From violence to fraternity

Br. MichaelDavide Semeraro

I am a Belgian reader and I have noted that in your journal you often invite us to consider Muslims as our brothers and to built a better future together. I have never read the Koran but I do not think that God gave the order to organize terroristic attacks whilst crying “Allah abkar” (Allah is the greatest). Muslims want to convert the world to their religion. Little by little we are going back to the past when Christians needed to hide themselves to pray together. Listening to the news and observing the situation in my country I do not think that Muslims are integrated into the country that has welcomed them, they sell drugs and they are arrogant. Here we are scared of going outside for fear of being robbed. Excuse me but I need to vent my anger and to have some words of explanation.

A.P.

I do not know the situation in Belgium and I accept your concerns with respect. But I do not think that our feeling of insecurity should be pinned on our Muslim brothers who live in our countries. Like the Bible the Koran must be interpreted in light of the unique God who is love and mercy. All men and women do believe in this and they try to fashion their lives in God’s image and likeness. In the book of Joshua in the Bible there are pages of terrible violence that we must not imitate but interpret. Maybe, as Christians, after the mistakes of the Crusades, we have learned to mature to better understand the Holy Scriptures. This happens also to the Muslims as for the Sufi who represent the mystical dimension of Islam. Anyhow for some Muslims, as for some Christians, it is difficult to renounce the religious exclusivism and to adore the God of love for all the creatures. We must hope and pray to walk all together on the path of love and peace. However you can try to create a tread of friendship with some Muslims who inspire confidence: you will help to make known the only and unique Father of all of us.