Thoughts about the horrific terror attacks in Belgium and the hate towards muslims as a result of it all, from a Christians stand point…
A few years ago, I watched a movie. It was called ‘My Name
is Khan’. It was a while back now, so my memory is foggy on the details.
However, it follows a boy born with aspburgers who struggles to make sense of a
complex world yet as he does he learns to understand and love and fight for a
cause. It was a 9/11 movie. And although I saw a number of movies that came out
a number years after that most shocking terror attack, this one I found
powerful. For the first time I got a glimpse of what it might be for those
living in America who just ‘look’ muslim. The main character was muslim. Yet he
married a hindu girl. Sort of a romeo and Juliet fairy tale. Until white
americans started hate crimes towards her
and her family and the family shoved him out for ‘his kind’ bringing
this curse on his family.
The hatred was so blinding for these Americans that they
couldn’t even distinguish the difference between religions. They couldn’t
distinguish between regular citizens and terrorists. To them every one of those
men and women with colour in their skin, was against the good and freedom of
their country.
Only love should be so blind.
I’m sure you’d agree with me that these hate crimes were
ugly. Maybe you are skeptical and still think that these acts would do well to
teach all foreigners with all their ‘foreign’ religions to take note. You have
the right to your freedom of course.
I see it differently. The state of the world is fallen. So
as drastic and horrific the latest terror attacks have been in Paris and in
Brussels, these should not come as a surprise. These are fallen men we are
talking about. Loaded with bombs that they can attach to their chests. Maybe
they feel their lives are expendable. Maybe they’ve been convinced to think
that way. Or maybe, or more likely, they feel that they are serving a grander
purpose – could it be vindictive against western society or culture, or a
calling from their lord to serve his kingdom. Whatever the ‘cause’, the people
committing the act are just that… people. Unfortunately, we as a people often
believe what we already feel to be true and our ‘faith’ is determined by what
we believe. It causes us to be selective
If it weren’t the radical muslim group IS causing these
heinous crimes, it would be someone else. And it’s been happening for hundreds
of years throughout history. Christian men and women have blood guilt too. They
are not immune from the fallen state of the world.
But the way that we are viewed by God makes no sense in this
context. Because like it or not, God views us just the same way that He views
the terrorists in Belgium and France and 9/11. We are all a disgrace. It is in
our fallen nature to sway around from God and indulging in our own pleasures.
The only cure is repentance from sins.
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