wfn.org | Commentary: Beware new wave of anti-Muslim feelings

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Sept. 9, 2002 News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.
10-71BP{398}

NOTE: A photograph of the Rev. Alex Awad is available. This commentary
may
be used with UMNS stories #396 and #397.

A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Alex Awad*

Since Sept. 11, 2001, a wave of anti-Muslim feeling has taken over much
of
America and is spreading like wildfire among evangelical circles in the
United States and other countries. 

Officials of respected evangelical denominations and presidents of
esteemed
Christian organizations have joined the new trend. Some are publicly
insulting Islam and its founder, while others are attacking the Quran
and
those who follow its path.

Christians in general, and evangelicals in particular, would do well to
stop
and think about where this crusade may be leading us and how it will
impact
Christian-Muslim relationships around the world. Evangelicals would
also do
well to consider carefully whether their public, rhetorical war against
Muslims would advance or hinder the cause of Christ throughout the
Islamic
world. Furthermore, Christians might take a fresh look at the history
of
Muslim-Christian interactions throughout the last 14 centuries before
waving
a banner in the current anti-Muslim war of words.

During the Middle Ages, Pope Urban II campaigned to unite the various
competing armies of Christian Europe in a crusade to liberate Jerusalem
and
the Holy Land from the Muslims. The pope blessed the Crusades, and the
brave
fighters of Europe joined to battle what they perceived to be the
enemies of
God. The church sanctioned the killing of Muslims and other so-called
infidels and heretics. Muslim men, women, and children were butchered
in
great numbers. The crusaders also killed many Jews and non-Latin
Christians.

But the sword of Islam turned against the invading armies, and most of
the
crusaders never saw their homes again. They had killed and were, in
turn,
slaughtered, all the while deeming that they were fighting for Christ
and
his church. After 190 years of unspeakable bloodshed, the Muslims
recaptured
Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land, bringing an end to the
Crusades.
However, the Crusades left deep wounds in Muslim-Christian relations
that
have yet to be healed.

Today's rhetoric of hate against Islam clears the path for tomorrow's
wars
against Islamic nations. When our preachers, teachers, TV evangelists
and
politicians condition us to hate Muslims, they prepare us to kill
Muslims or
to watch their slaughter without feeling guilt, pity or remorse. 

Before getting caught up in the spirit of the season and joining the
crusade
against Muslims, American Christians today need to learn what Middle
Eastern
and European Christians learned centuries ago. The lesson is simple:
Live in
peace with your Muslim neighbors and they will live in peace with you;
oppress them and they will fight back. Even if we believe or assume
that
Islam is evil, are we called to "repay evil for evil" or "overcome evil
with
good" (Romans 12:17-21)?

I have lived most of my life as a member of a small Christian community
within a large Islamic population. The church that I now pastor in East
Jerusalem is in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood. I know from
firsthand
experience that most Muslims do not hate Christians. 

Most Muslims also have nothing to do with terrorism. The radical
factions
that are involved in militant acts against Israel or its allies are
driven
more by political reasons than religious agendas. Palestinians, for
example,
have wanted for years to be rid of the Israeli occupation of what they
perceive as their homeland. They have appealed to the United Nations,
and
the U.N. has failed them. They have appealed to the superpowers and to
Arab
states, which also have failed them. Alternately, they have sought the
help
of more than a thousand peace conferences, but those have not stopped
the
confiscation of their land and the denial of their human rights. During
their struggle, the Palestinians have turned to nonviolent resistance
and
violent uprisings (intifada), all to no avail. 

In utter frustration, some of them have turned to radical Islamic
movements.
As a last resort, the cry has become: "Islam is the answer." Islamic
movements such as Hamas and Hezbollah are relatively new in the long
history
of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Nevertheless, most Muslims do not
subscribe to
these movements. Moreover, we err greatly if we insist on seeing all
Muslims
in the light of the bloody crimes of Sept. 11 or in view of the
dreadful
suicide bombings on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

If we want to find the enemy, we must look within us rather than at
Islam
and Muslims.  The enemies of the United States and the Western world
are
found mainly within the United States and the Western world. Greed,
pride,
hypocrisy, racism, atheism, moral corruption, xenophobia and social
injustices are our worst enemies. These are the sins that make us hate,
humiliate, kill, starve whole nations and pollute our planet. 

For example, for half a century Arabs and Muslims have been pleading
with
the West for a just resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Instead of
responding fairly, we have allowed domestic pressures and lobby groups
to
steer our foreign policy in supporting one side of the conflict against
the
legitimate rights of the other side, with disastrous consequences.
Instead
of promoting justice, our intervention has become a factor in
complicating
and worsening the situation and hindering the cause of peace. Quite
often,
the arrogance of governments in the West and their unjust policies in
the
Middle East are the fuel that inflames Islamic fundamentalists. 

One out of every five humans is a follower of the Muslim faith. One out
of
every five humans, each of whom Christ calls us to love as we love
ourselves, is a Muslim. Attacking Islam or hating Muslims will not only
hinder the cause of Christ in the world, but it will also endanger the
lives
of Christians who live as minorities in the Islamic world.

The good news is that we do have a criterion to guide us in our
treatment of
our Muslim neighbors. We find this criterion in the example and
teachings of
our Lord. As we allow his message of love, forgiveness and humility to
shine
through us before our Muslim neighbors, they will, as Christ said: "
... see
your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven." Whether we
live
at peace with our Muslim neighbors or not depends as much on us as on
them. 

# # #

*Awad is a missionary in the Middle East for the United Methodist Board
of
Global Ministries. A Palestinian American, he serves at Bethlehem Bible
College. 

Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not
necessarily
represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist
Church.
However, the United Methodist Church officially condemns prejudice
against
Muslims and Arabs. For more information, consult the denomination's
2000
Book of Resolutions, "Prejudice Against Muslims and Arabs in the USA"
(p.
193) and "Our Muslim Neighbors" (p. 743). 

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
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