The day Rick went to a mosque

With all the chatter about the proposed Islamic Center near Ground Zero and the Qur’an burning pastor in Florida, I thought it might be worthwhile to offer the perspective I bring to Christian-Islamic conversation.
I had a unique opportunity in May of 2006. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association invited me to a Symposium on the topic of “The Existence of God and Human Suffering”, at a Mosque in Houston.

The day was marked by speeches by three guest speakers, one each from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities. (Each presenter speaking for 15 minutes). I was the guest Christian presenter.

It is the muslim tradition to have separate events for men and women. Consequently I spoke only to men. There was a parallel meeting for women at the same time, with female speakers. Tea and refreshments were served afterward.

It was, if nothing else, a very unique cross-cultural experience. It was also an opportunity for me to communicate the message of Christ.

My Christian faith tells me that the God I worship is a God who is intimately familiar with suffering because He Himself chose to suffer. Here, I realize, is where I part company with my muslim and jewish friends, but it is a very important part of the way I as a Christian process my understanding of the existence of God and human suffering. I therefore planned to conclude by explaining how this uniquely Christian doctrine informs my thinking on the crucial question that was the focus of our conversation.

My goals for the day were to learn from the other presenters and the people with whom I interacted; and to communicate clearly on my assigned topic with a distinctively Christian flavor.

I came away with a new appreciation of what it feels like for someone with no experience attending a Christian Church to walk into that environment for the first time. I’ve never been in a mosque before.

I was not concerned for my safety. 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 the word “jihad” 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 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 certain about 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 Arabic 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 observed 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.

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’d 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!

Jesus would not burn a Koran

Even mentioning this story gives  more profile than it ought to have. Jesus did not hesitate to speak truth, but he also extended every opportunity to receive grace - especially to those who were outside of his own tradition. In fact, his harshest criticisms were saved for those who were of his own background and believed themselves above critique or reproach.

September 3, 2010

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