Jesus I'm Confused Sometimes.

REALLY ? Can brothers be this far off from each other?  

  Dr. Zuhdi Jasser and Imam Muhamma Siddeeq are both educated Muslims.  I heard them talk last night. Both are passionate and articulate and god seekers and followers/teachers of Islam.

A main point Dr. Jasser basically made, was that Muslims better take back their religion by stopping those who teach the wrongful use and meanings of the Koran that bring about radical terrorism around the world. It's growing and no one is stopping these radical teachings with horrible results.
Of course for this he's had many Fatwas issued against him. (remember fear is the weapon of our enemies.)
 

And Imam Siddeeq from Boston said that none of these people who are killers or radicals are followers of Islam. They can say all they want who they are and who they follow, but they are not Islam nor represent Islam. Allah and Islam doesn't promote this kind of behavior.   Now others on the panel laughed because it sounds ridiculous at face value. On the other hand as I listened I thought "what if" he's serious and not "spinning". What if truly those we are at war with are not really Muslims or followers of Islam, but just radical people who are using this as their vehicle of choice.?

 (Similar to how we in the Christian faith felt about the KKK and Christian White Power or Christian Black power  or Crazy preachers who were willing to be violent to innocent people to prove some radical point).
 Were those people really Christians, followers of Christ? Born again, Baptised, Word and Love/Grace based followers of Jesus?  What would you say.....  Maybe? Would you say perhaps they are,  but only God can judge in the end,  and for now on this earth we will recognize each other by our fruit..?  How bout the Crusades and those who in the name of Christ did such terrible things at times?  We're they Christians or just men following a supposed Christ teacher, or a Govt telling them they are Christians if they say yes to doing the following acts in His name?  Hmmm.  Were they just angry  lost men and boys  protecting their families faiths and lands and hoping they would retain some eternal reward for their obedience to the king or papal?
Parsing words is an art, and important in good and understood dialogue.  I'm not very good at it, I don't study it or teach it, but I am listening, and to often what I say is not what you hear and vs/vs i'm sure.

If as  Imam Siddeeq from Boston says,  all these various radical groups from various countries, who are radicalized in mosques by Imams and teachers, are not Muslims or followers of Islam, then what the heck are they? 
  
And if all those recruited (via social media, the web, prisons, schools, religious schools and on street corners) to convert to Islam and come fight for the destruction of all evil infidels who will not bow to Allah, Sharia or live under a Caliphate to bring a holy nation,  are really "not" following Allah and His teachings. And really are not a part of Islam as Imam Siddeeq suggested, then what do we call them?

And how do we from the outside help "true peace loving" Muslims define their ideology to the peaceful world,  to retain the peace filled religion they say it truly is, while helping "them" separate and eliminate those who's only desire is to kill all of us, by fulfilling what they believe is a mandate from Allah, to purify, as they live out (from what they've been taught by Muslim teachers) their ideas and mandates of what they call the pure teachings of Islam?

It's easy to say "It's their problem" and just live our 9 to 5's and worry about our own 401k's. The problem is that silence doesn't work in the long run. If we care for the future of our children we better be part of a solution we all can "live" with. 

The answer doesn't end with "ism but with ion. it isn't Capitalism or Socialism or Communisim, it's Education.
As just one soul..., I say it's education. 
You can't kill ideology. You cant burn all the books. Hitler tried. Our only hope is to stop the teachers and infectors of this ideology from teaching and infecting new generations.  And many sadly believe that radical terrorists will only be stopped by bullets, bombs and everyone turning against them because they are wrong (and not just because you are afraid they might overthrow your mid-eastern lifestyle and power).

Some would say, these terrorists are poor and caged in Palestine and living around the world in squall and suffering in poverty stricken cities everywhere.  I'd say, nope, how can you account for those growing numbers from Euro,US and around the prosperous world who have everything?

 Do you believe that people look for a team to play on and be a part of?   A certain percentage of people will always join a gang and do terrible things to feel like they belong..  Have we ever stopped that? Are our gangs in America gone?  Are those people in the gangs any less Americans? Has the world always had gangs and gang mentalities?  How have we ever stopped that? 
We have not.. We have failed..  They just resurface as another gang name with another set of issues. 

Ok, Anchorman gang was just used for the brevity here, sry.  

Now for all the bad that the Internet may bring, I think unrestricted knowledge and  "education" will be it's greatest world changer.   Well, that's long term and short term. China on one hand will not be able to stop the knowledge and power of the free world from it's captured peoples, and their systems will fall to a better one sooner than later... that's good.  I hope we can naturally seize on the powerful possibility of educating new generations of "lost" youth looking for a "cause" to "not" choose radical extremism but choose a better path that we've all laid out in social media for them to consider that they did not hear about at home.
  God, that's sounds like Utopian pipe dreams on a hash pipe, but I'm still saying it.  Come on, give me a better idea. You take the the time to develop questions and discussion out of your free time let me comment, I'm all in.  I'm sure my neighbors would rather be raking leaves with me and having a beer with college football on AM radio in the garage :)

So if  Imam Siddeeq from Boston were correct, and they, (the terrorists) are not who they say they are, who are they, and what can we do?
Is there any peaceful solution for crazy people (religious death gangs)?
 Do we have to use extreme measures to kill those (and sadly in the process those they hide around as cowards) and then hope that the Muslim world (with the help of other faiths and no faiths)  can newly re-educate from homes and mosques a standardized set of beliefs that incorporate from the Koran (peace, tolerance, choice, freewill, grace, forgiveness, diversity, equal rights and love) instead of live under, obey, change or die teachings?

You see, we all don't have to believe the same way

 to believe in the same things.  (how did you parse that one? ;)

As a Christ follower, my God is big enough to know who's calling His name. He's big enough to judge in the end the intentions and actions of each soul.  And Jesus?   He came and gave all, without error, to reconcile the world back to God, and allow God's very Spirit to come ignite, indwell and empower us,  as we choose to follow His-story and His teachings.  These truths as Christians of the "Cross" we share in love (sadly to often in finger pointing and judgement), and can only pray that what we hold to be truth, will be born out in our lives and actions. And that in that, it would call others to hear that same voice, turn and follow this same rocky path we walk imperfectly together in our own divisions and schisms.

Other faiths (name your own) would scribe what I've said above differently but just as sincerely. And if said in love and peace, their actions and lives should bear out the fruit of their beliefs, and inspire others to do the same. And again, my God is the judge not me, and if He is created "ALL", then He is big enough to sort that out beyond my intellectual and mortal abilities of finger waving, book thumping and turn or burn or convert or die ideology.

Think about it this week.  What can you do to:

 help change a life,        an Ideology,       or a bullet coming your way?

Be a better you,      speak out of love,    pray for your enemies and  be well armed!