Whether they are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or atheist, everybody

Hear now the words of Frans Timmermans, spoken with clarity and weight: “Whether they are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or atheist, everybody has a place in this society.” These words shine like a beacon in the long night of human division. For they declare what prophets and sages have whispered for centuries—that the worth of a person does not rest upon the creed of their lips, but upon the fact of their humanity. To deny someone a place because of their belief, or their unbelief, is to tear apart the very fabric of society, leaving only ruin in its wake.

The meaning is both simple and profound. A society divided by hatred, suspicion, or exclusion is a house built on shifting sand, doomed to collapse. But a society that grants place and dignity to all—be they Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or atheist—is like a fortress with many stones, each different, but bound together with mortar strong enough to withstand the storms. Timmermans’ words remind us that unity is not sameness; it is harmony among difference.

Consider the city of Córdoba in Spain during the Middle Ages, often called a beacon of convivencia, or “living together.” There, under Muslim rule, Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike contributed to a golden age of philosophy, science, poetry, and architecture. Scholars translated ancient texts into Arabic, Latin, and Hebrew, preserving the wisdom of Greece and Rome for generations to come. This flourishing was not born of one faith’s dominance, but of the recognition that each had a place, and that truth could be sought together. When intolerance eventually returned, the golden age ended, and much was lost.

History also tells us of the dark opposite: when people are denied a place because of belief, catastrophe follows. The pogroms against the Jews in Europe, the persecution of dissenters during the Reformation, the wars fought in the name of God but stained by man’s pride—all show what happens when unity is shattered by hatred. In every case, society was weakened, not strengthened. Division breeds fear, fear breeds violence, and violence leaves behind ashes where once there was culture and life.

The wisdom of Timmermans’ words lies in their universality. He does not speak only to the devout, nor only to the skeptic. He speaks to all: the faithful who kneel in prayer, the unbeliever who gazes at the stars in silence, the seeker who wanders between. All belong. For if society is to endure, it must be built not on exclusion but on the sacred truth that dignity belongs to every soul.

The lesson for us is plain: judge not your neighbor by their faith, nor by their lack of faith, but by their humanity. The question is not whether they worship in synagogue, mosque, church, or not at all—the question is whether they act with compassion, justice, and integrity. To deny them their place is to wound the whole; to grant it is to strengthen all.

Therefore, O listener, let your actions be these: open your heart to difference, and see in it not a threat but a gift. Defend the place of others in society, for in so doing you defend your own. When you encounter those of another belief, seek not to conquer but to understand. And teach your children this truth, so they may grow in a world where diversity is not feared but cherished. For only then shall our society rise like a great temple, built not by one people alone, but by the many hands of humanity, each stone unique, yet all forming one enduring whole.