Muslims: For the past ten years I’ve been inundated with fearful things about them from the news media, but then again the media loves to make big stories out of whatever “sells”, just like any other business, and unfortunately the world’s Muslims are cast in a very negative light by small yet significant number of radical groups. But as I walk across the street in the morning to Kassim Mustafa’s, my favorite restaurant which serves a delicious and satisfying meal for only $2, I eagerly search out something to say in basic English which my Indian Muslim friends I have made there can understand.
Kasiim Kadil, and Abbas are three of my friends who work at the restaurant as well as an older Muslim lady who works the register. Kadil speaks the best english. His wife and 3 kids live back in India. They are 7 years, 4 years, and 50 days old. He has come to work here in that restuarant for 12 hours each day, every day, 29 days a month, with 6 months vacation every two years so he can go back and visit his family, because the 7 ringgit per day wage is good money which he sends back to his family. Seven ringgit amounts to $2.30. The other gentlemen likewise have families back in India and are in a similar situation. The whole thing breaks my heart, partly because their hearts are big as they work so consistently and diligently for so little for a family they only see every two years. Are they happy? Perhaps on some level. I wouldn’t be because I know better: $2.30 per day is crap for how hard those guys work. But when I recognized earlier this month, before I knew all of this, that I would be eating there for almost every meal, three times per day, I felt the Lord in my heart saying that I should make an effort to befriend them. Being intentional is what the Lord has been teaching me this whole 11 months. In obedience I make whatever conversation I can with them as I wait for my food. My God, what a difference I’ve seen in them, especially Abbas, over the past few weeks, when this plucky Christian American comes up (they know who I am and whom I have believed). Abbas especially used to not smile at all when I walked up and ordered. In fact, I’m sure that’s all those guys get all day long is people telling them what they want and waiting for them to make it. But you should see how those guys light up now when I walk up with a goofy smile on my face trying to make conversation with them! I love those guys! Those Muslim guys! They are just like any other hard working guy on the planet! And the older Muslim woman who works the register: I struck up a good 15 minute conversation with her one day and now she looks at me like I’m her son, with such a friendly and kind face! (Her son is a wrestler and she loves cheering him on at his events like any other mother would!) And then today as I’m walking along I pass a “giggle” of younger Muslim girls, head scarves and all, and they glance and smile bashfully at me like I’m cute or something! LOL! Ah, once again the old adage holds true: People are people, all over the world. Even Muslims. Sure, people often put up a cultural or religious front, but break past it with a smile and some friendliness and people in general really aren’t that different across the world.
But that’s not to say that exceptions don’t exist…
