The Huffington Post has published a piece by Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) leader Salam al Marayati and Pastor Ed Bacon of the All Saints Episcopal Chruch in Pasadena in connection with the MPAC conference that was held there on December 15.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/salam-al-marayati/living-within-an-interfaith-framework_b_2303369.html
This morning, I posted the below comment on their website. I had to shorten what I originally wrote because they limit comments to 250 words.
"I attended the MPAC event. The expected protests consisted of 3-4 guys who showed up to shout insults before the event started. Pastor Bacon told us how "hateful" Christians can be. He said the history of Christianity was "littered with evil acts like the Crusades, slavery, Holocaust and 'Evangelical Zionism". Yet nobody addressed what is happening to Christians in Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Sudan, or the Baha'i in Iran. Nobody said anything about what is happening to Jews in Europe, mostly at the hands of young Muslim immigrants, while Europeans say little. A rabbi who spoke also said nothing, preferring to talk about Jewish excesses.
I don't blame American Muslims for these acts, but the silence from MPAC, CAIR and other "moderate" organizations in the US is deafening. Yet, at the same event, I asked Marayati and Maher Hathout if they would sign the Freedom Pledge Letter that they and 200 other American Muslim leaders have received from Former Muslims United asking them to sign a simple statement that American apostates should not be harmed. (They won't sign it-only two leaders have.)
Inter-faith events can be a good thing if all sides are sincere. Unfortunately, Bacon chose the wrong group. There are good Muslim figures out there like Zuhdi Jasser, Steven Schwartz, and others.
Meanwhile, those who point out hate coming from certain Muslims are called "Islamophobes" by those who would prefer to tolerate intolerance in the very name of tolerance."
Gary Fouse
Irvine
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The comment is pending approval and may or may not be published.
Update: They posted it.
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3 comments:
The HuffPo needs to climb out of their barrel of ignorance. Although they want peace on earth and good will toward men, they need to know who has the good will toward men and it is not the Muslim Brotherhood organizations which want to spread the "Umah" across the world, at the cost of all other religions.
As you say, not all Muslims are in this mode, as they enjoy living in America, among their American peers and friends. This morning, as I was walking the dog down our street. The father of a Muslim family wished me "Merry Christmas". I returned his greeting with Seasons Greetings. How very nice as it made my day.
Squid
Well stated, Squid. There has been a ,lot of debate over whether it is possible for Islam to have a reformation, as did Christianity, which also experienced The Enlightenment in Europe. It is a tricky question. How do you reform Islam without being able to question Muhammad or the Koran? Perhaps, the secret lies in Muslims in the West like your neighbor living their own quiet reformation by ignoring the aspects that are so troubling. They also need to deal with the issue of apostasy, so that younger Muslims in the West can, if they choose, change religions or have none at all if they wish. Look at how many of our Asian-Americans gradually join Christian churches. I am not trying to proselytize here, by any means, but full assimilation includes that freedom.
I don't have the answer.
There are quite a few Christians who believe the Reformation and/or the Enlightenment were grave errors. They are quite vocal, but fortunately, not in a position to write our Constitution for us, since that was done during the Enlightenment.
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