I live in Alabama where, apparently, a number of aspirants to political office are operating on the sad assumption that a majority of Alabama voters will reward them for being xenophobic, in general, and Islamophobic, in particular.
Last week, in a televised ad, one even followed his Islamophobic rhetoric with the claim that he “loves Jesus Christ.”
I’m not a politician, just a retired Baptist preacher. But I have read the four Gospels often enough to know that, in the face of such bullying of a religious minority by a religious majority, doing nothing is not an option.
To read the four Gospels is to know that, sometimes, the only way to stand up for the same people Jesus would stand up for is to stand up against the same powers Jesus would stand up against.
So, upon seeing those deeply troubling political ads, I did the sort of thing anyone who tries to follow Jesus would do if they could do. I got in my car and went to the nearest Islamic center to apologize, face to face, and to ask their forgiveness on behalf of those who belong to my faith who are saying dangerous and dreadful things about our Muslim neighbors and friends.
Their response was to say, in a voice of quiet kindness, “Thank you for your support. We know that, ultimately, love will win.”
So here is a serious question: Which voice most nearly resembles and echoes the spirit of Jesus: the xenophobic, Islamophobic “Christian” voice, or the kind and loving Muslim voice?
Chuck Poole, Birmingham, Ala.