En bra artikel om hur en bra relation och samvaro mellan kristna och muslimer i staden Dearborn i delstaten Michigan, förstörs genom att religiösa fanatiker från andra städer kommer och försöker “pranga” på sin syn på Jesus. Man är provokativ och nedlåtande, till den grad att även stadens borgmästare tröttnat och förbjudit dessa fanatiker från att sprida sina filmer och sitt material. Materialet är aggressivt och oförskämt, dialog går inte att föra ifall man har en sådan attityd.
De kristna säger saker som ni går till helvetet för ni bär slöja…Ändå finns det i bibeln uttalanden från Paulus:
But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraces his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is the same as if she were shaven. For if a woman is not covered, let her be shaven. But if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. A man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. But woman is the glory of man. For man was not created for woman, but woman for man. This is why the woman ought to have a sign of authority over her head, because of the angels. /First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 11. Read verses 3-10
På liknande sätt kan jag se hur folk som försöker göra “dawa”, mission för islam, där de försöker få folk att bli rädda och ska frukta.
Det är min plikt att sprida islam, men jag har aldrig riktigt gillat det. Även när vänner ville bli muslimer, så rådde jag dem att ta reda på mera eller ifall de vill så skulle jag kunna ta fram information från andra inriktningar än den jag följer. Islam är sanningen, shiaislam är den rätta vägen, men den passar kanske inte alla, den kanske bara passar mig och det kanske finns andra vägar att nå till Allah. Att leva hela sitt liv på att försöka omvända så många som möjligt och så kanske man själv valt den felaktiga vägen, den ruttna, då hjälper det inte att jag hjälpt dem omvändas till helvetet (ja jag talar med er wahabiter).
Hela texten på engelska finns längre ner:
Christian evangelists target Dearborn’s large Islamic population
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Standing amid a
crowd of Muslims at June’s 2009 Arab International Festival in
Dearborn, the Rev. George Saieg declared: “I’ve been commanded as a
Christian to reach out to these people.”
The
California man is part of an ongoing effort by at least eight Christian
groups across the United States to spread the gospel in Dearborn — a
city known for its sizeable Islamic population. The groups have visited
Arab festivals, schools and mosques to talk about Christ. They’ve
handed out thousands of pamphlets, books and DVDs. Others have held
debates.
But
the push has caused tensions at times, resulting in lawsuits,
accusations of assault and a fierce debate about how Islam can coexist
with Christianity in the West. Some of the activity, local residents
said, has provoked and insulted instead of engaging people in a civil
debate about religion.
“They know nothing about Dearborn,” Mayor John O
Reilly Jr. said of one
Christian group that drew criticism for its actions at the festival.
“We have such a wonderful interfaith community.… Dearborn is a
community of faith, but it’s a community of every faith.”
Pushing of Christianity causing tensions
The Christian missionaries came to Dearborn this summer from across the
United States to win over souls for Jesus.
The
evangelists handed out literature, held religious debates and met with
residents in a city they sought out because of its large numbers of
Muslims. It’s part of an increasing effort by some Christians, mostly
evangelicals, to convert the Muslims of metro Detroit — in schools, at
festivals and on street corners.
To
Eric Haven, executive pastor at Woodside Bible Church in Troy, the
growth of Islam in the United States gives churches a chance to convert
closer to home.
“For
years, Christians have sent missionaries around the world to proclaim
the gospel of Christ,” Haven said. “In this day and age, the world is
coming to America. … So, it’s a great opportunity.
”
The
efforts have stepped up in recent years as more Christians have become
aware of the Islamic presence in Dearborn, where about one-third of the
city’s 98,000 residents are of Arab descent, many of them Muslim and
some Christian.
Some
say the conversion activity has gotten more confrontational: They point
to a controversial video produced by a Christian group about a
religious dispute=2
0in Dearborn this summer that has already drawn almost
1.4 million views, making it one of the most watched videos on Islam.
There
is money behind the push. One group spent at least $67,000 on
materials, airfare and lodging for Christian activists to visit
Dearborn this summer.
Angry vs. friendly evangelism
The manner in which the
evangelists operate in Dearborn varies. Some are aggressive, telling
Muslim women they are going to hell for wearing Islamic headscarves.
Others are more friendly, with some making appointments with
Arab-American leaders and city officials to declare their intentions.
The
efforts have some residents worried that adults are manipulating their
children. A wrestling coach at Dearborn’s Fordson High School was let
go in May 2008 after complaints from parents that he allowed an
assistant to convert Muslim students. One student was baptized at a
camp the assistant helped supervise in 2005.
