Posted by Ir (Helen) on: 05.15.2006 /
I have a new appreciation of what it feels like for someone like Hemant with no experience attending a Christian Church to walk into that environment for the first time.
On Saturday afternoon I drove into the parking lot of the Baitus Samee Mosque in Houston, an invited guest of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, to participate in a symposium on the topic “The Existence of God and Human Suffering”.
I’ve never been in a mosque before.
I was not concerned for my safety, unlike those among my acquaintances who learned of my invitation and suggested a bullet proof vest (only half-joking, I suspect). Through my conversations with my host, Shahed, and my reading on the Ahmadiyya website, I knew that this muslim community, which is spread across 178 nations, utterly rejects violence and terrorism, recognizing that “jihad” as a word that refers to the individual’s inner struggle to live out a life that honors Allah.
My main concerns were that I would not unintentionally offend my hosts through my ignorance of their customs. I needed not be concerned. They were more than helpful and welcoming – truly delightful and friendly people who showed me where shoes could be placed during the symposium (since they are not worn in the mosque). Many of the 35 or so men present were quick to come forward and welcome me – the genders are separated in the mosque, so there were no women present in the seminar. The women were holding their own seminar on the other side of the wall. Even in the fellowship time which followed the women were separated from the men.
The program began with “a recitation of the Holy Qur’an”. If there was an element in the service that had me on pins and needles, this was it. What would I experience?
The Qur’an is always read in Arabic, and so one man came forward to read. I could not be absolutely clear on whether he was singing, or whether the rising and falling tones are reflective of the tonal nature of the Arabic language. The only experience I could compare it to was hearing the Qur’an read over loudspeakers in Iran or Iraq, such as one sometimes hears on a television news program.
The reading was followed by a translation in English – certainly for guests like me, but I wondered if it was also for those whose Arabic is rusty.
Next were three 15 minute addresses by the three speakers – first the jewish guest, then myself, then the muslim speaker.
In my presentation, I was eager to observe a careful balance. On the one hand, I had been invited to speak on the assigned topic from a Christian perspective. I also wanted to faithfully represent the message of biblical Christian faith. On the other hand, I was a guest, and did not want to communicate in a manner that would offend my hosts. I think that I effectively hit the mark.
The next 30 minutes was a time of question and answer. The moderator requested that all questions be directed to all three panelists so that each of us could answer, so that was the way the afternoon flowed on.
However, when the moderator said there was time for one more question, a man rose to the microphone and said “I have a question I would like to direct only to Rick: You said in your presentation that the sufferings of Christ could alleviate the sufferings of humanity, and I am not clear how that could happen. Could you explain your meaning please?”
For me, this was a wonderful moment, for it seemed to me that I was being invited by my hosts to be more specific in describing the nature of my faith as a Christ-follower. And so I took several minutes to answer the concluding question.
The last thing that occurred before the symposium concluded was a brief 5 minutes by a man identified as a muslim missionary. I did not have the feeling that his brief message contributed anything of substance to the words that had been spoken already.
After the symposium, many people came forward to graciously thank me and express appreciation for the content of my talk. One man said that he’d had many questions about Christianity, and I had managed to answer several of them. I was grateful. My secondary goal in being there was to help the listeners to learn and understand the day’s topic from a Christian perspective. I am grateful that this goal was met.
My primary goal had been to learn, and I certainly learned, from both the jewish and muslim people I encountered. I was struck by how similarly we approached the topic, and several times in the Q&A, I responded and then one of my fellow panelists said “I was going to say the same thing Rick said”.
(If I had a third goal, it was to enjoy a very different, cross-cultural cuisine in the time of refreshments that followed. Alas, I might as well have been at a Texas Baptist pot luck: there was fried chicken, cole slaw, pasta salad, pizza and Coke. However, there were two desserts that were culturally distinct, and they were wonderful!)
One last word: I thought of you, my acquaintances at OTM, as I went through this experience – and particularly thought of my brother Tom, who like me is characterized by a love for the unfamiliar or cross-cultural. Eat your heart out, Bro!
Comment by: Jim Henderson
1I think every pastor should be required to do this 2 times a year - or go to an AA meeting if not a Mosque
Rick - Thanks for being courageous and kind and for this detailed report
Comment by: Eliza
2Rick - thanks for telling us about your experience!
