discriminating against her because of her religious beliefs. The police say the woman was acting suspiciously. It turned out she did have a criminal record for one shoplifting charge and writing a bad check.
She had been a Muslim two years when the skyway incident happened. Like many women all over the world, she had decided to wear an expression of her faith every day. The dress that many Muslim women wear today is a long black gown with the hijab covering the head but exposing a good deal of the face.
By the way, skyways are glass and steel tunnels that connect the second floors of most of the buildings in St. Paul. Heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer, these inner trails have become the heart and soul of the city.
Some Muslim women prefer the all-black niqabs that cloak everything but the eyes. It is a sign of a growing Islamic conservatism that is spreading around the world. And it is a signal that women especially are taking their religion more seriously. In the 1960s and 1970s many Muslim women spurned the faith and wore Western miniskirts and sleeveless blouses.
But these things often go full circle. So you're going to see more women wearing long black gowns with their heads covered. Don't freak out. These are ordinary people trying to live out their faith.
But the ticketing incident here is another indication that we trust each other less and less.
The other morning I walked through the skyway system with a Greek Orthodox hermit who wears a long black gown and a little pillbox hat. He wears a special wide belt and his white beard flows half way down his chest. Plus he walks with crutches. We got stared at, and some people smiled. Some seemed to edge away from us.
The hermit's name is Father Jerome. He lives in Wisconsin in a small hermitage on a back road a good distance from anything and anyone. He prays for people, translates Romanian religious texts on a modern computer and bakes bread in a bread machine somebody gave him.
But he's different, a rare monk who
wants to live alone. Even in the Orthodox tradition, that is something we don't hear about very often. And for some reason, when someone appears out of step, we can't bring ourselves to immediately trust that person.
All of this distrust also seeps into the political process. We make up our minds too soon. We accept rumor and innuendo as truth. We hear unsubstantiated reports and take them as fact rather than asking some questions and exposing the reporter.
Our political campaigns have become so mean that most of us dread another election year. And they are mean because the candidates are desperate to hold power. Some want power because they think they can change things. But it seems the majority just want power because they like power. And they will do anything to get it.
We see the fear, distrust and hatred in all manner of things that we've never seen before - the bombing of churches, the mean-spirited militias arming themselves to fight the government, the Christian Identity churches that teach that Jews and African Americans are "beasts of the field."
Take this as truth: Our nation is going to exhibit new lifestyles, new religions and new political movements as we move toward the year 2000. We must become comfortable with ideas and concepts we have never before considered. It will be a stretch for many people. They will fight any changes that affect their lives, and sometimes they will resort to violence.
All the rest of you are the messengers. You will save the planet from chaos and anarchy. But it won't be saved unless you speak out. Let the world know: Being different is OK. Trust your neighbor. Absolutely reject hatred and violence.
Clark D. Morphew
7-6-96
