Muslim Does Not Equal Enemy
by Andrew J. Schaefer Dear friends, Today, after Rachel and I visited my grandmother at the Episcopal Church Home, I drove down Westfall Road and did something I have wanted to do for a long time: I paid a visit to the Islamic Center, presenting myself as a Christian pastor, looking to reassure my congregation that they need not have fear, nor act in a retaliatory manner, towards Islamic/Arabic people. As Rachel napped on my shoulder, I was blessed to receive the hospitality of four Muslim gentlemen who shared with me, not only tea and cookies, but their anguish and dismay over the horror that has been inflicted on our country (I include them when I say "our country"). They shared with me some very astounding facts which fly in the face of our conception of the Islamic faith. Did you know that the Koran strictly forbids suicide? Therefore, according to strict Islamic faith, the high jackers who were responsible for these plane crashes are condemned to hell for taking their own lives. The notion that this kind of death leads to instant passage to heaven is not a mainline Islamic belief. Also, the Koran teaches that life is sacred and no innocent person should be harmed. Muslims are allowed to protect their homes and their communities, to fight in self defense. However, the Koran instructs that, once you have driven the invader across your property line or boarder, your pursuit ends. To extend beyond the original line of invasion is a sin. Again, in this light, according to the Koran, Tuesday's events are an atrocity of astronomical pre portions. Aside from teachings from the Koran, these gentlemen pointed out something I had surmised earlier today: that in a city of New York's size and diversity, in a facility in which approximately 20,000 people were employed, many of those people had to have been Arabic and/or Muslim. My hosts confirmed that there are around 1,000 Arabic and/or Muslim people who were in the Twin Towers, many of whom have yet to be accounted for. This was, as many have said, including President Bush, not a crime committed only on white, Christian Americans. People of all nations, races and faiths have been brutally assaulted. Only by standing together in love and solidarity can we be victorious over the forces of death. And it is only right to add here that we are not even 100 % certain that the criminals responsible were Islamic terrorists. Even with the current evidence as it is, we are not sure who is responsible. As our conversation continued, we were joined by a Roman Catholic woman seeking the same information and fellowship for which I came. At about the same time, Rachel woke up, and in typical 17 month-old manner, began flirting with one of these gentlemen. He, in typical grandfatherly fashion, returned her attentions with a hearty game of Peek-a-boo. Some things are truly universal. Please take this message to heart, and share it with all who cross your path, forward it to everyone on your e-mail list: Muslims are not our enemies. If it was Muslims who committed these atrocities, they were the equivalent of our Ku Klux Klan or Montana Militia. Would you like to be lumped in with those people? Continue to pray for peace and justice. And reach out in love to those to whom you are a stranger. You will find yourself enormously blessed, and our world will be a kinder, safer place.
With compassion and love, Webmaster's Note: I saw this piece when it was sent to an Internet mailing list to which I subscribe. I post it here with the author's permission. |
The Webmaster: Eric S. Anderson, webmaster@ctucc.org
Site design by Eric Anderson and Hal Chorpenning of the Connecticut Conference. Site maintenance and programming services by Computer Seraph Consulting of Portland, Connecticut.