September 11th was an odd day at school. My teacher stopped in the middle of a science lecture to turn on the TV for us to see the aftermath. And then, throughout the rest of the day, the hallways grew less crowded.
“Why is everyone going home early?” I asked.
“Dearborn is twenty minutes away and a lot of Arabic people live there,” I was told.
I think my first thought was, “If Arabs are the ones hijacking planes, why would they crash one into their own people?”
Eventually I put together the implication, but the idea felt asinine. It was unthinkable to me that Arabs in Dearborn were happy about what had just happened at the World Trade Center, let alone the idea that they had all immigrated to Dearborn to launch some kind of super-secret-massively-organized attack based around the strength that one city could provide against a massive country.
When I voted for El-Sayed, I did so free of this kind of fear-mongering. As is the case with all politicians, there will be things he does that I agree with and things he does that I don’t. But I hardly gave a second thought to the fact that he was a Muslim. It’s not as though current politics under Trump are Christian. Indeed, the president’s recent interview with 60 Minutes shows that he has little interest in renewing his mind to the most central points of Christianity.
As a Christian, I know what it’s like to be seen in the light of wider Christians who misbehave. As a pastor, I know what it’s like to be compared to other corrupt pastors. As a theologian, I know how people can use our sacred writings to make us look like we believe differently than we actually do. And as an activist, I am painfully aware of the injustices my religion has inflicted on this world of which I want no part in.
Muslims, too, face all of these predicaments. Befriend one and you’ll find they are good people. Owe them the same fearless love you hope people will offer you. Have your political and religious disagreements where you will, but don’t demonize them. Love your neighbor as Jesus instructed. Reach out to every race, religion, and culture as Paul demonstrated. Treat Muslims as the Image of God, because all humans are.
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