[CNSNEWS] From the speakerâs podium at the National Cathedral, an Episcopal church, and in an interview with CNSNews.com, a Muslim leader said that American Muslims are opposed to the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.
âWe condemn persecution of Christians â of any minorities in Muslim-majority countries,â Rizwan Jaka, chairman of the board of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, told CNSNews.com at the Washington Natural Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on Friday where a Muslim prayer service was held.
When asked about the significance of the Muslim prayer service being held in a Christian church â an event that drew harsh criticism from some Christians and attracted one woman who tried to disrupt the service by shouting that Jesus Christ is the risen savior â Jaka said it reflects the countryâs values.
âThe significance is that America is a beacon of religious freedom and harmony, and that the Christian community embraces the Muslim community and thatâs the message to the world,â Jaka said. âLook at the beautiful pluralism and democracy and harmony that we have in the United States of America.â
âAnd we ask that the world take that as an example that minorities in Muslim-minority countries should be treated with respect, treated with religious freedom, and that they should have the right to worship and the right to have equal rights and that we have to protect the churches and temples and synagogues in Muslim majority countries,â Jaka said.
When asked whether it was true that Christians are being persecuted in the Middle East, Jaka repeated his condemnation of the practice.
âWe condemn persecution of Christians, of any minorities in Muslim-majority countries,â Jaka said. âWe have actually had many initiatives â like I said the fundraising we do to rebuild churches is an example of that.â
So they condemn persecution of Christians, just not any particular persecution of Christians. |
Sorry, I'm getting a bad reading.