A Poem...

In light of the many un-American acts and speeches of intolerance I have witnessed in the past weeks, most notably that of Mr. Terry Jones of Gainesville, FL, I would like to share a lovely poem with you, from Rukhsana Khan's book Muslim Child: Understanding Islam through Stories and Poems. This is a wonderful book for introducing Islam to children and other people who are curious about it.

Muslim Child, by Rukhsana Khan

Muslim Child
child of Peace,
child of War,
from a far-off distant shore,
what do your black eyes see?

My eyes are not only black.
Sometimes they are blue as the sky
or green as the tropical sea
or brown as the trunk of a palm tree
and every shade in between.

My skin can be black as molasses
or as pink as the blush on a rose,
as golden as freshly made honey
or dark copper brown as a penny
and every shade in between.

I am the richest of the rich
and the poorest of the poor;
as famous as famous can be;
a general's child, pampered and bored;
a soldier's child, orphaned by war;
and every rank in between.

I come from many countries,
speaking many languages,
but with one set of beliefs.
I believe in Noah and Jesus and Abraham,
Muhammed and Moses and in GOd who sent them
and in every messenger in between.
(God bless them.)

So then,
Muslim Child,
child of Peace,
What do your bright eyes see?

I see that we're each a piece in
the puzzle of humanity.
I'll try to understand you
if you try to understand me.

Terry Jones claims that he believes Jesus Christ would tell him to burn Korans. Has Terry Jones read the Bible lately? He is inciting people to violence, which is no different from him committing the violence himself.

It is my fervent, fervent prayer, wish hope, dream, desire, that this extremist will somehow see how unChristian and how unAmerican his behavior is, and does not carry out his Nazi-like book burning. I pray for those that will be touched by the violence of this entire ordeal, should it take place. Yes, there is freedom of speech, and Jones is covered by the 1st amendment. But the 1st amendment also grants people the freedom to practice the religion they choose.