A Ramadan Story Of Two Faiths Bound In Friendship

August 21, 2011 It's Ramadan, the month-long holiday when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk as a way to cleanse the soul and reflect on their relationship with God. The faithful usually flock to their local mosques for prayer during the holiday, but last year, the Muslims of Cordova, Tenn., just outside Memphis, didn't have a place to go.

That's when Pastor Steve Stone put an unusual sign outside his church.

"It said, 'Welcome to the neighborhood, Memphis Islamic Center,'" he laughs. "It's been seen all over the world, now."

Stone invited the Muslim community to celebrate their holiday inside his church while their own cultural center was under construction nearby. It was the beginning of an unusual alliance that's still strong a year later.

"Obviously we were taken aback, but in a very positive way," says Danish Siddiqui, a board member of the Memphis Islamic Center. "Muslims, we tend to think of ourselves as good neighbors," he tells weekends on All Things Considered guest host Laura Sullivan, "but Steve beat us to the punch and put up that sign — and all we had to do was knock on the door and introduce ourselves."

The Muslim community was building a new mosque, but it was a delicate time. Proposed Islamic centers were kicking up controversy from New York to Murfreesboro — another Tennessee town just 200 miles away from Cordova.

"We were looking at some close-by halls and rental spaces and none of them were available," Siddiqui says. They asked Stone if they could borrow a small space inside his Heartsong Church. "He said, 'No. You're going to pray in our main worship space.'"

"We were so honored to be asked, because we knew that if they ever had any thought that we would say no, they would not have asked us," Stone says.

Not everyone was as thrilled as Stone however. He received criticism from colleagues — and even members of his own church — who felt that he was blending Christianity and Islam. Ultimately, 20 members left his church, out of a congregation of 550.

"We had tried to work with them and think their way through it," Stone says, "but at the end of the day, if they really believed what they said they believed, we're kind of glad they left, because we didn't want them going out into the community and saying, 'We have these hateful feelings and we go to Heartsong Church.'"

Although the Memphis Islamic Center is now complete, the Muslim community keeps a strong relationship with Stone and Heartsong's members. Once a month, they get together to help the homeless in their neighborhood, and there are also plans to build a new park that would sit on both congregations' property.

"We have different faith traditions," Siddiqui says. "But at the same time, we know that we can get along, we know that we can work together. And we have respect for one another, because we are people of faith."
  http://www.npr.org/2011/08/21/139831309/a-ramadan-story-of-two-faiths-bound-in-friendship?ft=1&f=2

vedaxcool:

^^^^^

We do thank God that On the average Christians are not as Fanatical as he is.

Rich4god:

@frosbel, Am begining to doubt if u are a true christian as you claim. Am not trying to suport d fact dat its ok for muslims to pray inside a church, bt all am saying is that the way you respond to post here is really un-christian, If i kan remember, when pope Benedict visited turkey in 09, he was ushered into istabul mosque, where he had some moment of prayer. You are here criticizing the pastor, how are you sure it was inside the main church that the muslim prayed, u dont even knw if the pastor has a hall different frm d church. Plz, i abeg u, be reasonable when you post coment here. Tnx.

vedaxcool:

^^^^^

We do thank God that On the average Christians are not as Fanatical as he is.

davidylan:

which is quite an irony considering what muslims would do should a christian DARE call the name of Jesus or Paul in the mosque. Such disgustingly fraudulent, intolerant sons of the devil.

LagosShia:

this is particularly for "frosbel".this pastor is a good human being first of all and he exemplifies tolerance and co-existence.even if i do not like christianity or christians for all that christians,ignorant and fanatical ones like "frosbel" have done on nairaland,i cannot hate such a man like this pastor (read story below).infact he exemplifies an islamic spirit I know of and appreciate and reminds me of verse 2:256 of the holy Quran which says :"there shall be no compulsion in religion".this man also reminds me of how the Prophet Muhammad (sa) welcomed the christians of Najran and allowed them to pray in the Masjid al-Nabawi (the Prophet's mosque in Medina) which is today is second holiest place of Islam and all Muslims.in other words this pastor has followed the sunnah (practice) of our beloved Prophet (sa) and therefore he too is beloeved to me.our hatred-filled and arrogant pastors in Nigeria who instead of leading by example, themselves issue provocative and inciting statements against muslims have alot to learn from their counterpart in Memphis.

lagerwhenindoubt:

Unfortunately Stories differ from FACTS and the fact is the so-called 0.01% of Violent, Butt-scratching, phlegm-spewing, women-beating/castrating/antagonizing, education-hating and utterly terrorist-loving muslims have raised the mute voices of the remaining 99.9% Peace-loving, Allah-Worshiping Muslims - or is this simply a scandalous myth why are muslims quiet about this violent, war-loving ingrates of humanity (if they do not wholly support them)

Rich4god:

@davidylan, you are getting so many things wrong, the pharisees accused JESUS of mingling with the sinners, and what did Christ said to them, or are you going to say that christ Himself has compromised, Also, when Jesus was 12, He was found in the temple sitting with the Jewish teachers asking them questions, did He compromise, When Jesus sent out the seventy-two disciple to preach, He said to them to take nothing with you, and that all your needs will be taken care of by those they visit; am pretty sure that during their evangelization, they must have came across pagans who gave them a warm wellcome, now am sure you would say that the disciples have compromised, So please, so long you know what you are there for, you are not compromising yourself in that situation. The white missionary that came into Africa have to absorb the African culture into the church in order for them to reach deep into the people ( thats why an average African church sings and dance alot).

frosbel:

^^^^^^
just as i thought , you have run out of lies to tell on behalf of muhammad.

Sweetnecta:

[christ was a sinner or how do you explain his calling somebody a fool, when he said such an utterance takes the person to hell?

what is the word that it preached, if you are sincere and you are not a liar like your father who was before a killer?


show me what he preached; pages of what he preached not stories about him.

davidylan:

of course, after you have produced the injeel allah LIED shamelessly to have sent thru him.