Standing under the full moon, both shivering, smiling, sharing a little human warmth, she is maybe 20-something, I over 50, but standing there together we really were together. She in her hijab, my short hair uncovered; her halting English, my over-fast American slang. Outwardly we are nothing alike, but inwardly we share something more, something real.
We had both come to this Seventh Day Adventist church to hear a man talk about Bible prophecy. The group presenting this talk is http://www.islamandchristianity.org/, a one-man organization that declares, “Don’t miss this opportunity of a lifetime to understand Bible prophecy and current events more clearly than ever before and face the future with confidence and peace.” She had heard about the presentation on YouTube and wanted to see what it was about, while I had come with a group concerned about the spread of anti-Islamic hatred and violence in Spokane. We saw her sitting alone in her hijab, and invited her to sit with us, which she did when she saw we had another Muslim girl in our group.
He started by ‘laying the groundwork’ which turned out to mean that in 20-25 minutes he quoted passages of the Bible from Matthew, Thessalonians, Jeremiah, and his main text Daniel 11:2-22. However, this is not enough groundwork, because within a few minutes he is quoting from three other chapters of Daniel and telling us that the main chapters he will deal with are Daniel 9, 10, 11, oh and parts of 12. He quotes and then says, “Yes?” to which people audibly agree, “Yes!” More quotes…”Yes?” “Yes!” Then it’s on to the historical context — five minutes of the Babylonian captivity, Greco-Persian Wars, every campaign launched against ancient Israel, and how in each and every instance it lines up exactly with the text of Daniel. Again, all within 20-25 minutes. So many “facts” — so little time. Then there was the Gospel presentation. A presumptive “you too can be a real Christian in ten minutes or less” offering to give your heart to Jesus. All that history and scripture in 20-25 minutes, yet he can make you a Christian in only 10. Wow.
But then it happened, not the preaching hate against Islam that we could stand up against and shout, not the paternal pat-them-on-the-head attitude that says “we love them too” but means we hate them always. No what happened was more insidious, quick as a wink, and in its simplicity, unnerving. The last slide, up on the screen for maybe 30 seconds, quoted Pat Buchanan as saying, “Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik “may be right” in his perception of a Crusades-like conflict between Christians and Muslims.” (News from Underground, July 2011) Breivik?? Breivik may be right??
Anders Behring Breivik, 34, set off a bomb on July 22, 2011 in a busy commercial area killing eight, then within hours after the explosion he arrived at Utøya island, the site of a Norwegian Labour Party youth camp, posing as a police officer in order to take the ferry to the island, and then opened fire on the unarmed adolescents present, reportedly killing 69. The youngest victim was 14 years old. Breivik justified killing his young victims because they belonged to the youth division of the ruling Norwegian Labour Party which he blamed for being too soft on confronting what he saw as the growing threat of Islam in Norway. (EuroNews 2013) He killed 69 young people because of the growing “threat” of Islam. And this is the man that “might be right.”
“Change the slide,” that’s all I asked him to do. “Don’t use that slide anymore. It’s inflammatory. Quote someone else — anyone else.” He limply claimed that it wasn’t his quote, that he was only quoting Buchanan. He agreed that Breivik is a madman. He would not agree to remove the slide from his presentation.
She and I talked about family, how her mom misses her while she’s here, and what she was studying in college — accounting — a good career, I said. She told me that people here are just like people at home in Saudi Arabia. I told her that all the people I met from all over the world all wanted the same things — a better life for their children, food on the table, a good job — she agreed. This is what everyone wants. She said everyone should be able to have whatever religion they want — I agreed. We shivered and smiled.
The preacher: white, American, over 50, Christian minister. Me: white, American, over 50, Christian minister. Outwardly we are so alike, but inwardly we share nothing more, nothing real.
Is there feedom of religion in Saudi Arabia?
Could you host a seminar like this in any Islamic county? Why or why Not?
Good job, Jan, and thanks!
I was unable to attend the presentation yesterday, but I have watched video versions of Tim Roosenberg’s show. He is a skilled presenter, but like you I am dismayed at his dishonest manipulation of his audience. As any call-and-response preacher knows, once he gets the audience engaged by reacting with a knee-jerk “Yes!”, he can manipulate their sense of agreement in whatever way he wants.
Norwegian terrorist Breivik stated clearly that he was driven by his own fears, and that he had attacked his own people because they were not as fanatical as he. There is chilling irony in that dynamic: Breivik feared that “fanatical Muslims” would harm “us” — so he beat those “dreadful terrorists” to it by killing
“us,” his own countrymen. Differing religious perspectives may be falsely used to “justify” such terrorism, but they are never the primary reason for terrorist acts. Terrorism is a mindset that is always first driven by personal fear.
