More pastors continue ignoring Islamic theology in favor of platitudes of peace and harmony. “Baptists, Muslims must work together for a peaceful world,” by Robert Parham for the Tennessean, August 4:
When Indonesian Muslims were making intimidating phone calls and threatening churches in 1998, Muslim women at an Islamic boarding school guarded the wife of a Baptist pastor when her husband was out of the country advocating for human rights in Washington.
[…]Before the initiative of Islamic women, Rembeth recalled, “I had been struggling even to relate to my Muslim friends.”
But they “really gave me an idea (that) there are some good Muslims, even though there are also some bad Muslims, as much as there are some good Christians and bad Christians.”
Yes, among those who identify themselves as Christians and Muslims, there are good and bad people. But what do their respective religions teach, and shouldn’t that come into the equation? Christianity: turn the other cheek; return good for evil; pray for those who persecute you. Islam: fight all those who do not believe in Allah and his prophet until they live in submission (Koran 9:29). This flagrant dichotomy is what — simply a moot point? Indeed, it seems that if anyone was behaving “un-Islamicly,” it was the women who sheltered your wife, as they went against the Muslim doctrine of Loyalty (to Muslims) and Enmity (for non-Muslims), more commonly known as al-Wala’ we al-Bara’.