Loving Muslims

I would say that at least half of the refugees whom we (lovingallpeoples) work with are Muslim. They come from all over Africa, Burma, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Muslims have become a huge part of our life. We love Muslims. They are some of the most hospitable and generous people that I have ever met. I know many Americans simply just do not understand them because most Americans are not in relationship with Muslims. And after 9/11, I am sure Americans are a little weary of them. I understand this, but we should still try to make more of an effort to befriend Muslims.


In the media, you are only seeing a fraction of the Muslim population in this world. You are only hearing the bad stories about Muslims. But most are like you and me; just people trying to take care of their families and make it through life. And just like in our culture, there are some people who do really bad things. Turning on our local news could make you fear walking out the door in Dallas. Am I right? Don’t get sucked in by the media. Create your own perception of the world by engaging in it and with people. Do we have the right to judge a world or people we do not truly know?

Our experience is very different from what you see in the media. They treat us with great respect. Again, they are so generous and hospitable. If you go to their home, you will be treated as an honored guest.


Muslims love to talk about spiritual things. They don’t separate the spiritual and the practical like many of us do; I know I do sometimes. So, they are very open to spiritual conversations. I know most people think it is difficult to talk with Muslims about God, but that’s just not the case. They love to talk about God. God is the most important thing to most of them.

When we talk about Jesus, they do not kick us out. When we offer prayer, they never reject it. In fact, some Muslim families heard about how our team prayed over a family who had been in an accident. Next thing you know, all those Muslim families are calling our team and asking us to pray for them. When someone got sick and went to the hospital, who did they call? Us! Followers of Jesus. So let’s not be afraid of Muslims. They are open. They want our friendship and our love just like anyone else. These are beautiful people and God loves them so much. I think that is the most important thing. We should love who God loves!


One of the best parts of being friends with Muslims is the food! I added some pics of the food. Also, I should explain the pics below because some people might start to get a little worried about me:) Muslims love to teach you about their culture. They may even dress you up like a Muslim. They may even dress your baby up as a Muslim too!
 
Islam itself is quite a harsh religion, and the Muslim Brotherhood is quite a problem, but my personal experience with Muslims is a very good one. My parents became very good friends with the imam and his wife near their church. Extremely sweet family.
 
"Islam is quite a harsh religion"?? My friend, you have studied it? Lived in a Muslim country? Have the wisdom to separate national interpretations of Islam from the religion itself?

Having an imam in your country that is wise enough to be "sweet" in a foreign land, where his faith is under a microscope and his culture/religious circle is very tiny is...well...to be expected.

ANY Abrahmic world religion that is culture-dependent will warp over time: a Catholic in La Paz is quite different than a Catholic from DC, trust me. It is the same with Islam....the political chaos of the Middle East is political, with the zealots in their version of Islam riding the coat tails.

I'm sorry if I offended you. I'm not defining it by the behaviors of certain Muslims, but rather some of the teachings found within the Quran.

It is quite possible that I said that unfairly only because I am not a Muslim scholar. Just as many people claim the Bible teaches that slavery is OK, that incest is OK, etc. etc., it's quite possible that I am considering a possibly skewed interpretation of Islam. Reading the Quran, I certainly did find quite a bit of scripture that promoted things that I would consider harsh. And indeed, if I'm basing that along with the behavior of many, perhaps I have it wrong.

You're certainly right about the political chaos in the Middle-East. This is also why when I express concern with the Muslim Brotherhood, it's not to be confused with Islam itself. The mass majority of Muslims aren't out to put people under sort of tyranny. I attribute this to politics, not religion. You're preaching to the choir.

I hope this does make sense though.
How do you mean a Catholic in La Paz is different than a Catholic in DC? A few Catholic friends of mine here were raised in La Paz :p We don't see too different from each other (other than I'm Jewish and they're Bolivian :p )
 
I find Muslims living here very approachable. But I am surprised at the OP and your experience, Rusty with Muslims in the east. The outreaches that my church support always return with horror stories.

Hearing Christians visiting there and being able to share and witness is such good news. Perhaps some Christians go out of their way to harrass and not just to share?
 
Yes, I have to agree with you. The outreaches / wars have hardened them. There is now no easy way to reach them. They need to be lead to Jesus by our actions and not just preaching. We need more Kyles and Rusties out there.
 
I'm not suggesting you become a Muslim scholar; and sadly, I know for a fact that the access to normal Muslim reading is very limited in the West.

Being of a Jewish and now a RCC background, you would know that the OT laws and the rabbinical laws were very harsh in today's modern Jewish or RCC eyes. No one follows them totally today (in spite of the claims of some Hasidim) YET they are written.

It is very much the same in the majority of Muslim country's, the one exception being Saudi Arabia. Sadly, many agents from that kingdom have attempted to convert the disenfranchised in the Middle East and elsewhere to become like them. This is the reason for all the political chaos whitewashed as religious.

