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Respect religious differences

By Ahmad Saad Nasim
Arizona Daily Wildcat,
September 1, 1999

To the editor,

Although the column about Wildcats For Christ may have stretched the idea that ministers are out to sell God, there is one gripe the students of other faiths have had against radical Christian preachers at almost every American university. There are students who are Bah'ai, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslims and well so many other religions.

These students of other faiths have been harassed and attacked at universities.

For example, Muslims believe in Jesus as a prophet but not as the son of God. Besides that, Islam and Christianity and well Judaism have little or no difference. For Muslim Americans and international students it is a little difficult to make a voice against crazy preachers.

First, they fear the current stereotypes may be portrayed against them if they protest. Second, it is against their faith to argue in a stupid manner why one's religion is right and another's is wrong. Muslims have no right to say who will and who will not go to hell. We don't have the luxury or the arrogance that some preachers have to call even the majority of Christians as heathens. The same goes for many Hindus. It is sad that their religion is called Hindu mythology by the East Asian Studies Department.

It is sad that Jews are attacked for not accepting Christ as their savior. You can't force or scare others into your beliefs. You have to set a good example and do it the hard way by helping others. Take the example of Mother Teresa. She was a Catholic nun in India but she never asked any Hindu, Muslim, or Sikh peasant to become Catholic. Indian people to this day love that woman.

I know it's hard. As a Muslim, I believe Allah is my god and Mohammed is his last messenger. But I also remember the quotes from Jesus saying Love thy Neighbor, and Mohammed saying never insult the faiths of others. In the end, the truth will win, but love in general is part of it too. If you ignore that, then you have no idea what is the truth.

Ahmad Saad Nasim

German studies senior


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