Replies

I really try to give people the benefit of the doubt, especially when I used to consider a few muslims my friends over 20 years ago. In my youth down in Texas I knew a handful of muslim men through the soccer association in Fort Worth. Our women's team had some connections with a few of men on another team (married, boyfriends, but not with the muslims), so we hung out with them socially and watched and pulled for them with their games, and they watched ours and pulled for us too. They were all from Libya save a few, they joked about Quaddafi, and they were very normal by my standards. Didn't seem to take their religion all that seriously, except the one from Saudi Arabia. I didn't like him at all--he just kinda stared at me with a real sour look on his face. The others were really nice and one was a real friend and I grieved when he died. (He moved to South Dakota to go to college and hit a cow in the road with his car, I just couldn't believe it) He truly cared about me, never tried anything untoward, and even tried to teach me how to kick the ball right. (The kick is the trick in this game you know, LOL) I also lived next door in my apartment to a guy on the nen's team named Radwan, and he invited me over a few times to eat with him and his friends, and once during their Ramadan thingy. They were all extremely polite to me. They spread newspaper all over the floor, put the big community soup bowl in the middle and we all sat down to eat. They didn't pray over the food if I remember right. But they laughed histerically when I dipped my pita like bread into the soup and started to whine. It was so hot I almost cried. But Radwan yelled at the guy closest to the kitchen to run and get me some tea out of the refrigerator, which he did.

My point is I guess its hard for me to think they are all like these animals that are doing things like what happened to that poor girl. I just pray that I don't get sucked into a false hate, because sometimes I think thats whats happening to me. I don't want to make blanket generalizations about all in the group, I have to watch that, it is really easy to do, and the devil is laughing at us Christians who are doing this, for it isn't God's will.

Did you know that they really do think that Mary really was a virgin when Jesus was born? I am more than stunned by this. The muslim man in my office told me this. I asked him well now, how did that happen? He said that God blew on Mary (they call her Miriam)and she conceived. I am sitting there absolutely speechless, I couldn't hardly compose myself. But no, absolutely not, NO WAY is Jesus the begotten son of God. I asked him well who IS Jesus father then? He said that Jesus had NO father. You see, I think they may be more easily converted than you think. I also think that the ones who hold them captive, yes captive in this religion know that too. Thats why they have the death penalty for the "apostate" I really in my heart of hearts believe that can be won over, if they have the freedom to do it without fearing for their lives and that of their families.

One really horrible regret I have is the friend who died. On one day, when we were talking about our different beliefs (I am Catholic) he said in his broken English (and tearing up) that some girl had told him that "if you don't accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will go to the hell". Knowing that our Church doesn't have this doctrine anymore (something about a "special relationship with the church" or some such)I just comforted him and told him it wasn't true. While I like to believe my friend Rajab is in heaven, I have a hard time forgiving myself for not taking the opportunity to at least try to lead him to Christ. Not through fear, but love. Why oh why oh why didn't I do that? Because I was young? Stupid? Both? I just don't know. But we all need to calm down and think, what should we do? Hate them? Love them? Its getting hard and times have changed, thats for sure. But I encourage everyone here to stay grounded in your faith. We can't lose that or we end up with nothing