YWAM Leader Speaks at Friday Prayers
Reported by Molly Petersen
Friday, November 11, 2005 YWAM International Chairman, Lynn Green had a rare occasion for Christian leaders, an appointment to speak at Friday prayers. “God seems to have sent me some unusual opportunities recently. This past Friday I had the privilege and honour of speaking at the Grand Mosque in Leeds. The young Muslims who created so much devastation in London on July 7th this year were members of that Mosque and they built the bombs just a few yards from where I spoke,” said Lynn.
When Lynn, along with a few Christian companions, arrived at the mosque it was already brimming with men, and more arrived by the minute. The building, a former Catholic Church, was sold to a development company and then bought by the mosque. “By the time the prayers were well under way, men were kneeling in the corridors and every available corner -- several hundred in all,” explained Lynn.
Toward the end of their prayers the Imam delivered a sermon in Arabic (the majority of the members are Palestinian in origin), that was translated into English. He condemned the recent lethal bombings in Jordan as well as the London bombings in July and then declared that all violence of this type is condemned by Muslim law (Sharia).
“I was not surprised by that because I have heard many Muslim leaders condemn violence without reservation. It seems, though, that not many western journalists have heard the same message. Just two days earlier I had read a very well written article citing ten reasons why Muslim leaders do not speak out against terrorists. I can't help but wonder why our press does not normally hear this message. Whatever the reasons, it is a dangerous deafness.”
After the prayers, the President of the mosque invited men to stay to hear Lynn address the crowd, more than a hundred did so. He spoke about the message of reconciliation between the Christian and Muslim communities, and then invited questions. “They were very gracious, but also asked some penetrating questions. The general tone of our dialogue was one of respect and they repeatedly expressed very warm appreciation for our reconciliation initiative,” Lynn said.
The more pointed questions were usually about current issues, such as the war in Iraq or the troubles between Israel and Palestinians. “I felt that God gave me wisdom and that good progress was made. I was particularly pleased that some local church leaders had taken the initiative to bring us together and that they would remain to follow up on the relationships that were strengthened on the day.”
According to Lynn, the current violence in France, along with reactions to the London and Madrid bombings have put Europe in a dangerous place. “We are now very vulnerable to a rise in nationalistic or racist thinking. One of the most dangerous facets of our fallen nature is our tendency to see the world through ‘us and them’ eyes. That can manifest itself in nationalism, racism, tribalism or religious bigotry. That is why Jesus commanded that we should love our enemies. And we can't love anyone without first building some bridges of friendship. I believe it is of the utmost importance that Christians, and the churches they attend, should reach out to their Muslim neighbours all across this land.”