Who Are "They?"

I recently purchased John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed’s book, WHO SPEAKS FOR ISLAM?: WHAT A BILLION MUSLIMS REALLY THINK. (New York. Gallup Press, 2007) Their writings are based on “...the Gallup World Poll’s massive, multiyear research study...tens of thousands of interviews with residents of more than 35 nations that are predominantly Muslim or have significant Muslim populations.” The book’s title awakened me once again to the reality of that awful human tendency – we too often view an entire group of people based on some very small representation (or misrepresentation) of that population. Is this how we love our neighbors?

Too often many of us Westerners speak of people from the Middle East as “them.” “They” do such and such; “they” believe such and such; and “they” feel such and such about “us.” As a boy, I talked about “them.” Back then, “they” were girls, older people, the other race, the other religions, the other political party.... Like most boys, I “knew” all about girls. As a teen, I suspected grownups of nefarious stuff. We white teens knew all about the Black kids who lived on the other side of town, and the Hispanics in New York City. I knew all about the voters in the other political party. In EVERY case, of course, I didn’t really know these people well enough to understand what they really did, or believed, or felt. BUT: I didn’t even bother to ask them.

Growing up in a Lutheran family, I knew about “them” other Christian groups in my small town. The Methodists and Presbyterians were mostly OK folks, and the Baptists, though more energetic in their worship, were not a threat. At that time, the Catholics were, to me, strange folks indeed, with all their ritual prayers, and worship of saints, and fasting on Fridays and during Lent, and their statues everywhere... Many Protestants around me were truly worried when we elected our first Catholic president in 1960 – where would his allegiance be?

“Them?” I knew no one from any of the Eastern Orthodox churches. I didn’t even know the Eastern churches were really Christian churches. I knew nothing about Islam, or about Muslims, or about Jews. How could I know that, “Muslims, like Christians and Jews, believe in the God of Abraham and recognize biblical prophets such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.” (p. 28)

Too few of us know much about “them.” So I’m not surprised that Esposito and Mogahed report many troubling conclusions from their many interviews and surveys. Here’s just one:

“Diagnosing terrorism as a symptom and Islam as the problem, though popular in some circles, is flawed and has serious risks with dangerous repercussions. It confirms radical beliefs and fears, alienates the moderate Muslim majority, and reinforces a belief that the war against global terrorism is really a war against Islam.” (p. 166)

I can identify with the majority of “them,” our Muslim sisters and brothers: “The majority of respondents in predominantly Muslim countries condemn the events of Sept. 11, 2001.” (p. 97) I hope that Christians might reflect on this and conclude for themselves that Muslims too seek to love their neighbors. Meantime I also hope that many in the West read this book. Moreover, I hope that someone writes the companion for “them,” reporting what a billion Christians really think.

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This year, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset, September 29. Wishing you many blessings.