Reverberations in distant Hawaii
Author/s: John Dart Issue: Sept 26, 2001
We had arrived at our Waikiki beach hotel late on September 10, and
encountered a commotion of distress when going to breakfast the next
morning. On restaurant TV sets, I saw the words "Attack on America" and
heard an announcer lament some tragedy. My wife, Gloria, and I asked the
first person we met what was going on. "We're going to war!" said an
agitated Mrs. Maine, a contestant in the Mrs. America pageant set for ten
days later. What I took first as an exaggeration evolved into sad reality
within hours. Yet, almost as quickly, the urge in Honolulu to send help,
mourn the losses and pray for unity and strength reflected responses seen
in city after city across the country after the terrorist attacks in New
York and Washington, D.C. Except that in usually mellow Hawaii, the memory,
of another surprise attack six decades ago was rekindled. Comparisons to
Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor were limited by certain differences--now
the "enemy" was an elusive network of terrorist bands operating in many
nations, and its targets were just as likely civilian as military ones.
But the shock of massive death and destruction hitting U.S. shores and the
anxieties over wartime economics were familiar to older Hawaiians.
"America Needs Our Aloha," said the Honolulu Advertiser in a full-page ad of
its own September 13. "On December 7, 1941, America rallied to the aid of
Hawaii. Now, it's Hawaii's turn," it began. "It's impossible to imagine
the terror, the magnitude and the evil of this attack by faceless cowards.
But, as we learned 60 years ago, we will get through this by rallying
together," said the newspaper, which told readers how they could donate
money or blood. More than that, Hawaii could serve as a model as well for
the levels of cooperation and tolerance that will be sought increasingly on
the U.S. mainland. From our six visits to Honolulu, we have seen the
cooperation of military and civilian segments in Hawaiian society--at times
uneasy, at times proud--and how religious leaders encourage understanding
amid residents with a variety of ethnic, racial and spiritual differences.
An interfaith service on September 13 illustrated the challenging
mixtures in Hawaii. The prayer service, held at the National Cemetery of the
Pacific in the Punchbowl volcanic crater above downtown Honolulu, was
suggested by Pastor Dan Chun of the PCUSA-related First Presbyterian Church.
Presiding over ceremonies organized by Mayor Jeremy Harris and attended by
Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano, Chun told the crowd of 1,500 that a cousin of
his who worked at the World Trade Center had evacuated safely but that a
second cousin died in rescue attempts. Participant clergy included a
native Hawaiian religion leader, a rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Baha'i leader
and Bishop Chikai Yosemori, representing the large Japanese-American
Buddhist community in Hawaii. The closing prayer came from David Kaupu, the
pastor of Kaumakapili Church, the second-oldest Protestant church in
Honolulu and one of many United Church of Christ affiliates stemming from
the early Congregationalist missions in Hawaii. The 50th state also has a
strong United Methodist, Episcopal and Mormon presence, and growing numbers
of Filipino, Korean and Chinese immigrants. The message was given by
Admiral Dennis C. Blair, commander of sea, land and air forces of the U.S.
Pacific Command, which extends into the Indian Ocean. "As in 1941, the
surprise attack will not cause America to lie down," said Blair, who
saluted firefighters, police and emergency service workers at the service
whose counterparts in Manhattan "already led the way." As in many
interfaith services around the country, a Muslim leader was asked to take
part. Saying that "I stand before you as an American," Moroccan-born Hakim
Ouansafi, president of the small Muslim Association of Hawaii, asked the
crowd to stand and join hands. "Whoever kills one single being is as if he
kills the entire humanity," he said, citing a traditional teaching going back
to Muhammad. "And whoever saves a single life is as if he saves the
entire humanity." For an interfaith service earlier that day on
the neighboring island of Maui, organizers could not find a Muslim,
according to the Honolulu Advertiser. But one speaker, addressing any
Muslim who might be attending, said: "You are one of us. In the
tradition of this island, we ... do not descend into generalizations,
racial stereotyping and hatred. If you are afraid, let us be your
brothers and sisters." Back at the Hilton Hawaiian Village at
noon the next day, when distant church bells pealed on the nationally
proclaimed day of prayer, a service with a Pentecostal and patriotic
flavor was held on the sand. Mrs. America contestants sat among more
than 100 tourists and sunbathers. When the Lord's Prayer was sung, a
woman dressed in a long muu-muu interpreted the words with her hands in
a hula dance. Far from the flames, smoke and tears on America's
East Coast, Hawaiians dealt with tragedy anew.
©Copyright 2001, The Christian Century
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