Mint tea at the Jaffa gate
Wednesday, September 8, 2010 We're all aware of the "pastor" in Florida who is going to show Muslims how powerful he is by burning Qur'ans. It turns out (imagine that) that he's more of a cult leader than legitimate follower of Jesus Christ. (See The Smoking Gun.) The news reported he had fifty followers and since his crusade he's down to thirty. No shame in having a small church, but his ex-members seem to have more sense than their leader.
Nobody questions that there are Muslims who read their Qur'an and find exhortations from their leader to hurt Jews, Christians, and those who leave the faith. That's not the reason for this note, but I make the observation because I want to share about a Muslim near the Jaffa gate in Jerusalem that graciously gave me three mornings of his time.
I was in Jerusalem for a conference and a friend asked me to deliver a package to his friend, Ismael, at his office near the Jaffa gate. I delivered the gift and immediately wanted to spend time with this man. I wanted to learn more about Islam from the perspective of this elder follower. We spent four hours each morning for three successive days sharing mint tea and blessed fellowship as fellow human beings. I missed most of my conference.
We began with the normal diplomatic niceties. We established the ground rules for the conversations to follow and for three days had honest, enlightening, emotional, and endearing discourse. All questions were allowed and all answers were respected. We agreed that we would not attempt to convert one another but shared a desire to learn from one another.
This gentle man has lived many lives in Jerusalem. He's lost family members to violence, some at the hands of Israeli soldiers. He has anger, but is not vengeful. He sees what he believes to be injustice but has no desire to retaliate. He asked sensitive questions and allowed me to ask blunt questions dealing with certain followers of his faith. He prays to the one he believes can solve the unsolvable.
How I wish our discourse was recorded but it would ruin the intimacy of our time together. There are unseen, and unsaid, things that no recording can do justice to. Many times our eyes spoke from our hearts when words could not be found.
This man is a dedicated follower of Islam, and he is a loving, caring, gentle man. He is not a rabid radical foaming at the mouth, hunting down infidels in the name of the Prophet Muhammad. He has chosen to follow the teachings of the Qur'an that mirror the teachings of Jesus Christ. He does not believe that Jesus Christ is the literal son of God and he does not believe that he actually died on the cross. He cannot conceive of a God that would allow his son to endure such a death. Still, he has read the Bible many times, especially the New Testament, and has embraced the love and respect that Jesus taught his followers to live out.
In the end he did offer me literature about his faith in the hope that I would come to love his Allah as much as I love my God. We embraced with a kiss and I went on my way.
It goes without saying that certain sects of Islam have a different view of the Qur'an than he does, and that's my point. If we brand all Muslims the same we're saying that all pastors want to burn Qur'ans. Even though my friend at the Jaffa gate believed I was misguided in my faith he embraced me with genuine love and respect.
The "pastor" in Florida would accomplish more if he would invite Muslim leaders in his neighborhood over for mint tea and sweets. They both might learn something.
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Note: I was hoping I wouldn't have to add an addendum but some are responding to me privately that I don't get it and have fallen under the spell of Islam (i.e. the devil). Unfortunately, they have completely misunderstood my point. Jesus would not burn a Qur'an, or any other so-called holy book or parchment. There's no point in it, and certainly no wisdom in it. Take a moment and think about what Jesus himself said, and lived, and how he taught us to love those who do not believe, those who oppose him, those who hate him, and those who afflict his followers. Take a moment, please, to think. Then, consider the simple point of this note.
Reader Comments (1)
Pastor Chris, Thank you for your gentle words with your friend. It seems that many in Western society forget how prejudice we have become. I was reminded at a meeting of a few others how prejudice I had become and I realized that repentance was imperative for me. It is my hope and prayer that those who e-mailed you will also understand just how Jesus would be handling this situation with the pastor in Florida. Again Thank you for your post.
Dan Williams