Salaam, Dear Kevin,
Usually it's about fear. The upside to these situations is who wants someone who harbors those sorts of prejudices around anyway? Let them work them out somewhere else.
There are so many wonderful people out there. Try not to let the others get you down. It's an interesting world we're living in today, but human nature has stayed the same since the beginning of time. On that we can depend. Allah has made human beings this way -- cooties and all.
Take care.
Peace and blessings,
Bilquees
Asalaam alaykoum,
I feel blessed to say that one of my best friends is a devout Christian, although he doesn't attend his Catholic church anymore because he doesn't agree with many of the things they preach, such as praying to saints instead of directly worshipping God.
After 9/11, a lot of things changed, as we all know, and that's when I started to learn more about my faith. I never felt like an outcast before in the United States because this is where I grew up, but after 9/11, I felt all these overwhelming forces surround me and assualt the religion I was born into. When I would speak out against ignorant comments, I would realize and think to myself, "I need to know what I'm defending." After my visit to Pakistan in 2002, things changed even more for me when I returned.
When I read about Sufism, the spiritual science and inner dimension of Islam, I felt a great wave of comfort because of how Passionate and Universal the writings were. Anyway, as I was becoming a more spiritual person, my non-Muslim friends started to notice the changes in me and I would occasionally distance myself from them because I felt I couldn't relate to them anymore. In time though, alhamdullilah, they caught up and matured. One friend in particular, the Christian friend of mine, shares the same sentiments I have about Unity. We NEVER argue with one another about whose faith is right or wrong, or debate over things like the concept of the Trinity or the Prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
It's nice when my non-Muslim friends ask me questions about Islam because that's what non-Muslims need to do in today's world. They need to reach out to the Muslim community, and vice versa. It is not our duty to convert people, all we can do is deliver the message and teach the True Image of Islam. I grew up among non-Muslims, until I went to college, where I actually made Muslim friends for the first time, believe it or not.
Anyway, I agree with you that Islam makes it easy for people to be tolerant of other spiritual pathways. Unfortunately, I know some Christians who are intolerant of other faiths... and I think a lot of that has to do with what's written in the New Testament (about Jesus being the only way to Heaven). But a broader-minded and spiritual Christian can look at the Loving and Compassionate nature of Jesus, peace be upon him, and think, "If Jesus is Loving and Forgiving, then who are we to say who is to enter Heaven or Hell?"
As Rumi says, "Love whether of this kind or that, will lead us to the King."
You have a nice space. Have you heard of a band called "Vas?" They are an alternative-world band with heavy Sufi influences. The lead singer, Azam Ali, sings in a made up language that symbolizes how the beautiful things in life, such as God and Love, can not be expressed in mere words, but through inward feelings. She recently released an album called "Niyaz" in which she sings ancient Farsi and Urdu poems
lol, my comment apparantly was too long... here is the rest of it:
he recently released an album called "Niyaz" in which she sings ancient Farsi and Urdu poems (including some of Rumi's poems). The album is self-described as "Folk Music for the 21st Century." Think ancient poetry merging with modern day beats and yet still capturing the essence of spirituality. Worth looking into.
Take care and thanks for reading. Salaam,
~ Jehanzeb
You can hear samples of the Niyaz album on calabashmusic.com, and buy the songs from there if you want to (i love that site!)
I think one problem is that there are actual lines in the New Testament instructing believers to go out and convert everyone to Christianity. To me, it's evident that the historical context of these instructions was one in which what was then a minor Jewish Messiahnic sect was trying to grow and win converts. And the writers simply couldn't have been aware of most of the world's other religious traditions.
So I think it's a shame when contemporary Christians use these verses to try and justify proselytization of people from traditions as fully developed as their own.
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