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It shouldn't shock us, but this Sunday the Indianapolis Star will run a feature story reporting that Rick Warren - author of The Purpose Driven Life and Pastor of Saddleback Church in southern California - is going to be a featured speaker at the annual convention of The Islamic Society of North America, July 3-6 in Washington, DC. Warren's picture currently appears on the groups website. (Click here for story) I do wonder what sort of Purpose Driven church - er, ah, make that mosque - growth tips Warren will share with the conference participants? Is peace at any cost worth it Rick?
Warren will be in some very dubious company in Washington. Another speaker at the conference will be Dr. Muzammil Husain Siddiqi, the Director of the Islamic Society of Orange County (California), and former Director of Islamic Affairs for the Muslim World League Office in New York. You have probably seen Dr. Siddiqi before since he was chosen to address the world during the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance service held at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC just three days after the 9/11 attacks on Sept. 14, 2001. As our nation mourned that day, he began with the standard Muslim greeting "May the peace of Allah be upon America."
What most American's didn't know then and still don't know now is that in Islamic beliefs, every person is either a member of the "house of peace" (Muslim) or a member of the "house of war" (non-Muslim). In Muslim-speak this means, "you will only be at peace when you convert to Islam - otherwise you are the enemy"
Previously, in October 2000, Dr. Siddiqi protested outside the White House. In his speech he said,
"The United States is directly and indirectly responsible for the plight of the Palestinian people. If you remain on the side of injustice, the wrath of God will come."
He then affirmed his support for the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah.
In 2001, Dr. Siddiqi led a flag burning in Los Angeles where he spat on and cursed the American flag. This is the crowd Rick Warren is now friendly with?
Siddiqi has publically affirmed Qur'an sura 5:36 applies to any who are "mischief makers - that is, any who attack or cause trouble against Islam. Here are the chilling words of sura 5:36 which demands swift "justice" against those who oppose Muhammad and Islam:
"The punishment of those who wage war against God and His Apostle, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land."I guess Warren figures he's safe.
These few facts and so much more that I have written about previously outlines why efforts such as the ongoing dialog coming out of Yale Divinity school to establish common ground with Islam are foolhardy at best. Yale position paper signers Rick Warren, Robert Schuller, Bill Hybels, Leith Anderson, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Richard Mouw and others have ignored the absolute fact that Islam and Christianity do not worship the same God. Thus any common ground they may seem to find with Muslims is based on the false and dangerous assumption that Allah and Jehovah are one and the same.
Muslims will eternally perish without Jesus Christ. Rather than trying to see how much we have in common with them, concerned believers might better spend their time pointing out the stark difference between Islam and Christianity - the resurrected Jesus Christ, who is calling Muslims to exchange worthless religious bondage for true peace and everlasting joy.
Related Links
Their god is NOT our God - Take a Stand Ministries (Eric Barger) I Can't Sign the Letter - Take a Stand Ministries (Eric Barger) More on Rick Warren here - Take a Stand Ministries (Eric Barger)
