Mourn loss and build belonging
“We must mourn the dead, but we also have to stop tormenting the living.”
Muslim Americans should respond to the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with empathy for every victim, genuine belonging, institution-building, and hopeful prophetic action against Islamophobia.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Opens with praise, shahada, taqwa, and blessings upon the Prophet.
- Frames 9/11 as a tragedy and generational experience shaping Muslim American identity.
- Calls for empathy toward victims while confronting Islamophobia, dehumanization, and exclusion.
- Uses the Prophet’s love for Mecca and Hudaybiyah to distinguish inclusion from belonging.
- Uses the best-community verse and the ship parable to argue for collective responsibility.
- Concludes with three actions: acknowledge harm, build institutions, and lead with hope.
In the khateeb's words
“We must mourn the dead, but we also have to stop tormenting the living.”
“Belonging says, this is my house. This is my home. This is my country. This is my society. This is my people.”
“But we also recognize that we have the agency to respond. And to respond properly. And to respond prophetically.”
“We need to build. And we need to invest with each other. We need to be invested with each other.”
For the dinner table
Imam Ahmad Qashidi invites us to remember 9/11 as a tragedy that harmed many people and shaped Muslim Americans’ lives through suspicion and Islamophobia. He says empathy means grieving with neighbors while refusing to dehumanize Muslims or anyone else. He reminds us that belonging means treating the masjid, country, and society as places we genuinely care for and serve. Like people sharing one ship, we all have a responsibility to prevent harm and help one another. His three responses are to acknowledge the damage, build institutions that educate and benefit neighbors, and choose hopeful action over despair.
- What does it mean to be like rain wherever you go?
- Where can our family help build goodness in our community?
- How can we show empathy when other people are hurting?
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