What Muslims Need from Christians

RELIGION IS AN EASY language for people to use to define conflict. The people most willing to speak about what religion demands are the ones least likely to be invested in the sacrifices religion requires. They want the power that they believe they can claim through religion.

Those same voices who engage in this idle worship now hold the reins of power in the U.S. government. And they seek to exterminate Muslims. There are concerns of a Muslim registry and internment camps. More extreme fears consider other types of camps, imagining a return of the Holocaust. These fears are not unfounded, nor are they out of character with what President Trump’s advisers and appointees have said.

Yet these parallels are so powerful that I think it may be difficult for them to be realized. What I think is more likely in the near term is a different historical parallel. At the waning of another empire, the Colosseum became a space where individuals were martyred for what they believed, for entertainment.

An individual loss may be horrible, but the individual’s community may still believe it is safe. But death can come by a thousand cuts. The lion that chooses one life at a time remains a ravenous beast—the whole community will be vilified and will eventually die, just not quickly. And that beast will need a new food source.

The mayor of New York announced a 35-percent increase in hate crimes in the city in the month following the election. During that time there were 43 hate crimes documented. In December, a Muslim Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker wearing her uniform and a hijab was pushed down a flight of stairs at Grand Central station, and a Muslim police officer was threatened, in front of her teenage son, with having her throat slit. In August, two Muslim leaders were shot to death after leaving prayers at their mosque. For years, the New York police department has spied on Muslims where we pray.

Like the Greek word “martyr,” the Arabic word for martyr is related to bearing witness for one’s faith. A Muslim testifies every day, “I witness that there is no deity except for God.” This daily act of witness is now an act of potential suffering. Instead of just weeping in awe at the mention of the Divine, a Muslim now weeps in fear for being a Muslim.

IN THIS MOMENT, Muslims need more than Christian allies—we need protectors in the name of Jesus. I know my Christian friends stand with me and do so because of their faith. What I want to hear now is this clarion call: Jesus demands Christians to stand with those who have no other protector. As a Muslim, I need to see Jesus’ love embodied in the world. I need to see, not just hear, Christians saying “not in my name.”

I need Christians to act against those who would spread hate in Jesus’ name. Those who wield the sword of hate, who think this is Jesus’ mission, need to be met by Christians who raise the shield of love.

Since 9/11, Muslims have been held to an impossible standard in the United States. We are held responsible for apologizing whenever terrorist attacks occur—even when the victims are primarily Muslims. Those U.S. Christians who were silent while Muslims were vilified as “America’s greatest enemy” now need to act.

True faith is humble, but it cannot be silent. It cannot be meek while innocents are brought to the Colosseum.