GlocalNet

Last night I received an email from a close friend - Suhail Khan - who’s being blasted from many simply for being a Muslim.  He’s a Republican, involved in frankly the most conservative side of the Republican Party.  He was an aide to President Bush - friends with all the conservative guys that if I were to name you would know.  But some people don’t like him simply because he’s a Muslim and they take every opportunity they can to trash him.  It confuses some Republicans that a Muslim would share the same political philosophy as a non-Muslim.  I know many Christians whose character doesn’t come close to his.  I’ve traveled the world with him and listened to him promote religious freedom for Christians in the Middle-East.  What I love about that is that he IS a Muslim and has a voice that I never will hear in this part of the world. 

I hear about “Islamaphobia” in the West - and it’s true.  Muslims fear being a minority - the violence and suspicion are real and can make life very hard. Some people don’t want to give Muslims the same religious freedoms and rights that they grant to everyone else in the U.S.  It makes me sad.  I’m not a Muslim - I don’t agree with it.  BUT, neither do I agree with Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, etc. but I recognize that rights have to be given and the first of all human rights - is religious freedom.  It’s about owning your own brain.

So, I’m in the Middle-East and it’s no different.  I see the same amount of discrimination here - only it’s towards Christians.  In Egypt they’re writing about “Christianophobia” and how it must stop.  Christianity - though a middle-eastern faith - having been embraced by the West - is viewed not just in religious terms but in geo-political terms as well.  Thus, whatever a nation does, that has a majority of Christians, is viewed as the “Christian” position.  Candidly, I believe the persecution is far worse here for Christians in the Middle-East than Muslims in the west.  Riots where Muslims would be killed would not be tolerated in the U.S. and shouldn’t be. So since I’ve been here - I’ve been following the news on the Christians losing their lives in Egypt.  I’ve met people who have been imprisoned simply because of their faith.  I prayed for a man last night who is in jail primarily because of his faith - has been for a year and still has a few years to go.  As bad as that is, it’s not unusual for someone to lose their life for Jesus. 

In India, the Christians & Muslims are tight - primarily for one reason - militant Hindus’.  Hard to believe a religion that promotes peace to the extreme has militants but Hinduism does and is the chief persecutor of minority faiths in India. 

This is my chief concern with having “Christian” “Muslim” “Hindu” or “Buddhist” nations - how does that work in a global world?  Can it work in a global world?  I don’t think it can.  Faith must stand on the merits of its truth and its ability to capture the hearts and character of its followers - not by legal decree or preference.  If a nation has to enforce a religion for it to be kept - what kind of religion is that?  I DO BELIEVE faith should impact society - anyone who reads my books - especially Glocalization & Real-Time Connections knows that.  But the way it impacts society is by serving it, challenging ethics & morals, and speaking with a prophetic voice - not a “positional” voice in the government. 

I’m not sure what - but I’m convinced something has to be done to assure global minority religious rights.  Religious freedom is only as good as the laws protecting the minorities.  Nearly every constitution says it believes in religious freedom, but there are countless places where people can’t change their religion for religious or other reasons.  As I’ve studied Christian history, one thing is obvious, the closer Christians came to ruling the government, the less powerful, influential, and impactful in terms of spreading the faith they were.  On the other hand, in persecution the church has always exploded.  The best thing any government could do who wants Christianity stopped in its country - is leave it alone.  Study history.  So, as I sit here writing in an airport - I will agree with Jefferson that the seeds of freedom are in the blood of the martyrs.  I’d only switch freedom for faith, though to me it means the same thing. 

There will be a day, if Jesus doesn’t return in the next few years, that each faith will have to stand on its own merits and not it’s clerics.  I can’t wait for that day.  I’m confident in Jesus.