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justgrits.wordpress.com

Bowes said,
October 27, 2007 at 6:05 am

Do you recall the murder of Victoria Climbié in the UK in February 2000? She died at the age of nine following months of barbaric abuse at the hands of her guardians, both of whom were evangelical Christians? She had been burnt with cigarettes, tied up for over 24 hours on several occasions, and hit with bike chains, hammers and wires. She died on 25 February 2000, a day after being admitted to hospital suffering from hypothermia, multiple organ failure and malnutrition, on the day her guardians’ local church, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, was planning to hold a service of deliverance for her – they believed she was possessed and intended to cast the devil out.

Would we attribute this barbarity to Christianity? Local churches all had contact with the child during the abuse, but turned a blind eye, as has been documented in the course of the enquiry. Couldn’t we then attribute this barbarity to Christianity? The answer of course is no. What of the cases of child abuse that have come to light in recent years at the hands of Roman Catholic and Anglican priests in the United States, the UK and Ireland? Would we attribute these acts to Christianity? The answer, again, is no. We recognise that every community has good and bad people.

If you were to read the traditional sources of the Muslim faith yourself, rather than relying on information published on a racist website, you would discover that the barbarism described in your post is not in fact “accepted and expected and praised” in Islam. There is the story in which one of Muhammad’s young grandchildren climbs onto his back while he is prostrating in prayer and plays with his garments; rather than casting him off, Muhammad lengthened the prostration until the child climbed off on his own. He also told his followers that any man that did not show affection to his children did not have proper faith. Indeed the clue is in the quotation: the story has outraged Morocco – a Muslim country – indicating quite the opposite, that such behaviour is in fact rejected and condemned.

Islamic tradition actually considers the child pure, for there is no concept of Original Sin — reflecting the latter part of your quote from Matthew’s gospel, the Muslim faith holds that the child that dies in infancy will go straight to paradise. Muhammad said these children will meet their parents on the day of judgement and grab them by their garments or their hands to no end other than that God will enter their parents into Paradise. The position of the Church on such a child by contrast is a little ambiguous – ranging from the view that unbaptised child moves into a realm of limbo in the hereafter to the view that the child is not “saved” and will thus go to hell. It was for this reason that my mother, as hospital chaplain, had to go out in the middle of the night on a number of occasions a few years ago to perform “emergency baptisms”.

I don’t think the Muslim position on children could be clearer. You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. But I might also end with a quotation from the Bible.

For example… “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Or… “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21)

After all, didn’t Jesus say, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28)?