A Hindu, a Muslim and a Church Planter Walk into a bar: Part B

"...a Muslim..."

After meeting with Sam I hustled over to the North Penn Mosque to meet with the imam of the mosque, Mohammed Ali (no, not that one). An imam in Islam is the equivalent to a priest in the Catholic church or a rabbi at a synagogue or a pastor in a Protestant church.

The North Penn Mosque is located in the Lansdale borough and has been there since 2001. I  had set up a time to meet with Mohammed to introduce myself and to listen to him and potentially lay some foundation for a friendship. I had befriended many Muslims when I lived and studied in Israel and found them to be very pleasant people, known for their hospitality. (It's amazing how the media can stereotype an entire people group and make people think that every person in that people group act and think exactly the same...)

Mohammed and I had a wonderful conversation.
He gave me a tour of the mosque (shoes off, please) and told me about the weekly activities that take place through the building.
I asked him questions about where he is from (Bangladesh), his family (who still live in South Africa), how long he had been in Lansdale (four years) and how he ended up there (long story).
I asked him about the basic tenets of Islam and how that works in the context of being in the North Penn district.
I asked him about Lansdale and what he finds pleasant and difficult being a minority in the region.
We talked about the discrimination he and the mosque sometimes experience and the backlash of starting the mosque right after the attacks of September 11.
He even gave me some books to read on the basics of Islam and how Muslims practice their faith.

I found him to be a very pleasant, humble, generous and trusting man who was willing to answer any question I had. He even invited me back for further conversation in the future.

I told Mohammed when I left: "While we differ significantly on our understanding of God and our view of the world, I still want to continue to build a relationship with you. Let me know if there are ways in which Renew could serve you and the people who pray at the mosque."
I even invited him to come over to our house for dinner in the near future.
He was very grateful for the invitation.

I shook hands and told him that I needed to run to meet my friend for lunch...

Comments

[Meg @ Spicy Magnolia]

Hey, JR! Interestingly enough, Matt and I have been a part of a Bengali ministry for 2 years now, so your story definitely caught our eye. :) Out of curiosity, is there a specific people group that makes up the majority of the population of that mosque...Bengali, for instance, or more somewhere else?

[Wayne]

These last two posts have been great. This would be a great start for your next book. I, all too easily, generalize and fail to truly understand others. The relaxed style of your writing would really help get these themes into the light for others. Peace. ~Wayne