Yesterday evening I watched a programme on BBC3 called My Brother the Islamist, about a young man who made a film about his step brother who a short time before had embraced an extreme form of Islam. I must admit that I watched it primarily because it had been produced by a good Christian friend of ours living in the south west. He is an investigative journalist who set up his own film company called Grace Productions. (Hence the title of this post)
It turned out to be a very interesting hour of viewing that brought many thoughts to mind. If you're interested in seeing the programme you can catch up with it on BBC iplayer (click on BBC3 and My brother the Islamist) I don't want to go into the deep theological issues but some things I found a certain familiarity with. A friend on Facebook afterwards commented that she knew a number of Christians like that and I had to agree with her. Sometimes we don't always see just how we appear to other people by the things we say and do and see the speck of dirt in the other person's eye while unable to see the plank in our own.
The Christian brother got very upset when his Islamist brother explained that with other people of his faith he would greet and shake their right hand but those not following Islam he would shake their left hand, the explanation being to distinguish between the spiritual brother and the 'unclean'. So his (own flesh and blood) brother, he would shake by the left hand. He insisted that it was nothing personal and that he wasn't saying he was dirty but that was the way it was with his faith. Maybe as Christians, on the surface we don't make such a distinction but I think that often there is a sense of spiritual superiority and a security of going to Heaven while others who don't follow our teachings are bound to burn in Hell's fire.
The scriptures that came to mind were how God miraculously saved the life of Ishmael (when he was dying or thirst after having been thrown out of Abraham's household along with his mother Hagar) as well as saving Isaac (when Abraham was asked to sacrifice him) He saved Ishmael not condemned him to die in the desert.The other verse is the well known and often quoted John 3:16 - 'For God so loved the world.' I think we shouldn't forget the wording is 'the world'.
Watching the Islamists on the streets, putting stickers everywhere and giving out leaflets and urging people to convert to their way of thinking and living, I couldn't help thinking of many Christian groups doing exactly the same (myself included) I guess to those with no religious affiliation, there is no difference between us - all declaring that they have the truth and that everyone should convert to their group.
So in the end people ask 'Who is right?' The answer all would readily give is, 'I am, of course'.
Remember in Genesis, God speaking to Moses called Himself 'I am'. I'll leave you to ponder!
1 comment:
I had posted a long response but my PC lost my words.
In short, Islam does itself no favours by being highly intolerant of others and not integrating into our society.
Also, and this is extremely controversial (but accurate), not all Muslims are terrorists but right now all terrorists are Muslim. Until this is changed, it will continue to divide people.
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