A Palm Sunday Parable For Christians: The Good Muslim

Excerpt:

“A man was traveling from Washington DC to Manassas in the predawn hours Friday morning. At a stoplight, a gang broke his window and dragged him from his car. They stripped him naked, beat him to a pulp, took his wallet, his laptop, his iPhone and his car, leaving him on the sidewalk half dead.

A Catholic priest drove by minutes later and stopped at the light. He saw the man bleeding on the concrete and trying unsuccessfully to stand, but it was a seedy part of town, so he continued on his way.

Then a Protestant minister drove up and stopped at the light, but he too sped off as soon as the light turned green. But a Muslim, driving that same road, stopped at the light and saw the man. His heart was moved with pity, so he covered the man’s nakedness with a raincoat, helped him get in the car, and drove him to the nearest clinic.

When they arrived, the man had passed out, perhaps from loss of blood. The clinic did not want to take this unconscious naked man with no ID or proof of insurance, but the Muslim insisted, giving them his credit card and promising he would pay whatever it cost.”

When he finishes telling this parable, Jesus asks the Christian* ministers, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who was beaten and robbed?”

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES 

Jews, Christians, Muslims meet to promote neighborliness

More than 200 people from the Presbytery and other Christian denominations, the Multi-faith Peace and Justice Alliance, several Muslim mosques, and Jewish temples from the area participated.

Rev. Dr. Thomas T. Peters, First Presbyterian Church of Stirling, Imam Adel Barhoma of the Islamic Center of Morris County in Rockaway, and Rabbi Benjamin Adler of White Meadow Temple offered opening prayers.

There were presentations on “What is Neighborliness and Being a Good Neighbor” by Imam Mohammad Qatanani, Islamic Center of Passaic County, Guillermo Lopez-Acosta, commissioned lay pastor atRidgefield Park Presbyterian Church and WhartonUnited Community Church, and Rabbi Adler.

The crowd attended the dinner in the Fellowship Hall, broke bread together and chatted. The menu included 15 types of soup, bread, salad and main dishes to accommodate all three faiths.

The purpose of the dinner was to give participants the opportunity to network and develop relationships showing that their faiths encouraged loving one another.

FULL ARTICLE FROM NORTHJERSEY.COM

Survey: Number of U.S. Muslims Grow by 30% Since 2000

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Radicalism among Muslim youth is not a problem, America’s Muslim leaders told researchers – sounding a lot like their Christian counterparts – keeping the youth involved in the faith is their problem.

The information comes from “The American Mosque 2011,” a two-year survey of Muslims in the U.S. released today (Feb. 20, 2012) byHartford Seminary, Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and other groups.

The vast majority of mosque leaders, 87 percent, disagreed with a statement that radicalism is increasing among Muslim youth.

The study also shows that Islam in the U.S. is bucking trends of decreasing religious participation in general however. The faith has seen a 30 percent growth in members since 2000, from an estimated 2 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2011, which would be about the same as the number of Buddhists and about half the estimated number of Jews in the U.S.

FULL ARTICLE FROM AL.COM

Islamists secure lead in Egypt’s parliamentary elections

By Leila Fadel, Saturday, January 7, 6:27 PM

CAIRO — Islamist parties, as expected, secured Saturday a majority of seats in the lower house of Egypt’s first post-revolution parliament, setting the stage for intensive political dealmaking before the legislature meets at the end of the month.

According to party projections, Islamists won about 62 percent of the popular vote in the final round of the multi­phased elections, although the final result will not be known until after runoffs for individual seats are held this week.

The Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, is now clearly the most powerful political force in the first elected body since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in February, with no one party winning an outright majority.

Freedom and Justice said in a statement on its Web site that it appears to have won 41 percent of the seats in the lower house, followed by 21 percent for the ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party. Whatever alliance the relatively moderate Islamist party cobbles together is likely to control both the legislature’s agenda and the makeup of a body that will write the country’s constitution, analysts say.

The lower house, known as the People’s Assembly, is the most important body in Egypt’s bicameral system. It includes 498 seats chosen by voters and an additional 10 to be chosen by the country’s interim military rulers in their capacity as Egypt’s de facto presidential authority.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST 

Despite Ramadan Fast Muslim NFLer Trains for the Season

By Chris Welch, CNN

Eden Prairie, Minnesota (CNN) - Watching Minnesota Vikings starting safety Husain Abdullah on the sun-drenched field during practice on a recent afternoon, you’d never guess he hasn’t had any food or drink since sunrise.

Abdullah is an observant Muslim, which during Ramadan – the Islamic holy month that ends Monday night – means no eating or drinking from sunup to sundown, not even water.

“My religion is very important to me,” Abdullah said after practice. “I mean, it’s the basis of my life.”

He credits his parents with instilling the Muslim values he holds dear today.

“The month of Ramadan is something that we wait for every year,” Abdullah said. “When it comes, we actually celebrate it.

