Wednesday, January 9, 2002
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Wednesday, January 9, 2002 |
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Criticism of new mosque in Fayetteville brings torrent of reader responses
Vicar delights to see place of prayer
It's amazing how people can see things so differently. When I first discovered that the old teen center had become a mosque, I, too, couldn't believe it! Unlike Mr. Bryant, however, who expressed "Oh no! This can't be a mosque in our city," I was delighted to see that the empty building is now a sacred place for prayer, hospitality and the study of the Koran. Thanks, in part, to The Fayette Citizen which published in a previous letter to the editor the telephone number of The Islamic Speaker's Bureau, I discovered that there are more than 100 Muslim families here in Fayette County. I was graciously welcomed into the home of a Muslim family where together we shared so much of what we each hold so dear to our hearts. It was an unexpected gift, a spiritually enriching experience. In the wake of Sept. 11, members of the church I serve confessed that they knew little or nothing about Islam. (And that much of what they did know was filtered through the distorted interpretation of terrorists who pervert the spiritual truth found in the Koran.) And so, we invited Muslims to our sanctuary to teach us the truth of Islam. We discovered, among other things, that jihad pertains, first and foremost, to the inner struggle between good and evil found within each of our lives. It reminded me of what Saint Paul says in Romans 7:18-19 where he addresses the inner war between the good we know we want to do but don't do, and the evil we don't want to do which we end up doing. Recently, my family was invited to the new mosque to join the community in breaking the fast one evening during Ramadan. Seeing my children playing in the mosque with the Islamic children, feeling as comfortably at home in their sanctuary as they are in our own, did more for me to reinforce the fundamental teaching of Jesus that we love one another, than what I could ever say in the pulpit. (Actions do speak louder than words.) It's highly unlikely this sort of thing can happen in Saudi Arabia, where [letter writer] Mr. Bryant did his military tour. One of the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America is an opportunity for interfaith relationships in a country which protects the religious freedom of its citizens (which in no way need compromise our fundamental beliefs as people of faith). Our religious diversity is a blessing to be welcomed, capable of enriching our humanity, if we are open to the experience. The alarm Mr. Bryant sounds in his letter ("Our nation is under attack, and with every new mosque established, a new center to work this attack is underway.") is an unfounded and unfair criticism of our Islamic sisters and brothers here in Fayetteville. I would suggest that he take the time to meet the folks and to get to know them as the wonderful neighbors and citizens they are. Who knows! He may find, as I did, that they are Christ-like in their love of God and in their compassion and care for others. The Rev. Bob Hudak, Vicar The Episcopal Church of the Nativity Bhudak@mindspring.com
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