Roosenberg obviously knew that he could manipulate his audience into confusing Breivik’s irrational fears with the actual reality of most present-day Islamic people. I find it unlikely that Roosenburg doesn’t know the fear-first techniques of terrorism. After all, in his own presentations he quite skillfully uses the exact same techniques used by the most radical, fanatical Imam to instill the darkness of hatred into their own audiences. That sort of manipulation is the worst sort of calculating dishonesty.
Your new Muslim friend is spot-on in stating that “people here are just like people at home in Saudi Arabia.” When others read her words and yours, I hope that very few are confused by their own inability to hear the spirit of your statements. I also hope that few are unable to discern the difference between the people of Saudi Arabia and that nation’s governmental policies. That sort of narrow vision and limited comprehension exists in the darker corners of any faith tradition. It enables fanatical would-be leaders to feed the fears and foster the spirit and the practice of terrorism, from the halls of Congress to the backstreets of Baghdad.
In my opinion, disavowing that spirit of darkness by sharing the Light is exactly what Christians and Muslims are called to do, in every situation. Thank you for your rightful representation of that spirit, Jan!
Some of us call god by the name of “God,” some use the name “Yahweh” or “Jehovah” or “Allah.” Regardless of the name we use in our prayers, I hope that all of us who pray will pray for greater understanding, wisdom, and “Light” to come into the hearts and words and spirit of all who might be captured by the dreadful darkness that underlies the terrible divisive advocacy that Jan encountered at yesterday’s presentation.
As Dickens’ Tiny Tim joyfully admonished, “God Bless Us — every one!”
~Bob Edwards
Thanks for the judgement Bob.
The real darkness is ignorance, hate, oppression, misrepresentation, poverty, radical or hyper-fundamentalism and self-righteous pride present in all of us humans. My point is how wonderful to live where people can meet and teach without fear of violence or death even if the views they present are wrong or misguided. The fact you can protest and be present in the meeting and engage and even speak as a woman is light years ahead of many countries ruled by religious law. I celebrate our freedom for free speech and even dumb speech. All faiths are not the same that idea is ridiculous ask any Muslim or Buddhist if they believe the same things as Christians or Jews. Please did you read or listen to the reports before congress this week on the horrific persecution of Christians going on today? Did you listen to President Obama’s national prayer breakfast speech? He named the people and places where persecution is going on today. Ignoring the facts doesn’t help. Call up the wife of the Iranian American pastor from Idaho who’s being held in Iran and tell her about darkness. Befriending is the path as Jan has shown but speaking the truth in love without fear or judgement is needed to.
Eric, you and I might disagree on many things, but I do respect your stating of your opinion and I share many of your goals. It does appear that you may confuse “judgment” with personal opinion. That certainly is your prerogative, whether such confusion is intentional or incidental.
“Cherry-picking” a small, selective subset of “facts” from a large body of data is usually misleading. That is most often done with less-than-honest intent, but I certainly have seen it done many times by people who are not overmuch aware of what they are doing or saying. Whenever that sort of misleading happens – whether it is a result of perfidy, ignorance, or simple inattentiveness – the conclusions drawn from such “facts” are by definition dishonest.
It is my own opinion – certainly not a proven “fact” – that if I choose to select something from a “report before congress” or something mentioned by President Obama in a “speech,” I am quite free to then use it as an example of something. Still, I personally would consider myself being less-than-honest if I attempted to use that “something” as a proof of “fact,” unless I actually agree with every “report before congress” and every statement by President Obama in a “speech.” I may agree, disagree, like or dislike bits and pieces from this and that. Choosing to claim that source as proof of “fact” seems to require a higher standard of agreement with the declared philosophy of that source.
Again, maybe that’s just me?
I wonder if the wife of the Iranian prisoner you mention realizes that she can find that same “darkness” in Idaho and in Spokane. Does she know that she can find the same sort of dishonest, selective spirit of persecution, this very night, in a “Christian” — and perhaps other — house of worship near many of us?
As long as “we” are asking the honest questions, in a loving and inclusive manner and spirit, I personally have faith that the “spirit of God” will come to manifestation through “us.”
I’m pretty sure that’s not just me, y’know?
Give it up Eric, it’s like trying to nail jello to the wall. 🙁
Dennis, any time one party to a verbal dialogue is primarily motivated by a desire to nail anything — or anybody — to something else, the likelihood of a productive conversation drops rapidly toward zero. Once a person “nails” shut his mind and heart, what could have been sharing usually becomes defense of dogma.
The example of the reported “trials” at the end of Jesus’ life is perhaps instructive. What began as a dialogue ended in a nailing-up. Centuries passed before the ones who nailed got their minds and hearts reopened enough to begin to hear what had been waiting, openly and patiently, since they first chose nails over love.
Bob, don’t tell me that you’ve never heard that figure of speech before or understand how it was used. I see your vocabulary and so I think your scolding was more opportunistic than sincere. I agree with Eric’s post and thought your rebuttal seemed quite patronizing.
Thanks for your support Dennis.