Absolutely.
 
It is important that we love everyone, including Muslims. However, it is also important that we not be foolish. Many of the most gruesome attacks against people and groups around the world are perpetrated by Muslims against Christians. The reverse is not NEARLY as common and is, in fact, nearly non-existent by comparison.

That is not to say that all Muslims would treat people this way, but, if you simply look at things statistically/realistically, when you consider the percentage of the world's population that is Muslim vs the percentage claiming other faiths and relate that to the percentage of killings perpetrated by Muslims vs those committed by those of other religions, it is not difficult to see the stark difference.

I am well aware that there are many peaceful individuals that would claim the Muslim faith, just as I am also well aware of many angry, vile individuals who claim the Christian faith. That does not necessarily make either one of them a good representation of the faith they claim allegiance to.

I am not an expert on the Muslim religion or on Muslim culture. I will be the first to admit that. But, I have eyes and a sound mind, and I can read. The evidence seems to indicate there is good reason to be optimistically cautious in our relationships with Muslim individuals, especially if those relationships are being built within Muslim nations where there is a clear and overt hostility to Christianity - and those are many.

I am a strong proponent of loving people to Christ, and Muslims are not an exception to that belief. EVERYONE was created in God's image, and we should love them all. But, even in loving them, that does not mean that we need to turn off our brains and ignore common sense.

I'm sure there will be those who do not like my comments, and that is fine. I am open to the possibility that maybe my perspective is not "dead on". But, if you're going to argue my points, please provide me some evidence that contradicts that which seems to be all around us, both within the Quran and within the populace of many Muslim nations.

I'm open to being proven wrong, but I'm not interested in hearing how a few anecdotal encounters with hospitable Muslim families in certain regions of the world proves that the Muslim religion itself is a peaceful one.
 
I think when addressing the problems in the Middle-East, not exclusively Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, but also the conflicts within Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and the other places where we're involved, we're not quite addressing the Muslim religion. It's much more politically driven than anything. Though perhaps I should abstain from remarking on it too much.
 
Well, that's just it. Islam really doesn't make a distinction between religion and politics/government. Sharia requires that they be one, as far as I understand. So, when we take the perspective that the unrest is more political than religious I think we are missing this important aspect which makes them more or less inseparable.

Any experts on Islam that would care to comment on that statement? As I've said before, I'm not an expert, but, I have taken the time to listen to and read the articles published by many who've converted FROM The Muslim religion who suggest very much what I'm suggesting here. There IS no separation of religion and government when it comes to Islam and Sharia.
 
Well, that's just it. Islam really doesn't make a distinction between religion and politics/government. Sharia requires that they be one, as far as I understand. So, when we take the perspective that the unrest is more political than religious I think we are missing this important aspect which makes them more or less inseparable.

Any experts on Islam that would care to comment on that statement? As I've said before, I'm not an expert, but, I have taken the time to listen to and read the articles published by many who've converted FROM The Muslim religion who suggest very much what I'm suggesting here. There IS no separation of religion and government when it comes to Islam and Sharia.

Precisely. It becomes a different story when Sharia Law is introduced.
 
This is as incorrect as can be: ONLY Saudi Arabia requires Sharia laws to be enforced towards non-Muslims.
A few ME countries have had judges intact and then withdraw rulings via Sharia law over drunk, sex parties involving Westerners that are too dim or too lost to study up on the customs of the land they are working in.

Outside of these exceptions, non-Muslims are NOT subject to Sharia law, anymore than Christians must keep kosher.

The Saudi Kingdom is NOT the entire 2 billion population of the Muslim world...and very few other Muslim states have or empower Sharia law, and if they do, it's interpreted quite differently from nation to nation.

I'm afraid you've misunderstood what I said. I'm not addressing every Muslim in the Middle East. I'm addressing MOSTLY the Muslim Brotherhood, who have very openly endorsed Sharia Law--especially with all the events recently in Egypt. I'm am speaking separately from their governments and people.

Don't swallow all that your TV's feed you.

Believe you me, friend, I don't trust the main stream media. I doubt I ever will.
 
Oh....It happened before the warring was so open.
Colonialism was the most damaging to any chances of outreach. Not just British, but French, German, Belgian, Italian, Dutch....any "Christian" nation that subdued and bleed Muslim nations or nations with large Muslim populations....They lost all hopes of "Christian examples" because they were not ones, but examples of force, robbery and cultural arrogance.
These things are not forgotten, as the damage is not gone.

This is more based on politics than religion, but I agree with you. Our long history of interventionism has resulted in blowback.
 
Lysander: Please: empire building is NOT "intervention".

On one hand you include political movements that are Muslim , but dismiss empire hungry political behemoths that were Christian....openly, evangelically and actively Christian, both Catholic and Protestant....from the seat of governments on down.

The knife cuts both ways.

I'm not dismissing tyrannical theocracies. We have a history, too.
 
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