Muslim Engagement
Yesterday, I talked about how we must learn how to talk to one another of like faith as the Gospel goes global. Some of you know I’m the Chairman of the Board of Institute for Global Engagement of which Chris Seiple is President. Chris is an evangelical who has learned how to communicate in his words “in the logic and language” of others. The Institute for Global Engagement and Fairfax Community Church recently partnered to host IGE’s annual Global Leadership Forum. This year’s forum considered what it means for Christians to steward their Heavenly, Global, and National citizenships. To understand those identities better, Ahmed Younis and Hadia Mubarek, recognized leaders from the Muslim-American community, provided their own view of these identities, what it means to be a Muslim-American in a post 9/11 America… You have to watch the whole video—the ending is just incredible. As followers of Jesus, we need not compromise our faith and convictions.
I love the book “The Dignity of Difference” by the Jewish Rabbi in London. In it, he says all of us must hold on to our convictions with passion and not synchronize them or they loose their power and ability to bring about healthy change. He goes opposite what most people say is the key to making people of faith get along and respect each other. Christianity started as a Jewish movement to Jesus, and if its mission is fulfilled, it will be completed from a Muslim movement to Jesus. It will not happen by force of words or law, but by love and treating people with respect—not because we are trying to convert them, but because we are converted.
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Oct 5, 2007 at 09:27 AM
Bob,
Incredible video. Thanks for sharing.
I have this conversation several times per month. It is usually with normal, good American Christians who are struggling with hatred and fear of Muslims. Fear causes us to forget who we are. We are in Christ. In Christ, we are to love our enemies. We are to take up our cross. We are to seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness/justice. Fear and hatred are not what it means to be in Christ.
"Christianity started as a Jewish movement to Jesus, and if its mission is fulfilled, it will be completed from a Muslim movement to Jesus. It will not happen by force of words or law, but by love and treating people with respect—not because we are trying to convert them, but because we are converted."
Amen and amen!!
Until ALL Have Heard,
jeg
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Oct 8, 2007 at 07:07 PM
I was supposed to comment on the previous post, but this one strikes home. This will be a LONG post, so pull up a chair, and get some coffee! This is a renewed conversation for me. I need to interject my history into this conversation.
I am from Detroit, MI. I then moved to Dearborn, MI, the largest settlement of Muslim's outside of the Middle East, before returning to Wayne State University, the largest Muslim populated University in the U.S. Dearborn is the home of "Ford Motor Company". Henry Ford was an aggresive anti-semite. He hated Jews. He had swastikas inscribed on the framework of the Ford Motor Companies original facilities. As a Detroit native, we were taught our history in certain classes. Most people have never known these things. In order to spite the very large Jewish community in suburban Detroit, Troy,MI to be exact, Henry hired vast numbers of Arabs to work at Ford Motor Company, thus the massive Arab population that lives there now. Henry also had many dealings with the Arabs because of his relationship with oil and gas companies. My sister has 3 children, all 3 are in school in Dearborn. They are literally the only 3 non-arab children in their classrooms. My High School in Dearborn (Fairlane High School) is now the "5 Star Center For Muslim Learning". The office my Father worked at is now a "Muslim Religious Studies Room". If you visit Edsel Ford High School or Fordson High School today, you will find 100% Arabic speaking, muslim populations in those schools. I speak in public schools in America for a living. Edsel Ford High School was the first school I had ever seen our American Flag Boo'd loudly when displayed at an assembly program. During the Pledge of Allegiance, there was a roar of boo's. It was truly painful to the grandson of a decorated WWII Vet who died for his country. One of the boys in my class at Fairlane was transferred to Fordson in the middle of our High School tenure. He was beaten nearly to death in the playground by Friday of his first week for wearing a shirt with an American Flag on it. When he was criticised he spoke up and was quickly beat down. He was back with us a week later, and the incident was overlook by the school for fear of an uprising.
As a child my Father once told me, "Son, if you ever start a fight, you can start it with a cowboy, or a gangster, but never with an arab because they would rather kill you than look at you." I didn't make much of it at that point.
