There’s Hope
One of my church’s current Wednesday-night classes is viewing Islam vs. Islamists, the documentary that PBS really didn’t want to show. Maybe I can hold off from the church shopping awhile longer.
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It sounds to me like your church is opening eyes. When they let the speaker from the local mosque speak, his answers to your questions did a lot to condemn his views and show people the true nature of the beast. And now, by showing this movie, more eyes will be opened.
That is, unless you’ve got one of those ultra-liberal congregations where they’ll get defensive. And if that’s the case, I think they need an outspoken person such as yourself to hang around to keep everyone straight.
Comment by Anne — September 21, 2007 @ 10:16 am
Thank you, Anne. I wish I felt as confident as you that my questions and his answers had any effect on some of the more virulent prevailing opinions that night, but here’s hoping. One thing’s for sure–I definitely need to chat up the lady heading up this particular class.
Comment by Anwyn — September 21, 2007 @ 10:35 am
You need to clone that lady!
We had a moderate Muslim come speak to our church in the weeks following 9/11. He was an American-born convert who made Islam sound like something we could all embrace. He was the first person I ever heard speak about the Wahhabi branch and the Saudi funding and all the problems it was causing (he was very much opposed). He further told us about the radicalism being taught in the largest local mosque, and even said that the Imam there had prayed for Allah to kill the Americans and the Jews and give our stuff to them…. He was an honest, good guy and I was surprised at his total candor.
I tried to get the local paper to cover what the Imam is preaching but they are too gutless.
I can only hope somebody is watching.
Out of the however many billion Muslims there are, even if only a small percentage are radical, that’s an awful lot of people.
Unless you are in a fundamentalist Christian church, no one will dare say anything straightforward or unkind. I’m not really sure what I want, but I have to say that I was grateful for whoever it was who brought the moderate in to speak to us. He did a beautiful job of explaining Islam’s appeal while distancing himself and condemning the radicals. So far, he’s the only one I have heard or have heard of doing that!
Comment by Anne — September 22, 2007 @ 5:10 pm