The Leader
This morning I met Abdel for a visit over morning refreshment at Panera’s. Abdel is from Egypt and is now living here in Florida with his wife and 4 children while serving as leader or the imam of the local mosque. He “gives talk”, leads the prayers, teaches classes and does counseling. Of course, there are also many administrative duties. He must also be a scholar in the truest sense. While it is commendable that he has memorized the entire Koran/Quran, what seem to me more important in he role as leader as well as his roles as son, father, husband, brother and friend is that he presents with an open heart. That is how he came to my attention. I was drawn to his heart – to his embracing, inclusive love. Initially I did not know or care that about his religious framework or where he was from geographically. Obviously, I do want to know these things about him because I am interested in him and his life journey but they are not what drew me toward him.
In this historical period in which we find ourselves living, it seems to me to be particularly important that we learn as much as possible about each other and our different cultural backgrounds. We humans continue to have the tendency to judge each other based on the behavior of a few people who act under the guise of a particular religion, culture, or country. Whether we are talking about ISIS, fundamentalist Christians, radical Palestinians, right –wing Israeli, or any other self identified group of individual who purport to be speaking for that group or even for a deity such as God, it is always important that we not be so vulnerable to the possibility of confusing the vested interest of a group of people with the teachings and beliefs of the larger culture.
I certainly cannot claim to be a scholar of the Muslim religion. I do know what I have read and what I have understood to be the base and the teaching of Muhammad. That limited understanding has been that both Christians and Muslims have the very same base. While there may be some difference of opinion on the relationship between God and Jesus, the Koran/Quran is clear about the divine role of Jesus, and the virgin birth of Mary. I did not realize until Adel told he that one of the books/stories of the Quran is the story of Mary/Maryam.
I digest. The point is that if I want to do my part to end prejudice, miss-conceptions, and all those lies which lead to injustice, war, and a fearful world, I need to assume that I know nothing about another person, group, religion, or even political party. Only then can I be open to learning and getting to know that which I share with every other human being. I also need to do my part of learn about the religious beliefs of others.
Leaders such as Abdel can help me do that as long as I am willing to be led or taught. I was thinking about the word leaders and looked it up in Dictionary.com. I found the following brief offering:
Noun
1.
A person or thing that leads.
2.
a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.
3.
Music.
a conductor or director, as of an orchestra, band, or chorus.the player at the head of the first violins in an orchestra, the principal cornetist in a band, or the principal soprano in a chorus, to whom any incidental solos are usually assigned.
I like the example of a leader being a conductor or director because it describes an international process. I assume that one of the characteristics of an effective teacher is that he or she is open to learning; that they are confident enough to express an opinion or an understanding of certain so called facts, but, at the very same time, they know that the leader is the student and the student is the teacher.
In my life journey thus far, I have been blessed with many teachers or mentors. They have all been enormously patient, kind, wise men and women. Abdel is another of those from whom I expect to learn or with whom I hope to form a loving relationship in which we can learn from each other. It would be enormously sad and a disservice to myself and to Abdel if I assumed we were somehow essentially different human beings.
With folks such as Abdel it seems relatively easy to stay open to learning. What happens if I have an occasion to spend time with a so called “fanatic” such as a right-wing Christian or a member of ISIS. Will I have the willingness and the courage of listen with an open heart? That is my intention, but I know that I must also have a loving relationship with that part of me who can be intimated or fearful when meeting certain people. I must be willing to embrace that part of me while not allowing it to control me. I would, of course, like to say that I have reached a place in my spiritual journey that I can stay open without absolute faith and not fear. I know that would be a lie. At the moment, sitting in my safe, comfortable home it is very easy to know that it is safe to keep my heart and my critical mind open no matter with whom I am talking. In reality, the very human part of my can still gets anxious and fearful.
This morning I met Abdel for a visit over morning refreshment at Panera’s. Abdel is from Egypt and is now living here in Florida with his wife and 4 children while serving as leader or the imam of the local mosque. He “gives talk”, leads the prayers, teaches classes and does counseling. Of course, there are also many administrative duties. He must also be a scholar in the truest sense. While it is commendable that he has memorized the entire Koran/Quran, what seem to me more important in he role as leader as well as his roles as son, father, husband, brother and friend is that he presents with an open heart. That is how he came to my attention. I was drawn to his heart – to his embracing, inclusive love. Initially I did not know or care that about his religious framework or where he was from geographically. Obviously, I do want to know these things about him because I am interested in him and his life journey but they are not what drew me toward him.
In this historical period in which we find ourselves living, it seems to me to be particularly important that we learn as much as possible about each other and our different cultural backgrounds. We humans continue to have the tendency to judge each other based on the behavior of a few people who act under the guise of a particular religion, culture, or country. Whether we are talking about ISIS, fundamentalist Christians, radical Palestinians, right –wing Israeli, or any other self identified group of individual who purport to be speaking for that group or even for a deity such as God, it is always important that we not be so vulnerable to the possibility of confusing the vested interest of a group of people with the teachings and beliefs of the larger culture.
I certainly cannot claim to be a scholar of the Muslim religion. I do know what I have read and what I have understood to be the base and the teaching of Muhammad. That limited understanding has been that both Christians and Muslims have the very same base. While there may be some difference of opinion on the relationship between God and Jesus, the Koran/Quran is clear about the divine role of Jesus, and the virgin birth of Mary. I did not realize until Adel told he that one of the books/stories of the Quran is the story of Mary/Maryam.
I digest. The point is that if I want to do my part to end prejudice, miss-conceptions, and all those lies which lead to injustice, war, and a fearful world, I need to assume that I know nothing about another person, group, religion, or even political party. Only then can I be open to learning and getting to know that which I share with every other human being. I also need to do my part of learn about the religious beliefs of others.
Leaders such as Abdel can help me do that as long as I am willing to be led or taught. I was thinking about the word leaders and looked it up in Dictionary.com. I found the following brief offering:
Noun
1.
A person or thing that leads.
2.
a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.
3.
Music.
a conductor or director, as of an orchestra, band, or chorus.the player at the head of the first violins in an orchestra, the principal cornetist in a band, or the principal soprano in a chorus, to whom any incidental solos are usually assigned.
I like the example of a leader being a conductor or director because it describes an international process. I assume that one of the characteristics of an effective teacher is that he or she is open to learning; that they are confident enough to express an opinion or an understanding of certain so called facts, but, at the very same time, they know that the leader is the student and the student is the teacher.
In my life journey thus far, I have been blessed with many teachers or mentors. They have all been enormously patient, kind, wise men and women. Abdel is another of those from whom I expect to learn or with whom I hope to form a loving relationship in which we can learn from each other. It would be enormously sad and a disservice to myself and to Abdel if I assumed we were somehow essentially different human beings.
With folks such as Abdel it seems relatively easy to stay open to learning. What happens if I have an occasion to spend time with a so called “fanatic” such as a right-wing Christian or a member of ISIS. Will I have the willingness and the courage of listen with an open heart? That is my intention, but I know that I must also have a loving relationship with that part of me who can be intimated or fearful when meeting certain people. I must be willing to embrace that part of me while not allowing it to control me. I would, of course, like to say that I have reached a place in my spiritual journey that I can stay open without absolute faith and not fear. I know that would be a lie. At the moment, sitting in my safe, comfortable home it is very easy to know that it is safe to keep my heart and my critical mind open no matter with whom I am talking. In reality, the very human part of my can still gets anxious and fearful.
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