I received an email today from a family member I love and respect. However, the message of the email wasn’t what I expected from this person. What follows is the exact message I received with the name of the person removed:

IS THIS WHAT OUR COUNTRY HAS COME TO?!!!  GOD HELP US!!!!!!!
THAT'S SCARY!!  Really Scary!!!!

Washington , D.C.  -  On September 25th there will be a national prayer gathering of Muslims on the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building.  They are expecting at least 50,000 to attend from mosques all across America . They will gather to pray from 4:00 AM until 7:00 PM. The gathering will take place by the site where U.S. Presidents have been inaugurated since 1981.  The organizers say that it was Obama's inauguration speech in January and his speech broadcast from Egypt in June that gave them the idea for this prayer gathering on Capitol Hill. 
 

I went to the website, I read every single word on every single page. Can someone point out to me what’s so scary or chilling about this event? Because I have to tell you, to me this doesn’t sound any scarier than a Billy Graham revival meeting. Since when is it a bad thing for people to gather together to pray? Is it only ok for Christians to pray together in an event such as this?

I’m trying to wrap my head around why someone would be frightened by this. Is it the number of people expected to attend? 50,000 is a lot of people, but they’ve had upwards of 200,000 at some of Billy’s events. Is it the venue? There have been other large gatherings in Washington, D.C. before, like Dr. Martin Luther King’s memorable speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Could it be those 4 little words at the bottom of every page of the website? “Our Time Has Come”. What’s so scary about that? People of the Muslim faith have been regarded with suspicion and often treated with violence ever since 9/11. It seems to me that what they are saying is that it is time that they demonstrated the TRUE nature of Islam, the TRUE teachings of Muhammad and the message of their religion: peace and service.

Personally, I am a Christian, but I don’t follow any particular faith. I believe in God, and I believe in the message delivered by Jesus: love your fellow man. I would add to this: love your fellow human, no matter what sex, race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin.

I quote, directly from the website:  “we intend to inspire a new generation of Muslim to work for the greater good of all people. We shall serve all people, regardless of race, religion or national origin.”

Are these the words of terrorists? Doesn’t sound like it to me. These words should inspire us. They should be the example that we all follow, every single day of our lives.

They are in more danger from us than we are from them. Please join me in wishing them good luck with their gathering, and pray for their safety.

Annette