MISCONCEPTION ABOUT MUSLIMS IN GENERAL
Before being introduced to Mohammed and l Alima, I had never met a Muslim.
My only exposure to Muslims had been through the media: movies that
portrayed them as terrorists and newscasts of Iranian fundamentalists burning
flags. In National Geographic magazine, I had seen Islamic women looking out
from behind HP their veils and rows of white-clad, barefoot men bowed in
prayer.
I assumed all Muslims were immovable in their beliefs and unstoppable in their
zeal to con-t vert the world and gain paradise—even if it meant blowing up
themselves and others to get there. My visit to the Saudi Arabian exhibit had
only reinforced my unfounded fear of Muslims as either dangerous men or
oppressed women. I held many stereotypes that God needed to change.
1 am not the first person who’s had to confront my misconceptions to minister
effectively. Before his visit to Cornelius, Peter had a dramatic vision that forced
him to rethink his stereotypes. That dream radically altered his perspective on
Gentiles. With God’s help, he now saw Gentiles as people eager to be saved,
not dirty dogs to be avoided (Acts 10).
Like Peter, we must identify the misconceptions that cause us to avoid real
people who need God’s love, acceptance, and forgiveness. No matter what
preconceptions plague you and no matter where you picked them up, it’s
essential to carefully examine negative stereotypes when you begin to relate to
Muslims.
Focus on people, not politics. When Naaman, the military commander of
Israel’s sworn enemy, longed to be cured of leprosy, his wife’s servant girl told
him about the powers of the prophet Elisha. Naaman believed what the girl
said and journeyed to Israel in search of Elisha.
When Naaman met with the prophet, they didn't discuss their opposing
political allegiances. Instead, Elisha responded to Naaman as an individual in
need of an experience with the living God. In turn, Naaman responded with
belief and gratitude—and went right back to his Aramite military command
post. Elisha understood that a changed heart meant more than someone's
political allegiance (2 K. 5:1-19).
Likewise, we came to know Mohammed and Hal-Ima as individuals, not as
representatives of the Saudi government. While we sometimes had
conversations that touched on Islamic theological mid political u , spectives, we
usunlly talked about our childieu, M1„ families, and the stresses of the week.
Instead of view ing our friends through the grid of their government1! politics,
we developed our relationship with them baser on who they were as
individuals.
During the Gulf War we watched the newscast* together and followed the
developments as the conflict unfolded. We managed polite discussions about
poli tics and bit our lips when Mohammed criticized Amei ican policies and
questioned our government's motive». When we were frustrated by
Mohammed's remarks, we vented at home instead of arguing with him. Alici
all, we were not trying to win Mohammed and i lalima i ivci to the American
way of life. Instead, we wanted them to become citizens of the kingdom of
God. We often told them that we were praying for their relatives hack home
during those uncertain weeks and months.
Don* t assume every Muslim is radically religious,
Before we met Mohammed and I Alima, I had assumed all Muslims were
radically devoted to their faith. But as we got to know them, I realized that not
all Muslims practiced their faith with the saute fervor.
Of the two, Halima was more devout. Often when she visited my home, she
would excuse herself politely and slip into another room for one of the five
Mamie prayers required daily. My friend also was committed to obeying her
husband. Mohammed, however, seemed to follow Islam out of custom, not
conscience. I le was neither fanatically devoted to his faith nor .searching for
truth, but he was open to having close friends who were Christians. But even
though he sometimes chafed under the regulations óf his religion, there was no
ques tion that Mohammed would leave his adopted West eni ways behind when
he returned to Saudi Arabia.
Though Halima followed her religion's rules pre cisely, she was certainly her
own person. When the two of us spent time together in her apart mem, she
would lounge in leggings arid oversized sweatshirts, her lovely black hair in a
ponytail. Should some one knock on the door, however, she snatched up a
scarf to cover her head before answering.
Later I chuckled when I learned that she had once spent an hour having
portraits taken at a nearby glamour studio.
Become a learner.
One of our biggest challenges was to become learners instead of just trying
communicate our faith. We spent many hours sking questions and listening to
Mohammed md Halima as they responded. As we did so, a fascinating world
far from ours came into focus.
I learned not just the customs but the unique practices and folk beliefs of
Muslims in different Islamic countries. I discovered that Islam is far from
unified. Though I’d normally associated the religion with Arab peoples, I
learned that many nonArab countries are predominantly Muslim as well, such
as Indonesia and Malaysia.
Gradually I came to see that the veil—a symbol of oppression to my American
mind—was to Halima a symbol of Muslims* fierce commitment to protect their
wives and daughters. I didn’t have to agree, but I could begin to understand.
Whether the issue was veils or why women were not allowed at burial services,
I found it important simply to learn more about Halima*s culture. My goal was
not to try to “fix” the things I disagreed with. Instead, I simply prayed for
opportunities to introduce her to Jesus Christ.
In addition to discovering how Mohamed and Halima viewed their culture, we
also learned about their perception of Christianity. They had many
misconceptions about Christians. They were repulsed by Christianity because
they associate with the sex-crazed culture portrayed on Western television.
We assured them that not everyone America embraces the immorality on soap
of and talk shows. More importantly, we tried to s that all Americans are not
Christians, despite they had heard.
Holidays provided another natural oppomin clear up misconceptions. With a
Christmas tree in the living room, we explained the difference betweer most
Americans celebrate Christmas and the reason for our Joy in the season.
Similarly Eastern provided the perfect occasion to talk about the sacrifice and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Love in Christ
Dave from Los Angeles
