Tragedy abroad brought Penn's religious groups together in remembrance.
Yesterday evening, students and staff gathered in Claudia Cohen Hall for an interfaith memorial to honor the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Speeches and prayers were heard from representatives of the religious groups on campus.
University Chaplain Charles Howard opened the service with a challenge.
"Head towards where your heart is," he said. "Make sure that you show courage and rebuild this world."
This sentiment was echoed by speakers and audience members alike.
School of Medicine research fellow Sadik Kassim, who represented the Muslim community, said "we need to come together and fight the scourge of terrorism, the spectrum of which covers all the religions."
College junior and Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Monisha Chakravarthy, who spoke on behalf of the Hindu community, agreed. In a prayer in Sanskrit and English, she said, "may we never quarrel with one another."
Kassim questioned how the attackers could claim to be acting in the name of God.
"'God is beauty, he loves beauty,'" he quoted from the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. "What does this mean? That people should be just to one another. What we have seen in Mumbai was not beautiful."
College sophomore Vandana Rao said the memorial brought people together without "pointing fingers."
In his closing remarks, Rabbi Levi Haskelevich from the Lubavitch House said we should not only focus on the high death toll but also remember that each life is unique.
He explained that the Lubavitch House has personal ties with the Chabad House in Mumbai, where hostages were killed.
"I have no theological answers," he admitted, although he added that people are not "God's defense attorney."
He told the audience to "do deliberate goodness" and "turn our tears into action."
Leaflets were distributed listing actions that would honor the victims, such as donating blood or giving to charity.
The Southeast Asian a cappella group Atma sang "Vande Mataram," an Indian song, and group member and Engineering junior Caryl Dizon performed the U.S. National Anthem in commemoration of the victims.
"Recurring tragedies can get cliched," said College sophomore Ria Bharadwaj, whose family lives in Mumbai. "It is fitting to come and pay personal respects."
The service was followed by a talk called "Aftermath of Terror," which was hosted by the Wharton Indian Students' Association.