I have couple of questions - Did you tailor your presentation for this audience in any particular way, for example how you presented your key points or specific phrases you used or avoided? (Either because they were Muslim, or simply because they were not Christian.) And, was there anything you heard at that event that seemed extremely different in terms of beliefs, either in the English version of the Qu’ran reading, or in the questions or other presentations? Beyond cultural differences? For example, in either of the other faiths’ view of God, God’s role, suffering, etc.
And, some random thoughts…I was reading what you wrote, trying for a moment to put myself in your shoes (or socks would be more appropriate ;) ) when it occurred to me that I would have had a quite difference experience than you…not only that you were speaking instead of observing, and (obvious difference) that you are a Christian and I am not…but also that I would have been on the women’s side, and my guess is that is something of a different world. Made me muse about the probably heretical idea of having a Muslim man observe the women’s services, and a Muslim woman observe the men’s services, and then have them report back to both ’sides’ about their observations…to get discussion going :)
Comment by: Lisa W.
3This is cool:
Comment by: Lisa W.
4Tell us more about what you learned.
What were 3 things you walked away with that you didn’t know before you walked in. They can be trivial, it doesn’t matter.
Comment by: Julie Marie
5Wow Rick; thanks for your report. I am so encouraged to hear positive results from these types of discussions. In a world that appears to becoming increasingly polarized, meetings like this are a ray of hope.
Comment by: Tom in Sacramento
6I am jealous indeed, Bro.
For all y’all, I can answer a couple of questions — I don’t know how soon Rick will be able to get back. I know that he did specifically use and avoid a couple things because he asked me (based on my own interactions with a Muslim friend as well as studies) and another friend (who is a Christian missionary to Muslims living in Spain) for tips on cultural sensitivities. That included both phrasing and some examples.
And Rick mentioned it but it deserves emphasis: he went out of his way not to “take advantage” of his hosts graciousness in invitation. They invited him to address a specific topic, not to “evangelize” them. And so he was careful to stay on point with his presentation. Rick probably wouldn’t share it, but it was significant to me that he had a person come up to him afterward and tell him that he had been a lot more “on point” and sensitive than the fellow they have had address the Christian perspective in the past. A lot of that is Rick, but some of that os OTM. It has been a positive learning experience for both of us to be a part of this discussion.
I was not only jealous of Rick, I was proud of him, too. Way to go, Bro!
Comment by: Marty
7Rick and Tom - I am proud of both of you! It sounds like your words and your actions matched and demonstrated what it means to be Christian.
Comment by: Ir
8Thanks for sharing that, Tom. It’s neat to know that the dialog on OTM has actually made a difference.
Comment by: Rick L in TX
9I’m booked all morning and afternoon in a big idea meeting with my staff here, but will respond later today to specific questions. Thanks all for comments and etc.
Comment by: Esther
10Good for you, Rick. I applaud you for what you’ve done.
I also appreciate the Muslim community who is so open and willing to listen to other faith / religion.
And I am not surprised to hear that these 3 religion have many similarities in their views.
Thank you for sharing.
I hope you have the time to answer the questions Eliza and Lisa have asked in #2 & #4.
Comment by: Esther
11Opps! I’m sorry, Tom. I posted before I read all of the comments.
Now I know that you have answered a bit for your brother.
Thanks, Tom.
That was beautiful, what Rick has been thoughtfully and loveingly done!
Comment by: Rick L in TX
12Eliza, re #2: Did you tailor your presentation for this audience in any particular way, for example how you presented your key points or specific phrases you used or avoided? (Either because they were Muslim, or simply because they were not Christian.)
At Tom’s suggestion I did not bring a pork sandwich with me. Seriously, I did not tailor the message with only a few exceptions. a) Because as a christian I view the bible as god’s word, similar somewhat to the way in which the muslim views the Qur’an, I made reference to being a “person of the book” which is a phrase that is meaningful to muslims. b) When giving examples of suffering that is caused by the evil choices of humans, I chose 3 examples that would be meaningful to each of the 3 categories of my audience - the holocaust; the attacks in Fall 2001, and the slaughter of muslims in Srebrenica. I also referenced reprisal attacks including here in the Houston region that occurred after the 2001 attacks, to underscore a sense of solidarity with my audience. c) When referencing the story of God’s apparent call to Abraham to sacrifice his son, I did not identify the son by name since muslims believe it was Ishmael, not Isaac. Other than those distinctives, I was pretty much as I would have been without muslims and jews in the audience.
