An Open Letter to our Muslim Friends

Dear Muslim Friends,

I hope it's okay with you if I share a bit from my heart.

I am troubled. And discouraged.

The world seems to be falling apart before our very eyes. All around the globe, nations rage against nations, races battle with one another, adherents of different religions are pitted against one another. The rhetoric of hate and fear is so loud that we begin to buy in, not because the arguments are convincing but simply because its obnoxious drumbeat reverberates in our heads non-stop.

I am troubled. And discouraged. But you give me hope.

When I am with you, my Muslim friends, I am reminded that we can respect one another and even love one another and share real friendship. And we must. Jesus taught that the way to overcome evil is with good, and I am convinced that getting together with you regularly is one of the best things I can do for my own soul and for the cause of peace in the world.

It seems that all the misguided talking heads on TV, all the fear-mongering keyboardists with internet access, and all the hate-filled ideologues and terrorists do not want us to come together, because peace and love seem not to suit their agenda. Their agenda must not prevail, however, and therefore we must stay resolute in our commitment to real friendship with one another.

So, what I am saying is this: I need you. I need each of you sharing this journey of life with me, and I need us to stay persistent in spending time together. Sometimes, like the present, I start to get worn down by the voices screaming at me and telling me you're my enemies. You are NOT my enemies, and I refuse to give in to hate. Instead, I choose love. And I choose you - as my friends and my sisters and my brothers. And I choose to follow Jesus, whose life and teachings compel me to treat everyone with love and respect and kindness.

This was originally written and posted by Thomas Davis on his personal blog but so reflects our values and sentiment that we wanted to share it.