Incivility hampers our ability to confront issues

Morality, modesty and manners: These are the cornerstones of the faith that I grew up with in High Street Baptist Church during the '50s and '60s in Roanoke, Va. It is small wonder that these three concepts attracted me to the Islamic faith that I adopted more than four decades ago in 1979.

As a baby boomer, I have seen a lot of changes in this country since I was born more than 76 years ago. None has been more unsettling than the seismic shifts I have seen in these three areas.

Morals, it seems, are now based on “alternate facts” wherein politicians or other influential persons swear that they are being “fair and just” even though the “facts” that they use to base their judgments on are demonstrably false. Consequently, this country and the world remain in the grips of a pandemic because science-denying politicians and well-paid pundits use “alternate facts” to discourage the general population from taking precautions that would clearly reduce the negative impact of the pandemic and save lives.

It is small wonder that, in this alternate reality, brash immodest speech seems to rule the day. Within the Islamic faith, one wellknown saying of Prophet Muhammad is that “every religion has its signature character trait, and the signature of Islam is modesty.” Consequently, Muslims and other people of faith are taken aback by immodest arrogant put-downs of others that we hear in public disputes these days. Similarly, media-driven cursing, sexual innuendo and immodest dress have become the norm. It seems to me that we in this country have made “manners” a dirty word.

I am not arguing that my standards of morals, modesty and manners be imposed on everyone else. Rather, I am asserting that people of faith, in particular, should make common cause in helping to dial back the incivility that seems to have taken over our society. This lack of civility is now found in both major political parties and people of all races, colors and creeds.

A prime example of this is the public reaction to the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. As Americans, it seems that we have gone to our respective corners (“prolife” or “pro-choice”) and are prepared to duke it out with no sense of morals, modesty or manners. Bludgeoning the other side with the most outrageous accusations is not going to get us to a place in this society where we can work together on an issue as sensitive as abortion.

If faith really matters to us, we should join together to take the lead in bringing back a more moral, modest and mannerly society wherein we can tackle the many complex issues that we are faced with today.