Dear Friends,

Like others I am horrified and deeply saddened by the murders at two mosques in your nation. Know that many are grieving with you, praying with you, and thinking of you.

I saw this story of Omar Nabi in the paper just now and offer a response in the final paragraph.

"Omar Nabi, whose father was gunned down while protecting a friend at the mosque, said simply: 'There's no words. People were praying, people were praying at their mosque. They got shot in the back. This is not...this is not what humans do.'"

Yes, our humanity is on trial. There are no words. Evil, like awe, renders us speechless. The awful and the awesome reduce us to silence. This is not what humans (ought) to do (if we are to be human). The hatred, white nationalism, racism, bigotry and conjuring up of enemies that is created by politicians, media posts, and more leads to actions that are "not what humans do." We are losing our humanity. Much has to change.

Hopefully this event-beyond-words will wake many up.
In solidarity,

Matthew Fox