Other
parents complained to Dearborn school officials when a Christian
entertainment group was allowed to perform in schools in March; the
group did not openly talk about Christianity during its school
performances, but did tell students about evening shows at a local
church.
Accusations of harassment
Some residents said the efforts in recent months have crossed over into
harassment and bigotry.
During
the annual Arab International Festival in Dearborn in June, for
instance, some Christian evangelists were accused of openly insulting
Islam’s pr
ophet. And others yelled at passersby “that they were going
to hell because they were Muslim,” according to a Dearborn police
report.
The
provocative language and in-your-face approach have troubled both local
Muslims and Christians, who said that metro Detroit’s Muslim population
is being unfairly stereotyped and slandered by outsiders who have
little knowledge of Islam’s long history in Michigan.
“They
accuse Dearborn of being intolerant; they’re the ones being
intolerant,” said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab
American News.
Free-speech argument
The evangelists said they’re
the ones who are being harassed, claiming that some were unfairly
kicked out of the festival for expressing Christian views.
“We’re
not against these people,” said Pat Rojas, a Christian from Evangelical
Free Church in California who attended the June festival. “We’re only
there to help. They have a choice: They can accept Jesus or they can
reject Jesus.”
Rojas
and other Christian evangelists were ejected by security from the
festival after accusations that they were harassing and insulting
Muslims, police reports said. The evangelists deny they were fomenting
trouble.
The Rev.
Haytham Abi Haydar, a Christian evangelical convert from Islam with
Arabic Alliance Church in Dearborn, said that a Christian group called
Acts 17 Apologetics caused the problems at this year’s Arab festival.
“They
put cameras in their faces and were very antagonistic,” Abi Haydar said
of the group
that produced the controversial video that has drawn
almost 1.4 million views on YouTube.
The
efforts of Christian groups are often coordinated. Pastor George Saieg
of Arabic Christian Perspective, an evangelical group in California,
handed out literature at the festival for the past five years. He asked
other Christian groups, including Acts 17, to visit metro Detroit this
summer.
For six
months, Saieg and his group invested time and money preparing for the
Arab festival, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the group
contending they were banned from distributing Christian literature on
the sidewalks.
‘Tidal wave of Islam’
The week of the festival,
Christian evangelist Josh McDowell proclaimed at Woodside Bible Church
in Troy that “the tidal wave of Islam is coming fast and furious, and
now is the time to become involved,” according to an article in the
church newsletter.
The response of Muslims to the missionary efforts varies, Christians
said. Many have an open ear.
That
includes Ahmad Hammoud, a security guard at the Arab festival. He said
he has no problems with an open dialogue about religion, pointing out
that Muslims revere Jesus and consider him a prophet.
But,
“why do you have to stand there and put down our religion?” Hammoud
said, referring to one preacher at the festival. Why not instead “stand
on the corner and say, Jesus is a peaceful person. We know he’s a
peaceful man.”
Contact Niraj Warikoo: 313-223-4792 or warikoo@f
reepress.com
Additional Facts
Followers of Jesus are on a mission
Christian
groups, mostly evangelical, are flocking to Dearborn in an effort to
convert its Muslim population. Here’s a look at some of the more active
groups:
Arabic Christian Perspective:
Based in Anaheim, Calif., and started in 2001, the group does outreach
at mosques and Arab festivals. Also known as Ministry to Muslims, it’s
headed by George Saieg, a pastor. It filed a free-speech lawsuit
against the City of Dearborn in June, alleging the city trampled on its
right to hand out literature on sidewalks at the Arab International
Festival that month.
Acts 17 Apologetics: Features ministry work of David Wood, an
evangelical from New York,
and Nabeel Qureshi, a convert from Islam who lives in Virginia. Visited
metro Detroit at the request of Saieg. Produced a controversial video
on a dispute at the Arab festival in Dearborn.
Confident Christianity:
Based in Houston and headed by Mary Jo Sharp, who helped film the
controversial video of the Arab festival. Works with Saieg and Arabic
Christian Perspective on debating Muslims.
Josh McDowell Ministries:
A native of Michigan, McDowell is a popular Christian evangelist who
warned of the “tidal wave of Islam” during a June visit to Michigan.
Attended the Arab festival, where he and his assistants handed an
Arabic novel to passersby that promoted Christianity.
Arabic Alliance Church:
Based in Dearborn, established in 2002. Has run a booth=2
0for several
years at Arab festival. Headed by the Rev. Haytham Abi Haydar, who
criticizes groups such as Acts 17 Apologetics for tactics he says are
too confrontational.
Sources: Free Press research