Bellevue medical personnel await casualities at the triage site on September 11, New York City.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In the face of death by crucifixion, Jesus Christ himself shouted to the heavens. He was a willing victim of political violence, but a victim nonetheless. And, more importantly, he was a human being who could feel abandonment, terror, and pain as his world was shattering.

This is not solely a Christian tale or a reflection upon the intrigues that led to the death of a religious activist more than 2,000 years ago. This is a universal and indeed sad story about the personal consequences of politically motivated religious intolerance. "Why have you forsaken me?" rings across our world today and echoes the sentiments of millions of stunned and disoriented individuals.

The earth-shaking implosion and silent eerie plume that rose above Manhattan on September 11 thundered a mixed message: Allah be praised; God help us! The tragic events of September 11 and reaction to them provide a smoldering swatch of religion's torn fabric. People on every side of the dispute are suffering—physically, spiritually, and emotionally—because the face of religion has once again been disfigured and deployed as a destructive force.

Healthcare professionals in New York are reporting an increase in clinical depression; starvation looms among the fleeing innocents of Afghanistan; and Arab-American Muslim citizens are being terrorized in the U.S. The health and well-being of millions of people have fallen prey to idolatrous understandings and bizarre depictions of religion and its moral demands.

Here at the Park Ridge Center we are working to alleviate some of the health-related consequences of defiled images of some major religious traditions. For example, we are working with healthcare providers, so they can be more sensitive to the religious identities of their patients and clients. We have also launched a major initiative in world religions, health, and ethics. This initiative, which will feature a significant focus on Islam, enlarges the vision that generated our recently established program in Judaism, health, and ethics. And we are working with local groups and foundations to bridge the worlds of religious difference that often affect caregiving and undermine the development of healthier communities. May Allah be genuinely praised, and may God help us in the realization of this mission.