www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Another Victory For Islam

The once overwhelmingly Catholic (Latin and Eastern) city of Hamtramck, has voted to allow mosques to use loudspeakers to call moslems to prayer 5 times a day. In former days Hamtramck had a population made up predominantly of Poles and other Slavs. In recent years a large parochial school has had to close, while 3 mosques have opened in the town which is now a third moslem.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/21/muslim.loudspeaker.ap/

gtJC! well then, may our church bells never stop ringing - such as St.Paul teaches us Christians to pray UNCEASINGLY. toodles & God bless, sUSAn

So EVANGELIZE THE MUSLIMS IN HAMTRAMCK! For starters, try printing and using a bumper sticker (or the car) which reads - in Arabic, of course - THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH; JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF ALLAH. Freedom of religion allows the Muslims to proclaim their call to prayer (for which they probably use a recording, but never mind); freedom of religion equally allows the Christians to proclaim our Faith.
Incognitus

I agree with Incognitus. We should look at the presence of Muslims among us as an opportunity to evangelize and win them to Christ.

I, for one, would be most interested in reading the reactions of the Muslims towards any attempt to proselitize among them by the majority Catholic Polish citizenry. Does anyone know the extent of Muslim penetration into Poland? How many Muslims are known to be in this particular town? It is also important to know just where the majority of Muslims are immigrating from.

JoeS

Dear Friends,

In Crimea, the Muslims there go ballistic when Orthodox priests put up large roadside crosses - and they have them torn down.

Evangelizing the Muslims can be very difficult and what is perceived as an insult to their prophet is punishable by death etc.

What Incognitus is suggesting may NOT be the best way to go about it - as they would consider that to be in the above category.

It is best to leave the Koran's formulas alone - in the days of the Ottoman empire, if one recited the opening verses e.g. "There is no god but . . ." even in jest, the Christian saying this was considered to have converted to Islam.

When the Christian denied this, he or she was brought to an Islamic court where he or she was convicted of rejected Islam - and sentenced to death.

But the point mentioned earlier is worth noting.

We Christians should be praying SEVEN times daily and we've let secularism so privatize our religious practice that practical Christianity has been squeezed out of modern life - and it's our fault for letting that happen.

To join a religion, any religion, often implies a commitment to the rhythm of a way of life.

People often choose a faith because it gives them the security of a pattern of life etc.

Where is that pattern among Christians? It is there among monastics and priests. But what about laity?

I've helped organize Muslim events at our legislature and I've had to, for example, order private rooms for Muslims when they needed a place to pray when they were there.

Once, a Muslim visitor came to my office where he found me saying some Readers' Services before my little icon corner.

Instead of disturbing me, he stopped and removed his shoes and waited reverently for me to finish (I didn't know he was there at the time).

He didn't feign surprise that I would be so engaged in prayer before a shrine.

Instead, he came up to it, and bowed before it several times.

He gave me a prayer rug to use for prostrations and said, "This will keep your hands clean when you do them."

And then we talked for a couple of hours about how people engaged in secular affairs should be able to take the time to pray.

After the day's events were done, Christians and Muslims hugged one another before departing.

That, for me, is an important aspect of evangelization!

Alex

Alex wrote:
and it's our fault for letting that happen.

I say AMEN to that, and I am the most responcible, I don't spend enough time in prayer in the reading of Scriptures.

//Once, a Muslim visitor came to my office where he found me saying some Readers' Services before my little icon corner.

Instead of disturbing me, he stopped and removed his shoes and waited reverently for me to finish (I didn't know he was there at the time).

He didn't feign surprise that I would be so engaged in prayer before a shrine.

Instead, he came up to it, and bowed before it several times.

He gave me a prayer rug to use for prostrations and said, "This will keep your hands clean when you do them."

And then we talked for a couple of hours about how people engaged in secular affairs should be able to take the time to pray.

After the day's events were done, Christians and Muslims hugged one another before departing.

That, for me, is an important aspect of evangelization!

Alex //


Oh, if it could all be that simple. But, it all starts with baby steps. Im sure that both of you were impressed at the way things turned out and I feel that on an individual basis this could be a step in the right direction. Its the large groups that scare me.

JoeS