Fatima Comes to Edmonton

Each year our neighbors, friends and work colleagues who are Muslim participate in a holy month of fasting called Ramadan. This year Ramadan concluded on September 9th. There was a lot of media attention surrounding a pastor in Florida who threatened to burn a copy of the Qur’an and the fierce response from leaders in the Middle East to such a threat. This coincided with controversy about the building of a Muslim mosque near Ground Zero in New York. Events of this type lead to fear and hatred between Muslims and Westerners. Because of cultural differences, threats of terrorism and negative stereotypes of Muslims, many Christ followers are reluctant to involve themselves in the lives of the followers of Islam.
When he was in elementary school, one of my sons had a friend from a Muslim family. Here, I will call the mother Fatima, although that is not her name. Fatima and I shared coffee in each other’s homes and invariably the talk would turn towards our faiths and what we understood about each other. We always focused on what we had in common. My friendship with Fatima was my first tentative foray into the Muslim world.
Just as there is a wide range of theological and ideological differences among Christians, the same is true in the Islamic World. Muslim practices range from secularists, modernists, and traditionalists to extreme Islamists who promote militant Jihad and hatred of the West.
Muslims believe that there is one God, the Creator of all things. They believe in a spirit world that includes angels and evil spirits. They also anticipate a Day of Judgment for all people. In these beliefs Fatima and I agreed. Muslims also identify some people as Prophets: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jonah, Jesus, and Mohammed whom they believe was the last and greatest prophet. They also believe that the Bible has been corrupted and modified by Jews and Christians.
Islam is not a religion where grace is understood. They believe that righteousness or holiness comes to them as they adhere to five main “pillars” which are obligatory religious practices for all adult Muslims: 1. Reciting the Creed (shahada) “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” 2. Prayer 5 times a day. 3. Almsgiving. 4. Fasting. 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca. Each of these practices has many rules so the participant “can do it right”. For instance, there are eleven steps of cleansing with water to prepare a person to perform ritual prayers. None of the steps can be sidestepped or done in an improper way; otherwise Islamic prayer loses its merit and validity.
In some of our conversations, Fatima confessed how difficult it was for her to be a “good Muslim” in Canada, a country that did not cater to Muslim culture. For instance, Friday here is a working day, and it was difficult for her husband to go to the Mosque. She often spoke about the need for cleansing by water to prepare for prayer. If she had performed the ritual cleansing, but had to change her baby’s diaper before she could pray, that act would render her ritually unclean and she had to start the process all over again, to wash her body, her hair and put on clean clothes. She usually abandoned the effort to pray, but felt guilty about it. When I was with Fatima, I was often conscious of the oppressive nature of her religion. She did not know a God who loved her unconditionally. She did not realize that water could never make her spiritually clean.
Muslims have immigrated to countries all over the world. For instance, there are about 300,000 Muslims in Toronto alone. When deciding to come to Canada, few if any of these Muslims would have been thinking about the opportunities to meet or follow Jesus Christ. But as they encounter believers, if their stereotypes and perceptions melted away, instead of being hardened, some will be attracted to Him.
After a few years Fatima and I drifted apart. I hope that the conversations we had played a part in her spiritual journey.
For some resources about Muslims here is a helpful website:http://www.30daysprayer.com/