“People think because we’re fasting that we should dread it, but we actually celebrate the month because it’s the month in which the Quran was revealed,” he said. “Everybody gets excited.”

FULL ARTICLE AND VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN 

Muslim Shares Interfaith Message from Pulpit

BRANDYWINE HUNDRED, Del. — Not many Muslims get invited to be fill-in preachers at Christian congregations, but that’s what happened to Semab Chaudhry at Silverside Church.

Last month the pharmaceutical audit manager stepped into the pulpit for a Sunday talk explaining the reverence that Islam gives to figures such as Mary, Jesus, Abraham and Moses.

“It’s remarkable how much commonality there is among our faiths,” says June Eisley, a member of the Brandywine Hundred congregation. “I wish all Christians could learn this.”

As Chaudhry, his wife, Rabia, and their three children begin their observance of Ramadan they are full of hope for renewal and drawing closer to God, as this is the holiest time on their religious calendar.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE REPUBLIC 

A Coptic Evangelical’s Reason for Backing the Muslim Brotherhood

CAIRO // Rafik Habib likes to finish his days at a Costa Coffee shop near his home in Rehab City on the outskirts of Cairo. He drinks an espresso, reads the newspapers … and defends the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Islamist organisation needs little help from one man: surveys show it has support from at least 15 per cent of Egyptians. But Dr Habib is an exception. He is a Coptic Christian intellectual who crossed sectarian lines to join the Brotherhood’s newly established Freedom and Justice Party as third-in-command.

“A large segment of Muslims think it was a good step, except some Salafis,” he says in his sparse office dotted with 1970s furniture.

“But the Christian community in general has refused my choice, and especially my decision to join as a founder.”

Some of his detractors have said his position in the group is merely cosmetic, but Christians have been more vitriolic, calling it an act of treason.

For Dr Habib, 52, it was one of the most difficult political decisions of his life.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE NATIONAL

Evangelical Christian Speaks of His Good Relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood

The well-known Christian intellectual, Dr Rafiq Habib, has long-standing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood which are more than the result of having been chosen as Vice-Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party affiliated to the organisation. Moreover, the choice of Dr Habib for this party position comes as no surprise to observers, as he has long been a distinguished researcher on the trends of political Islam.

Contrary to popular belief, Dr Habib is not a member of the Orthodox Church; he belongs to the Protestant evangelical sect of Christianity.

Nevertheless, his acceptance of the position as Vice-Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s party has, according to him, brought forth condemnation and disapproval from the majority of Christian communities in Egypt. In his conversation with “Egypt Today”, Dr Habib indicates that the philosophy behind his decision to accept the position is an attempt to reassure Christians about moderate political Islam as represented by the Muslim Brotherhood. He also pointed out that Christians fears about the organisation are unfounded; in the coming days, he said, the basis of the fears will be shown to be false.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST MONITOR 

UK Women Declare Jihad on Violence

CAIRO – In an effort to clear misconceptions about the term of jihad, a group of British Muslim women have initiated a new campaign to fight against all types of violence, terrorism and domestic abuse.

“People think ‘jihad against violence’ is a contradictory statement but our jihad is for peace,” Sara Khan, the director of Inspire campaign, told The Guardian on Monday, June 6.

Themed “Jihad against Violence”, the campaign, launched on Sunday, aims to fight all forms of violence.

It focuses on combating crimes, including terrorism, domestic abuse and female genital mutilation that some perpetrators attempt to justify in the name of Islam.

FULL ARTICLE FROM ONISLAM

Getting it Right About Islam and Muslim Americans

By   John L. Esposito and Sheila B. Lalwani WASHINGTON DC: Muslim Americans deserve a break. There are as many as six to eight million Muslims living in the United States and contributing to the country as doctors, engineers, artists, actors and professionals, but for a decade many have found themselves and their religion wrongly equated with the acts of terrorists like Osama bin Laden. Many have been the victims of fear, suspicion and prejudice, Muslim-bashing, unlawful surveillance, illegal search, arrest and imprisonment. Efforts to build Islamic centers and mosques in New York, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Tennessee have been equated with building monuments to terrorism. Prominent American public figures and politicians — including Bill O’Reilly, Sarah Palin, Congressman Peter King and Newt Gingrich — openly spoke against Muslims and encouraged unfounded social suspicion of them. The net result is an increase in anti-Islam and anti-Muslim bashing, witnessed in the hysteria that has led to a movement across some 20 states in America to ban sharia (Islamic principles of jurisprudence). Today’s historic changes, the death of Osama bin Laden and the Arab Spring, offer an opportunity to redress anti-Islam and anti-Muslim bias (Islamophobia) and to reaffirm that Muslim Americans, like other mainstream Americans, desire a secure and democratic America. Despite the fact that Muslim Americans for years have had to explain that neither they — nor their religion — sanction terrorism. FULL ARTICLE FROM THEDAILYNEWSEGYPT.COM