An Eye For An Eye is Un-American

When a Chicago landlord rented out a room to Hanaan Shahin and then built a treehouse for her six-year-old son, she was grateful. She never imagined the tragedy that would soon come. 

Today Shahin is in critical condition after this same landlord embraced hate and chose evil after being provoked by right-wing news media. Viciously and without warning, he attacked her and her son, stabbing both with a knife multiple times and killing the boy—just for being Muslim. 

An eye for an eye is un-American. It is also ungodly.

Our prayers go out to the Shahin family. 

Our prayers go out to the world at large. 

Our prayers go out to all those in Gaza who are trapped by Hamas. 

Our prayers go out for safe corridors to be opened and for hostages to return home safely to their families. 

Our prayers go out to every Israeli citizen whose loved ones are gone, and we pray for your sons and daughters who will now step forward to stop Hamas. 

Our prayers go out to all Palestinians who are facing death, who mourn their loved ones, and whose children are innocent victims of war's depravation.

We pray for calm and wisdom for our leaders, and we pray for them to find the fortitude to maintain their humanity and envision the most thoughtful way to spare the lives of millions. 

We pray for everyone to reel in their passions and take a deep breath. A dangerous world war would change everyone’s life.

We all have a stake in living a better life, and hate can have no part in it.