Source/Credit: Open Salon | Blog
By McAuthor | September 4, 2010
Decatur, Georgia hosted a Book Fair today. Humidity was absent, leaving us to face late summer without it. And we were grateful. Thousands packed the area around the court house, browsing, buying, networking, gossiping.
Amongst the book sellers, book publishers, bookmarketers and book promoters was one tall, elegant Sudanese. He identified himself as King (as in title not name) Deng. His book, The Original Lost Boy of Sudan records his boyhood wracked by violence, war, murder and disease. He was shot and badly wounded. He was hidden under a pile of dead bodies for his own safely. He walked 1,000 miles to safety and was eventually flown out with the other lost boys, he said, on the orders of GW Bush, to be resettled here in the USA. His Royal Highness is grateful.
Beyond the King is a row of stalls. One spots a banner, "Muslims for Peace". They are from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. I chat to the young man behind the counter. He gives me reading material and accepts my thanks and affirmation for being there. The pamphlet states that they have love for all, hatred for none, they are anti terrorism and quote "Whosoever killed a person...It shall be as if he had killed all mankind." The Holy Quran (5:33). They say that it is shameful to kill a stranger as he goes about his life, making his wife a widow and his children orphans. Their clear message is peace.
I seek out my Muslim benefactor, having read his material. He is absent, an older man addresses me. It is often contended that middle class, white Americans are hateful, racist and Islamophobic. I observe that those visiting the stall greet them warmly, gladly take their brochures, many shake hands. Thinking I might just have happed upon the "nice to Muslims" tribe I ask how he is being received, in predominantly white, predominantly middle class, usually conservative Decatur. He tells me that 95% of the comments are affirming, 95% say they are grateful he is there and wish him well. He tells me that he is ashamed to say that the 5% who are not are quite hateful and angry. I am shocked. Then he says that 5% are Muslims, angry that he is preaching peace.
My only point in this is to report the welcoming and positive reception this unashamedly Muslim group received in Decatur today from non Muslims.
Read original post here: Muslims for peace
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.