Last night, ending our vacation, my family went to a local sub shop and then to an ice cream parlor.
I noticed in each place, a Muslim family was there. (One of them had this gorgeous baby... but I digress.)
A few things came to mind as I enjoyed the time with my family.
First, I was very proud of these Muslim neighbors, who were not giving into fear but were out and about as "the manhunt" was on and the media was announcing that the suspect was an Islamic extremist on a jihad.
Secondly, I was proud of everyone else who was there. No one glared or behaved rudely. As the young children in the families ran about and behaved energetically, as children do, people smiled at them. These were the types of places such antics are expected and tolerated.
Then it hit me. It was Friday night. In the normal course of events, wouldn't these people be at worship? It turned out that most local mosques had closed. Some were in the "lock-down" area and could not have conducted services. Others closed as a precaution against both further bombings and unjustified retaliation.
In the middle of the events, I posted this on Facebook:
Thankfully, many agreed. I hope that Christians can reach out to those around us who may (God forbid it!) become the targets of hate. Jesus commanded us to "love our neighbors as ourselves." Let's do it!!
And a prayer of thanks that the suspect was captured! We should certainly keep him in prayer, too. Assuming that he really is guilty, which has yet to be proven in court, he is surely a lost soul who needs all the prayer he can get.
What are your thoughts on the manhunt and its aftermath?
I noticed in each place, a Muslim family was there. (One of them had this gorgeous baby... but I digress.)
A few things came to mind as I enjoyed the time with my family.
First, I was very proud of these Muslim neighbors, who were not giving into fear but were out and about as "the manhunt" was on and the media was announcing that the suspect was an Islamic extremist on a jihad.
Secondly, I was proud of everyone else who was there. No one glared or behaved rudely. As the young children in the families ran about and behaved energetically, as children do, people smiled at them. These were the types of places such antics are expected and tolerated.
Then it hit me. It was Friday night. In the normal course of events, wouldn't these people be at worship? It turned out that most local mosques had closed. Some were in the "lock-down" area and could not have conducted services. Others closed as a precaution against both further bombings and unjustified retaliation.
In the middle of the events, I posted this on Facebook:
"As the media tells us that the suspect on the loose is a "jihadist" (which he may be) and Islamic Centers around Boston close (a sensible precaution) lets remember that the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful, law-abiding people who will need their neighbors to stand by them in the coming days. Say a prayer for them and reach out to your Muslim neighbors with support and compassion."
Thankfully, many agreed. I hope that Christians can reach out to those around us who may (God forbid it!) become the targets of hate. Jesus commanded us to "love our neighbors as ourselves." Let's do it!!
And a prayer of thanks that the suspect was captured! We should certainly keep him in prayer, too. Assuming that he really is guilty, which has yet to be proven in court, he is surely a lost soul who needs all the prayer he can get.
What are your thoughts on the manhunt and its aftermath?
No comments:
Post a Comment