During "vacation" I was suffering from cabin fever. It was around 100 degrees every day and there were few outside options with a six week old baby. We decided to go out to eat at a Chicago Pizza place about a half hour from home. I anticipated the delicious pizza waiting for me on the drive. We arrived to an empty store and a sign "A/C Out: Closed."
So we went with another option nearby, a Memphis Italian restaurant which I love. I walked into the dining room and it felt warm. "It is 93 in here," the greeter stated. Relatively pleasant compared to outside, but I sensed that would not be cool enough for dinner...
We ended up at the Mall. A large facility where I could push baby boy around and enjoy the experience of moving. The kids did some before school shopping. We had a good time. In fact, it was so good that we closed down the place. The door we came in was locked so we had to exit from the side of the Mall. The walk back to the car was the long way around through the parking lot.
As we walked we saw a couple moving around next to a car. I assumed, based on the bending over, that he was fixing a flat tire. As we drew closer I saw her head scarf. I saw that he was kneeling. I realized it was Muslims at prayer.
It was a minor shock. I know we have Muslims in Shelby County. (We have Pentecostals, too, but I did not expect a tent revival either.) Watching them pray made me think. They are committed in ways few Christians are. The typical church sees 35% to 40% of its members on an average Sunday. Even on Easter large numbers of professing Christians cannot seem to climb out of bed in the morning to worship. Yet, Muslims are praying in parking lots at 9PM. I am inspired by this.
I also wonder. In some Muslim countries I hear it is illegal to have a Bible or wear a cross. In our culture the Muslim can pray in a public place, a parking lot. What if a Christian were to do this in Saudi Arabia? There is a part of me which is offended by that. Seems like one should give the same respect that one demands.
Our eyes met briefly, as we passed the car and the praying couple. I smiled and nodded. She looked uncomfortable. I wondered if they were ill at ease. Did they fear what we would say or do? I also wondered if the statistics were reversed, if Memphis were 90% Muslim instead of Christian, would this couple allow me the same freedom and offer the same respect for my faith?
These are not hypothetical questions. They are real. And if Christians do not begin to be more serious about prayer, discipleship and evangelism, some day Muslims will be a majority. Then we will find out. I would never want anyone to prevent a Muslim from praying. But I also know that the world is not pleasant. I blogged on violence earlier this week. The practices in majority Islamic nations is frequently hostile to Christians. Christians are fleeing many Middle Eastern countries right now. The "Arab" street is not totally tolerant. There is a threat of violence when cultures clash. Was our parking lot experience a passing cloud of shade (tolerance and faith) or the first signs of an approaching storm?
Hi! I was browsing through the internet when I came across your blog post. I see that it has been over 7 years since you wrote this, but I still wanted to comment. The reason the woman praying probably looked uncomfortable is because an aspect of prayer is cutting off contact with the outside world and focusing on our connection to God during the moment --- which means to refrain from speaking or any other gestures unrelated to prayer.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, you are right that certain countries like Saudi Arabia which profess to represent Islam are hostile to other faiths, Christianity included. However, Islam is a universal idea which does not belong to a set of individuals or certain countries. As it was originally taught by the Prophet Muhammad, Islam is a religion of religious and social plurality and tolerance. There's a Turkish word which expresses the Islamic perspective on tolerance called "hoşgörü" which goes beyond mere acceptance to mean treating with understanding and empathy.
The Prophet's teachings and the covenants he established with Christian communities at the time show their love and respect for one another. For example, Muslims were required to repair churches within their communities that fell into disrepair. There are many, many other examples.
You and other members of your faith are absolutely right in expecting the same respect that you showed to the people praying in that parking lot. I hope we can one day all learn to respect each other regardless of our differences as we were taught.
To answer your question in the last sentence, I firmly believe that your encounter in the parking lot was a "passing cloud of shade." Whether or not we are of the same faith, we share a belief in the same God. As I'm sure you are aware, even if we did not share this, we still have in common the overarching link of humanity!