As a teenager, I spent 4 hours a night, 5 nights per week at Leavagood Park in Dearborn. It was there that I began to see how intense the religion could be. My muslim friends who were kind to me would show up with small groups of young women, covered and made to stare directly at the ground. I would see them look up, and then be punched in the face so hard that their noses would shatter, and blood would cover their gown and the ground beneath them. They never whinced, nor said a word. I never heard a whimper or a cry. I would become nautious with rage and fear. Then a girl in our class rebelled against the faith, and was shot in the chest by her Father out of "mercy". He was never prosecuted, because the judge knew he would die if there was a conviction. The Father said he killed her because the Qur'an instructed him. It was "better for him to kill her, than to let her live as an infidel".
Another time, we had someone pick up a game with us at the park, that was from another part of Detroit. He started arguing over a basketball foul. We told him, "bro, chill or they'll kill you". He kept it up, and seconds later 25 arabs turned the corner, 11 stab wounds later and it was history. My cousin, who was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, was playing at another park with me, and the guy he was gaurding in the pick up game was shot in the head. We took off running and called the cops. In the papers, the guy said "What does it matter? I have the right to shoot any white devil!". One of my closer friends told me "We'll be friends for now Tim, but one day we'll have the majority in this Country and you will all see, you'll see!" His words never left my mind. I spent many hours trying to figure out what he meant. The girls in our school dated the muslim men in our town, and one by one their stories began to emerge. I must admit, I began to form generalized opinions.
I say all this to let you know why I watched the recommended video with interest. When I married my wife, a Texan, I told her... "Honey, one day the rest of the country will see what I saw growing up." She laughed and said, I have no idea why that would worry you. On 9/11 she remembered my comments and said, "you were right". It all came as no suprise to me. I heard the rhetoric my entire life. It was a natural result of all that I had anticipated for years. It was almost as if everyone else could see for the first time what we had seen many times before.
As a Christian, I have been faced with the responsibility to overcome any bias. I want to see people differently than I have before. I want to see them as Christ sees them. I have a friend that planted a Church in Dearborn among Muslims, and saw 0 transformations in 7 years before quitting. This is a people committed to their faith. I have Muslim friends and one very dear Palestinian friend who has been discussing Christianity with me. I know that there is an incredibly peaceable side to Islam. I was moved by a couple of excellent truths mentioned by Ahmed in this video that Bob so kindly recommended.
1. "We must condemn what needs to be condemned." - This seems to be the cry of most people. We
simply do not hear Muslim Clerics de-crying the violence toward the innocent, or the rights of women.
He is right in saying so, and yes it applies to Christian leaders as well. We shouldn't take a blanket
right wing, republican stance on abortion, without also challenging the Foreign policies that refuse to
even converse with people like Iran. We love the word "Super Power". We are prideful, and slow to
consider the plight of 450,000 people dead in Iraq that have been killed in this offensive. I was given
that total 2 years ago by an Air Force General, and Captain Timothy Wiles of the U.S.A.F.
2. Amed also mentioned the rhetoric of the media. He mentioned the media personalities that we all
know. I believe he was very clearly speaking of the Glenn Beck's and Michael Savages...
I think they may be feeling as I did while I was a kid. Wanting everyone to know what I know.
One of my close friends, Michael Tait of D.C. Talk is a Black male.
I have been with him in Tennessee and seen true racism. I was speaking with him about this
subject and Mike said - "Even as a black male, I feel prejudice, but if you were hit by a red car on the
road, and then you found out that everyone else who was hit, was hit by a red car, whether you like it
or not, you'll begin to look closer at red cars". I remeber that because it was interesting coming from
someone who could be empathetic toward racial inequality. Most people begin to generalize because
there has been a pattern, and it's a clear pattern, much of it in the name of Islam and Jihad. If you
listen closely, Ahmed said this kind of talk creates problems and we need to "Kill It". Interesting choice
of words. May not mean anything, just struck me because that is actually exactly how they have
quited reporters in many of the Islamic states.
