God’s politics by Jim Wallis
American Muslims Are Not Responsible for 9/11
by Jim Wallis | Aug 23, 2010For the sake of resting my soul, while I was on vacation with my wife and boys, I was sure not to watch any cable news. We chose beaching, biking, reading, baseball, clamming, crabbing, (and watching the Little League World Series Tournament) instead. So, this Sunday morning was a jarring return to the media realities of the religious and political wars. I got home from vacation late on Friday night and was soon asked to join in the fracas around the planned Cordoba House two blocks from Ground Zero. In less than 36 hours after getting back to Washington, I was walking into the Fox News studio on Sunday morning. Welcome home.
They asked about a letter that I had just signed supporting religious freedom for Muslims. I said we should ask three simple questions:
- Should we as Americans be able to worship and pray when and where we choose? Haven’t we fought for that?
- Are American Muslims … Americans?
- And, for those of us who are Christians (and I am an Evangelical Christian), are we obeying the commands of Jesus to love our neighbors? Aren’t Muslims our neighbors? So what might Jesus say to this controversy?