The Answer Is Blowin’ In The Wind

How cool!  A small step of success.  Any Christians out there that work with Israeli companies?  Maybe you can look to forge a partnership like this and help bring peace to your sphere of influence.

(images via: Green Prophet)

Think the tired old political posturing of Middle Eastern politics is a lot of hot air? Willing to give peace a chance? Then support the efforts of these two companies: Israel Wind Power and Brothers Engineering Group. The former, based in Ramat Gan (near Tel Aviv), Israel and the latter, from Bethlehem in the West Bank, have announced a partnership dedicated to selling wind turbines locally and internationally.

(image via: Israel MFA)

“Business collaboration in the area of wind energy is something which will be for the benefit of everyone,” said Dr. Mohammed Salem, founder of Brothers Engineering Group. “It will serve as a bridge of peace for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” Salem is a social entrepreneur with Engineers without Borders and has been in the wind business since 2006, employing 15 people in Bethlehem. Adding Palestinian national colors to their wind turbines will hopefully kindle a broader sense of national pride among Palestinians striving for economic success.

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This poor Muslim Cleric has no idea what he's talking about, and basically makes a fool out of himself.  The sad part though is he's a very famous and respected scholar, whom many listen to and trust. 

You know, it's not much different from many Christians who assert things about Islam and Muslims as if they are experts on the subject.  On contentious issues, we tend to grab a hold of any tidbits of information that smear our opponent, and make us look good. If our enemy is burning our flag, we think... let's burn their holy book.   I have heard the most heinous things stated about Mohammad, the Muslim prophet, about Muslims in general and about the Middle East from those that I once respected as stalwarts of the Christian faith.  Romans says "Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself.  It takes one to know one.  Judgmental criticism of others is a well known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors." (The Message).  

Christians are supposed to live differently.  That was the idea, that we'd be a community of faith that stood out, that others would want to be a part of because of the love evident amongst us.  So, how about it?  How can we live differently, so that Muslims will notice Christ and not feel threatened?   

Islam in Two Americas

Interesting op-ed from the NY Times this week.  I like the perspective on tensions in American culture over Islam.  These tensions seem to be especially prominent in the church where Jesus teaches to 'love our enemies.'  Reconciling balanced patriotism and how to 'love our enemies' will be this church generation's biggest challenge.

Gaza Quotes 

"In Gaza, no one is dying. But no one is living."
AMR HAMAD, deputy secretary general of the Palestinian Federation of Industries.

“I fear we will die here,” a woman said of the rusting pipes and frayed plastic sheeting that serve as her home in the village of El Atatra, in northwest Gaza. “They won’t have to move us far,” she added with dark mockery. “The cemetery is up the road.”

“Don’t compare us with Sudan or Haiti,” he said. “We are an educated people with 2 percent illiteracy. But Israel’s effort to say that everything is O.K. here is ridiculous. I can’t travel. Students are trapped.”

“I can’t get cocoa powder, I can’t get malt, I can’t get shortening or syrup or wrapping material or boxes,” said Mohammed Telbani, the head of Al Awda, a cookie and ice cream factory in the central town of Deir al Balah. “I don’t like Hamas, and I don’t like Fatah. All I want is to make food.”

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