3. The most excellent statement was from Hadia who said "Personal interaction breaks beariers". This is
so incredibly true! The problem for most people is they truly know no one who is outside of their
"Oikos" or "Circle of Influence". They judge ignorantly. Go meet someone!
I am grateful that Hadia was able to speak of the peaceable Islam and the rushes to judgement of Christianity, but notice, she did so in America. Unfortunatley open debate would result in stoning or hanging in many areas of the Middle East. It is courageous Muslims and Courageous Christians who "Condemn what need be condemned" who are making the right kinds of progress.
I have experienced a great deal that should lead me toward anger and prejudice. Much of it would in the natural, but CHRIST. I have never been able to hold a grudge or pass on generalizations. Most of you reading this truly have no idea how incredibly serious this issue is in America, and how massive it is in the East Dearborn, Detroit, Michigan area. The truth is if you read the story closely, God promised that all of Abrahams children would be a great nation. That included Ishmael. He healed Ishmael on the brink of death so He could fulfill His promise to the Arab nation as well. He also foretold that Christ was the answer for ALL people, Jews and Gentiles. The fact that Jesus came as a Jew has proved too much for the sons of Ishmael, who hated Isaac's sons since the beginning. If you must worship a Jew to get to heaven, the converation ends abruptly for most Arabs.
My mentor was an African American man named "Reginald Dabbs". Reggie is a keynote for Promise Keepers and much more. He loved me because of me. If I ever encountered a black man who was terrible to me, I couldn't dislike him because he was black, Reggie ruined that by his love. Now because a Black man loved me and mentored me, I would recognize it has nothing to do with color, but character. The same applies to the Arab Muslim populations of the world. The very first time we meet a kind, forgiving, trusting, patient muslim, it ruins our right to prejudice. It then becomes an issue of character, not culture. That's what Dr. M.L. King was trying to convince the world of before April 4th when he was shot for it. The topic still breeds tenseness and violence, but we must continue to talk.
I intend to look past my upbringing and toward the Cross. I am no better than my Arab brothers and sisters. I embrace the hope of conversation and transformation for that region, and will do my best to live a life of forgiveness and love as Christ would have me live until He returns. Until then, as Ahmed said, I will herald what needs to be heralded, and condemn what needs to be condemned, whether from Christiandom, or Islam.
-Tim Bach
Oct 9, 2007 at 01:23 PM
I really appreciated the blog and the video. Ahmed and Hadia were so gracious it shames me. They were well informed, seeming to have both knowledge and experience with both "sides." They were able to talk rationally about similarities without sandpapering over differences. O that followers of Jesus would take lessons from them (and for that matter, from Jesus himself.)
Likes James said in the above post, there seems to be a theme (an epedimic!) of FEAR. We are afraid of being syncretistic so instead we focus on our differences, hoping if we attack Muslims enough, throw enough rocks, then they will want to join us. This is illogical, ineffective, and unbiblical. I don’t understand why the Church as a whole is so inclined to hate Muslms and refuse to acknowledge the merits and values found within their religion and culture(s).
Many Christians respond (or should I say react) to Muslims with fear or pity. I spend time talking with Christians about Islam and it's amazing how many admit a great fear that siezes them when they see a head scarf or hear Arabic being spoken. I'm amazed at the physical change in body when the subject is broached, animosity in the eyes, stiffness in body, straightening of the back, and folding of the arms. I am disappointed how quick we are to decry pluralism, but so hesitant to really struggle and really get their “hands dirty ” with the messiness/complications of inter-religous relationships. I too am afraid, I am afraid for the Church if it continues in the same pattern.
Oct 9, 2007 at 01:35 PM
"Christianity started as a Jewish movement to Jesus, and if its mission is fulfilled, it will be completed from a Muslim movement to Jesus." May it be so!
Oct 10, 2007 at 02:30 PM
Thank you Tim for your life story. I love it and I got an understanding what a open and balanced disciple you are! I am grateful to you again.
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