Leaders rally in Pa. for religious tolerance

September 12, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA

Gov. Ed Rendell and leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities gathered in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks to decry “those who seek to divide us” and reaffirm the America’s commitment to religious tolerance.

Rendell said the World Trade Center was itself a symbol of religious tolerance, having set aside two places for Muslims to use for their daily prayers. Two weeks after the towers fell, he said, a service took place within sight of one of those spots to honor Muslims who had died in the 2001 attacks.

“Nobody objected,” Rendell said. “There was not one word of dissent because back then we were united; we were not Muslims, Jews, Christians — we were Americans. Today we’re here ... because there are those who seek to divide us, whether in Florida or New York or Tennessee.”

Although a Florida pastor had called off plans to burn copies of the Quran, Rendell said the damage had been done, prompting violence in Afghanistan and Egypt.

“I believe things got so bad because there are people who seek to advance their own agenda by doing this and because the good people who know that this is wrong, who know that this is not what America stands for, too often have remained silent,” Rendell said.