I had an interesting conversation today sat in KFC sheltering from a downpour at lunchtime.
A young Muslim guy, in his 20’s I would guess, came and sat opposite me and we got talking about Christianity, Islam, the UK, Uganda, (where I’ve just come back from), Afghanistan (where his father came from), Holland (where he was brought up)… and of course, the riots.
He was very appreciative of the greater sense of freedom in the UK than in Holland for Muslims, but fully expected the Muslim community to be a target when things have (hopefully) settled down and people begin the blame game (it’s started already of course). I offered the observation that, while some will inevitably latch onto their favourite group to blame (whoever that may be), actually the Muslim father who had lost his son in Birmingham was a model of restraint under huge pressure.
So we got talking about the multiple and interconnected causes, before the end of the downpour meant I had to leave to go back to work.
Attached are some commentators’ views by way of illustration, lest we reach for knee-jerk “easy” diagnoses and (worse) easy, knee-jerk solutions. If you want to read some more, have a look at a book called Rediscovering Values, by Jim Wallis, a leading Christian social activist in the US.
Speaking of the global financial crisis he says “The questions it raises concern our personal, family, and national priorities; our habits of the heart; our measures of success; the values of our families and our children; our spiritual well-being; and the ultimate goals and purposes of life -- including our economic life. By and large, the media has missed the deeper discussion and continues to focus only upon the surface of the crisis. And most of our politicians just want to tell us how soon the crisis can be over. But there are deeper questions here and some fundamental choices to make. That's why this could be a transformational moment -- one of those times that comes around only very occasionally. We don't want to miss this opportunity.”
We are living in momentous times and need huge doses of wisdom, revelation, courage, grace and love to fuel our responses.
