Hi Raelene

Thank you for your comment at Provoketive Magazine (http://provoketive.com). We’re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment. Our desire is to provoke the reader’s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.  We want to invite you to come back soon and continue to participate in the conversation. 

Thank you,
Jonathan Brink
Provoketive Magazine

You posted the following comment:
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Thanks for sharing your experiences.  I only have an imagination when it comes to understanding other cultures (as a day-to-day lifestyle) because I have not experienced it first-hand like you have.  

A friend and I had a conversation about this very topic.  He plays basketball, globally, and spent a lot of time in other countries.  He previously despised Muslims.  He was partnered up with a roommate during sports travel and they became very close friends.  My friend shared how he has never been treated with so much love, respect, honor, and with an incredibly authentic approach that he knew he would be friends for life with this other man.  His new friend showed him around everywhere, made sure he had everything he needed in an unfamiliar country, introduced him friends, and frequently spoke about love and loyalty being the core of his life.  My friend said he has never met anyone so generous.  After some time, they were given a day off from basketball, so they roamed the area and finally got a chance to have dinner in a restaurant, and the man he met immediately kneeled down in prayer, in public, in front of everyone, without hesitation.  My friend asked him, "Are you Muslim?"  And he said, "yes."

To this day, they are close friends and they discuss religion and belief systems.  Neither one is trying to conform the other.  They are simply trying to create that bridge you mentioned.  My friend told me, "I don't know even one Christian who would kneel down in prayer, in front of everyone, in a public place, without hesitation for the love of God, so I respect his dedication to his beliefs, even if they are different than mine."