Politics From the Eyes of a Housewife Overseas

I recently received an email from a friend, asking my response to the question of whether Obama is a Muslim or not. Now, I'll admit, until a few weeks ago, I really hadn't paid much attention to what was going on in this whole presidential race. I have, however, noticed how politics in the West, affects life in other parts of the world. I feel like I've been sticking my neck out there a lot lately - well, it's a lot for me! - so I may as well continue! When I heard Palin's comments on the news last night, about Obama "palling around with terrorists" I was flabbergasted! I know that some of you reading this are strong McCain/Palin supporters. While I will respect your views, no matter how you end up voting, I just want to add another perspective to the picture. I will also say that I do not respect everything Obama stands for but I would like to invite you to put on the shoes of a housewife living abroad. I lack the time and energy to start from scratch here, so I am going to simply post my email response to my friend. Some of it may seem irrelevant to you, but it is my perspective.

Here goes-

I would love to be part of the conversation! I've been mulling the questions over since reading your email earlier this morning. A number of things come to mind and I'll probably ramble so here goes!

Whether Obama is Muslim or not, that I cannot say. Only God can see his heart. There will always be people saying one thing or the other. I am more concerned about what he does than who he says he is. I would rather be under the leadership of a respectable Muslim than a dis respectable Christian. I have been so saddened to see the way the West, in general, has come to see Muslims. It's comparable to how the Muslims view the Christians. Most Muslims in this part of the world think that all Americans are Christians and that to be a Christian means you get drunk, don't wear many clothes and have free sex. Perhaps there are a few Christian like that, but you and I know that has nothing to do with true Christianity. Likewise, to the West, Muslims are portrayed as being untrustworthy, evil and bloodthirsty, killing anyone who is not of their faith. While there are some that are that way, it is a very small portion of the whole - just like my example of Christians. Our experience of living here during 9/11 is a good example. We watched the live news coverage in our Muslim neighbor's apartment as we didn't have cable at the time. Again and again they expressed sorrow over what was happening and told us that this is not what Islam is really about. They told us that if we were threatened by anyone in the coming days, they would protect us. So many people would stop and ask if all our friends and family were okay. We had Muslim friends who would have given their lives for us, all the while our own country was ready to fight terror with terror. This whole war has gotten me really angry. Countless innocent lives have been lost, and for what? Our leader actually thinks God called him to fight this war?? How can anyone believe that, unless they ignore every word Jesus taught us. And for a possible future leader to say that God called us to this as well is frightening. The current leadership's foreign policy has done so much to ruin the credibility of Christians around the world. Many of us who are working here are ashamed when we need to tell people we are from America. Yet they open their doors to us. I'll admit, there are some fundamentalists here, but I have yet to meet one. The people I know have been so welcoming. In fact, last night a neighbor brought a tray, loaded with Iftar, which is the food they eat to break the fast, to share with us. Then she warmly gave us an invitation for our whole family to join them on Eid, which is the day of celebration at the end of Ramadan. I have to wonder how many Christians invite Muslims into their homes to share Christmas together. One thing is for sure, Muslims put us to shame when it comes to practicing true hospitality.

Muslims have their faults and there is much I disagree with and feel sad about here. But I can say the same about Christians. I long for there to be more dialogue between us all. More grace extended. Not so many walls, erected by what we think is true, without bothering to dig down and find the truth. I admire those who are asking questions.

You asked what is being said on this side of the world. I hope I have answered your question. When it comes to what Muslims here are saying about the 2 candidates, that I haven't heard at all. I do know that many of the mennonites here are Obama supporters, due to the fact that the other party wants to continue the current foreign policy.

Here ends my former email response. While the Muslim/Christian debate may not be a big deal to you, at least think about the foreign policy and imagine your life if you were living somewhere else.

I also can't help thinking of the irony - Jesus sat down with practising prostitutes and criminals in his day, without setting preconditions. Not to condone what they do but to show them another way. Today some of his followers are criticising anyone who sits down with certain criminals. I could go on, but I hope you have gotten the picture. Those of you who know me and want to continue this conversation, feel free to drop me an email, even if you disagree.

Peace.