A Christian, a Mormon, and a Muslim sit down together at a coffee shop…
Sorry to disappoint but it is not a joke- no punchline coming. It’s my reality every time I go out with two of my closest friends. When we look at one another we don’t see the labels we chose to associate with ourselves, nor do we see the stereotypes put upon each of us by the society we live in. True, my headscarf presents a bit more of a visual statement of faith, but scarf or no, both ladies know me for who I am, differences in my belief of the unseen and all. As we sit and chat, or watch our kids find inventive ways to use playground equipment, we are bonded together by a glue made up not only of shared experiences that overlook spirituality, but also a shared love of God, despite our differences in how we define our relationship with Him. We each hold to the same strict laws of moral conduct, kindness, love, and compassion taught in each of our religions and that is part of what I think draws us to each other.
Earlier this week I was working on my next blog entry and had it almost done… but inspiration comes as it wills and there were a couple of thoughts that, well, inspired me. As I said in one of my early blogs, my journey to Islam took me from an atheist upbringing and through Christianity to eventually find myself happily nested in Islam. I don’t claim to be an expert in either or any religion, but I can tell you that we all have a lot more in common than we think. I mean, you know, besides the whole eating-drinking-sleeping-breathing-relieving thing.
As you may know, I work at a chapel. We are blessed to have a team of Mormon missionaries and a very kind Elder who volunteer their precious time to come minister to the needs of our Airmen. Even when most of our members are deployed and only a couple are able to attend, they are there, with warm smiles and engaging conversation. Attending their scripture study is something I look forward to each month as it is a chance for me to fellowship with wonderful people and discuss a topic we all feel very passionately about. Not only is my knowledge and perspective enriched while learning about another’s faith, I also feel completely at ease and comfortable conversing with them and the other attendees, often interjecting my own experiences and beliefs. I treasure opportunities like that, as they are quite rare. To be honest, and at the risk of offending someone, I must say, disappointingly rare. Yet still, it has taught me something priceless.
As I sit with my Mormon brothers and sisters and discuss topics like salvation, mercy, forgiveness, God’s will for us, our purpose in this world, and so on, I begin to notice a trend. The differences in our beliefs are far, far out-weighted by what we have in common. Both faiths stem from a blessed line of prophets stretching all the way back to Prophet Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him. But the similarities are not only between Islam and Mormonism.
Recently, I had lunch with a very lovely sociologist whom I had the pleasure of meeting through a mutual friend. We spoke optimistically about many things, not the least of which was our experiences with religion. She, for example, had recently gone to the mall with our friend while dressed in full Islamic attire, including a face cover called ‘niqab.’ She shared the experience with me and I shared how I came to Islam. While our mutual friend was discussing some of the finer details of the Muslim faith, she said something that struck me. She excitedly chimed in to say that she must be a “Catholic Muslim.” No, she did not mean she was converting belief systems, nor was it a proclamation that she felt Islam was better that Catholicism. Rather, her exclamation that we can label ourselves many different ways depending on how we identify with the label. Finding so much in common with her own belief, her comment was meant to strengthen the bond we hold with each other as sisters through acknowledgement of like understandings. As I can say there are parts of me that identify with aspects of Christianity, Buddhism, and perhaps many, many other religions, I believe she was saying that a part of her identifies with the beliefs shared in common between Islam and Catholicism.
I share these experiences with you to illustrate how easy it can be to find common ground in a world that is torn between celebrating our differences and hating each other because of said differences. What ever happened to simply acknowledging our differences but looking instead at how much we truly have in common? I am a Muslim. I share with my Christian and Jewish brethren belief in the One True God. I share in common with the Buddhist, belief in the path to self-improvement, with Hindus, the belief in a long, rich history of interaction between Allah and man. I share with the atheist a strong sense of virtue and the honor and integrity of mankind, whether we agree there is a God out there somewhere or not. I share with every single person in the world the desire to be happy, healthy, and safe- to be at peace.
When I first came to Islam I was expecting a pretty negative backlash from family and friends. Truthfully, I did experience it from a few isolated individuals; however, I was overwhelmingly blessed to have my expectations wildly unmet. I was instead approached with questions, curiosity, and warnings to be careful of “Islamophobes” in a manner that was loving and supportive, even if the individual did not entirely understand my choice. People wanted to know how I came to the decision I did, what I thought about certain things (largely misconceptions), and how I feel about the changes I have made. What I have experienced the most though, is sisterhood. I have grown closer to people I have known for years, learned to be patient and understanding with those who have pulled away, and have discovered sisters from all over the world I never knew I had.
“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the best in conduct. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.”
Qur’an 49:13
Until next time…السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and his blessings!
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