Religious leaders around the world have tried to make sense of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Rev. Jesse Jackson said he wants the nation to practice patience. Pope John Paul II has asked Roman Catholics to pray for “peace, so that the world may be spared from the wicked plague of terrorism.”

A multi-religious service called a “Prayer for America” was held at Yankee Stadium Sept. 23 as a way to remember the missing and dead victims. The nation as a whole has recently turned to prayer and religious reflection in order to come to grips with the tragedy. An interfaith open forum, “Where was God on September 11?” will give ISU students a chance to hear from and talk with community religious leaders. A panel comprised of five representatives from different religious groups will lead the discussion.

This is a bold move. Typically, religion is a topic discussed behind closed doors and private conversations among family members.

But tonight in the Sun Room, a panel of religious leaders, including members of the Jewish community, Christian community and Muslim Student Association will lead a educational discussion on religious differences.

This kind of open forum is needed on campus. We encourage all students, religious and non-religious, to attend. And we hope that students come to this forum with an open mind and don’t use this opportunity to focus on religious differences. We need an open discussion focusing on education instead of debating which faith is the “right” one.

This discussion was organized in the spirit of different faiths talking with one another, not against one another.

Whether you think so or not, faith and religion are a very important part of America’s grieving process. We all need to remember that America has no national religion; we are a nation where all religions are welcome. This open forum will give students a chance to hear from those religions.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell