Christians were praying and fasting, as an alarming new threat loomed over the dark horizon. Shirley Dobson, spouse of the famous Dr. James, urged a nationwide call for prayer and fasting on September 25th. What stirred Shirley’s tender heart? What would drive her to skip Hamburger Helper and Diet Pepsi for an entire day? Abortion? Gay Rights? Socialism? No. Prayer. Well, a special kind of prayer, Muslim prayer.
American Muslims decided to show support for America by having a prayer rally at our nation’s Capitol. It was also an attempt to counter the American tendency to lump all Muslims into the category of “bearded terrorist who wants to kill me.” According to Hassan Abdellah, one of the rally’s organizers, the hope was to “display the beauty of Islam . . . the groups are going to be people who love and respect America, and we want America to know that we are here and that we support the country.” Perhaps anticipating Dobson’s response, he noted “I know that it’s hard for people to believe it’s that simple.”
continue reading