by Carolyn Abell
In a recent opinion editorial published in “Politico,” Jim Wallis, author and self-described evangelical Christian, made a case for tolerance in construction of a mosque at Ground Zero in New York. Wallis, who says he is personal friends with Imam Faisal Rauf and his wife, vigorously defends their right to build a mosque at the site where 3000 people were killed nine years ago by Muslim jihadists. He implies that by opposing the construction of a mosque at what many Americans now regard as “sacred ground,” we are intolerant and not showing Christian love.
Like many people who have never read the Qur’an, Wallis calls true Islam a “religion of peace.” There may be some peace-loving members of that faith, but to declare it a religion of peace is a gross misstatement. Numerous passages in the Qur’an attest to the hateful and downright hostile nature of that document. Jews and Christians are referred to as “infidels,” “pagans,” “minions of the devil,” and “blasphemers.” Followers of Mohammed are forbidden to even be friends with them (Qur’an, Surah 4:89). In Surah 5:72-73, the language is very pointed, stating emphatically that “They do blaspheme who say: ‘God is Christ the son of Mary.’ They do blaspheme who say: ‘God is one of three in a trinity:’ for there is no God except one God Allah. If they do not desist from their word of blasphemy, verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.” Note the threat implied in those last few words. Many other passages of the Qur’an advocate similar invectives against anyone who is not Muslim.
In their book, “Unveiling Islam,” Ergun and Emir Caner, both of whom were raised in devout Islamic families, but who are now Christians, write about the jihadists who destroyed the World Trade Center towers and part of the Pentagon: “The terrorists were not some fringe group that changed the Qur’an to suit political ends. They understood the Qur’an quite well and followed the teachings of jihad to the letter.”
Like Wallis, I am an evangelical Christian, and I don’t want to be judged by the actions of a few who have distorted true Christian beliefs. But just suppose, for a moment, that some radical American cult, in a misguided “mission of Christianity,” had crashed an airplane into a mosque at Mecca, killing hundreds or perhaps thousands of worshipers during Ramadan. First of all, this would have set off world-wide riots and retaliatory violence against all Christians. If we had managed to live through that and if, years later, some Christian organization proposed to build a large Christian church and cultural center at the site as a so-called offering of reconciliation for what these murderers had done, do you think there is even a 1% chance of that happening? I can’t think of a single Christian denomination that would even be so insensitive as to suggest it.
Indeed, Christianity is a crime in most Muslim countries, where Shariah law is the law of the land. Christians are not only not allowed to build churches, but they are attacked, beaten, imprisoned, and killed every day by fundamentalist Muslims in Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sudan, and other such countries.
I strongly believe in the freedom that our country offers to members of all faiths. As a Christian, I try to implement the teachings of Christ. But although He taught us to love our enemies, He did not teach us to be doormats of political correctness. He taught us to use discernment and to not trust the motives of those who deny His Deity. “Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves,” admonished Jesus in Matt. 10:16.
The idea that because we are a nation of primarily loving Christians, we should accept this Islamic Mosque as a peaceful gesture toward a better relationship between Muslims and Christians is to assume that Americans are not only naïve, but downright stupid. A look at the history of Islam shows that they traditionally erect Islamic monuments to mark sites of conquest. An example is the Mosque al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock, which they constructed on the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Jews and Christians are not even allowed to go inside these structures. The proposed Cordoba House in Manhattan would be yet another monument to the triumph of Islam.
If they truly wanted to offer Americans a symbol of reconciliation, they should propose to sponsor a non-religious monument and perhaps a museum dedicated to the memory of those who were murdered on September 11, 2001. But a Mosque at the site is the ultimate insult to our nation, and I, for one, don’t believe it is intended to be anything else.
Copyright 2010 Carolyn Abell
Comments