Islamophobia: The Ministry of Jerry Vines

JACKSONVILLE TIMES UNION
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/012906/opl_vessays.shtml
Last modified Sun., January 29, 2006 – 03:39 AM
Originally created Sunday, January 29, 2006

The announcement that Rev. Jerry Vines is stepping down from the helm of First Baptist Church has elicited mixed reactions within the American Muslim community.

While recognizing the positive contributions made by Rev. Vines in his stewardship of the congregation and as a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Muslims remain disappointed that a prominent religious leader used divisive rhetoric at a time when the world needed spiritual healers.

In 2002, Rev. Vines sparked a national controversy when he defamed the Prophet Muhammad by calling him a “demon-possessed pedophile.”

Besides the fact that his comments were offensive to Muslims, Rev. Vines lacked basic understanding of Islam and Muslims.

Unfortunately, Vines is not alone. Evangelist Franklin Graham claimed that Islam is an “evil and wicked religion,” while Rev. Jerry Falwell called Prophet Muhammad a “terrorist.”
Such malediction reflects rather poorly on faith leaders who fail to distinguish between the atrocities of a few Muslims who misguidedly kill in the name of Islam versus the peaceful practices of mainstream Islam.

This failure to dissociate the evil of individuals from the faith of Islam points to an un-American double standard. No other faith group in America bears this burden of guilt by association.

The incessant defamatory portrayal of Islam as an evil and violent faith is not without consequences. Anti-Muslim incidents, including hate crimes against American Muslims, have reached record highs. That such Islamophobia hurts Muslims is obvious, but what is often overlooked is that Islamophobia also threatens the image and interests of America.
Islamophobia erodes our nation’s image as a champion of liberty and freedom for all. As America’s image takes a downward spiral, it emboldens extremists into unacceptable anti-Americanism abroad. This in turn fuels Islamophobia at home, thus precipitating a vicious cycle of misunderstanding, hatred and backlash.

It is about time that this vicious cycle is broken. Reaching out and being part of inter-faith dialogues would be a good starting point. Increasing economic, social and cultural interaction with the Muslim world could also go a long way toward overcoming fear.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam share common roots through the Prophet Abraham. Many Christians do not realize that Jesus is mentioned with great honor in the Quran, just as many Jews do not know that Muslims too grow up learning about Moses and his exodus. Muslims believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus and the many miracles of Moses. Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, to Muslims, are all divinely inspired role models who came to guide human beings toward a life of righteousness and an eternity of salvation.

The misguided remarks by the Rev. Vines truly hurt many American Muslims. But there is always room for reconciliation. Muhammad is described in the Quran as a “mercy to all of God’s creations” and Jesus as being “held in honor in this world and the Hereafter.”

Mercy and compassion are integral to the great traditions of both Islam and Christianity. We must let these traditions guide us in establishing common ground to promote mutual understanding.

Parvez Ahmed, Jacksonville resident and chairman of board for the Council on American-Islamic Relations