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MOSAIC: Understanding Islam
The Summer 2003 edition of the ELCA video magazine MOSAIC provides an opportunity for congregational study groups to learn about Muslim practices and the prophet Muhammad, as well as to visit the Muslim community in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which has the country’s oldest mosque.
A study guide included with the DVD encourages participants to identify
stereotypes and examine the relationship between Christianity and Islam.
Order a copy at www.elca.org/mosaic.
Hate crimes against Muslims are up. Hundreds of Muslims languish in detention centers without the benefit of lawyers. In May televangelist Pat Robertson wondered aloud whether American Muslims ought to be appointed to Cabinet posts and federal judgeships.
It’s all a reminder that, almost four years into the “war on terror,” we have allowed it to overcome our sense of fairness. Some Christians continue to see their Muslim neighbors as walking time bombs. Many think Muslims are somehow behind Sept. 11. Most construe jihad as a war against our faith.
None of it is true, says Abbas al-Halabi, former supreme court judge in Lebanon and president of the Arab Group for Christian-Muslim Dialogue. The organization toured the U.S. in April, speaking to Christian and Muslim groups including Salaam Arabic Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The rest of this article is only available to subscribers.
© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
