"Speak the truth in love." Ephesians 4:15."I started imagining a world in which we replaced the phrase 'politically correct' wherever we could with 'treating other people with respect', and made me smile." Internet by Neil Gaiman.
I can live with that. This is downright 'biblical'. Many of us learned the verse "Do unto others as you would have them do to you" in early childhood.
Not everyone lives by this simple principle. In response to the shooting in a Montreal mosque by a white supremacist and other incidents interpreted as hate crimes our lawmakers in Canada recently passed this motion: “...a whole-of-government approach to reducing or eliminating systemic racism and religious discrimination including Islamophobia.” Unfortunately, the government did not define 'Islamophobia'. This has "morphed into a catch-all phrase to silence anyone critical of the religion." Toronto Sun.
People in public offices are working hard to eradicate discrimination and hate crimes. Muslims and those in public offices worry about the multicultural plan started in 1971 could unravel. As sad and unacceptable as discrimination in Western nations is, these stories need to be balanced out with stories from real people who have suffered discrimination and persecution and fled Muslim majority countries.
But passing motions and laws won't change peoples' hearts. Our Syrian Muslim lady friend had 2 experiences in which a passerby yelled/swore at her and shouted "go home". She was shaken but seemed to understand that these people didn't represent Canadian and certainly not Christian values. Thank God, she isn't nurturing a victim mentality.
Muslims carry the burden of the 'honor/shame' paradigm where they are offended if we all don't think highly of Islam as the 'religion of peace'. Radical Muslims continue to tarnish the image of Muslims in the West. So, it is politically correct for Western Muslims to hold rallies and information meetings in the mosques to emphasize that the radicals don't represent their religion. While they deny that these people are Muslims, Muslim scholars say that whoever says the 'Shahada' from the heart is a Muslim. Muslim reformists would like to see Islam go further to become a 'religious movement' rather than a 'political movement'. And they're out to reinterpret brutal passages like Surah 9 in the Qur'an.
We are concerned that Christians may retreat from befriending Muslims and sharing Jesus with them for fear they may offend someone. No Christian wants to be viewed as 'intolerant' or 'narrow minded'. But there are ways to sensitively engage with Muslims and share the Good News without criticizing Islam. As Joy reminded the people at an open house at the mosque, it is time for a conversation with each other(Muslims and Christians). Integration is key to moving forward--to truly becoming a multicultural nation.
Let's continue to 'speak the truth in love.' Someone mentioned that you wrap the Gospel with a meal for a hungry man. Many of us have discovered that we can wrap the Gospel with a good deed in genuine love and care for Muslims--with no strings attached.Lord Jesus, we thank-you for opportunities to show our care of our Muslim friends and that they have a safe zone with us. Please keep the doors to their lives open. Amen.