Eliza: And, was there anything you heard at that event that seemed extremely different in terms of beliefs, either in the English version of the Qu’ran reading, or in the questions or other presentations? Beyond cultural differences? For example, in either of the other faiths’ view of God, God’s role, suffering, etc.
No, not really. Both jewish and muslim speakers wanted to distance themselves (with me) from declarations that all natural disasters are judgement from God. Both wrestled (with me) about the whole concept of what “God’s will” means. Questioners wanted to know how we defined suffering in the first place. All the same sorts of wrestlings that I hear christ-followers experience.
And I certainly resonate with you about the whole issue of gender separation…but probably not near the same depth of disagreement with that practice that you have, since such a practice seems rooted in a longstanding cultural and power bias against women…which you are and I am not.
Lisa in #4: Tell us more about what you learned. What were 3 things you walked away with that you didn’t know before you walked in. They can be trivial, it doesn’t matter.
Lisa! No one told me there was going to be a final!! ; )
Well, OK, I learned and was surprised by how similarly our three communities thought about the topic. Tom’s comment was that the only issue of substance about which we disagreed was: Who was Jesus Christ? I doubt that the other 2 speakers would agree with that assessment, since it is christocentric (which you would expect since Tom speaks, as I do, from a christ-following perspective). I was surprised to learn that there is one whole chapter in the Qur’an devoted to Mary and Jesus. I was surprised to learn that this muslim community has a monthly comparative study of the Bible and the Qur’an (unlike Tom, who did so prior to a planned trip to Afghanistan, I have never read the full english text of the Qur’an - even though he e-mailed it to me in Word format. I need to do that before next November, the next dialogue like this.) I was surprised that in the eyes of this muslim community, I and other christ-followers have found favor in the eyes of Allah, since islam means “submission” and they view sincere christ-followers as people in submission to the god of Abraham whom they identify as Allah). Thus we are “saved” (my term, not theirs) in their understanding of what that might mean. I was surprised to discover what a rational approach to issues of faith they have since previously I might have guessed that islam was more mystical.
And Tom is correct that the content and manner of most of the conversation on OTM has sharpened my sensitivity when speaking to those whose world view does not match my own. So to the extent that our interaction here improved my ability to present my material, I thank each of you. -Rick
Comment by: Lisa W.
13Fascinating, Rick! Thanks for answering my quiz questions. You get an A+.
Very interesting.
Comment by: Tom in McMinnville
14The Lord equips his servants in amazing ways. Thank you for your unique service to our Lord Jesus last Saturday.
Comment by: greg ralston
15Rick
Thanks for being a gracious and accurate representative of Jesus in a challenging situation. I know you handled it beautifully.
Greg
Comment by: Eric in Sacramento
16Your brother Rick directed me to your blog. I am curious as to how the Jewish man was received in the mosque. Was he accepted? Scorned? Listened to? Treated differently than other non-Muslims?
Comment by: RickLintx
17The 3 most recent comments are from friends connected to myself and Tom. Just to be clear, guys, you are now at http://www.off-the-map.org, a place of dialogue among Christians and atheists, just FYI.
Eric, there was no animosity at all that I could discern and I suspect he would say the same.
Rick
Comment by: Lynn
18Rick, I finally got around to reading your report and the follow-up comments. Way to go. It sounded like everything tasted better because you were there…
Comment by: Naseer Malik (Toronto, Canada)
19Dear All,
I just read all the messages posted here. I’m a member of Ahmadiyya Muslim community, Canada. Rick, I thank you for attending the symposium. I coordinate such events in Canada and we just finished a successful year of 98 events across Canada. Our target for this year is 150 events.
I visited 3 Churches last week to seek their participation in our events and let me tell you its been exciting to meet with them. Today, we need such events more than anything to create understanding among various faiths so we could bring love, peace and respect in this world.
God bless you all.
Sincerely,
Naseer Malik
Comment by: Eliza
20Naseer Malik,
Thanks for your comments, and for your efforts toward increasing understanding among people of different faiths.
If you read this, could you tell us: how did you get involved in setting up these events, and what have you and others taken away from them?
Comment by: Naseer Malik (Toronto, Canada)
21Hi Eliza,
The first such conference of Great Religions was held in Lahore, India on December 26-29, 1896. Since then our community has kept this tradition alive. These events have served many purposes including better understanding of various religions and new relationships among various local communities. This is especially important in new mixed culture in North America.
PS: The first Islamic lecture read out in interfaith conference can be read at http://www.alislam.org/books/philosophy/index.html.
Hope this answers your questions.