Mira and I were riding back with Maggie's Mom from Western PA on Sunday when we drove by a church that read on a large marquis "Jesus is Here!" I couldn't believe it. I just started laughing. It is not out of disrespect or anything, but it seems as though having "Jesus is Here" in large red marquis letters flashing off and on is a bit much for me -- or anyone for that matter.
I know I am not used to seeing these types of signs in the US at all but especially in SW PA it seemed really out of place to me.
It seemed to me that Jesus was some kind of stand-up comic performing through the weekend.
For myself, to be reminded of God does not mean a large sign in flashing red marquis letters, or a church in the shape of a lighthouse just a few miles away from the red marquis church, but instead means hearing the beautiful adhan 5 times a day, at dawn, at noon, at mid-afternoon, at sunset, then at night. The beauty of Islam is not what I see with my eyes but what I feel in my own heart.
Perhaps seeing that sign along the highway reminded even more me how much I miss hearing the adhan and how much I miss Cairo.
Ma'salaam,
~Marian
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
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4 comments:
There is unfortunately so many people without religion and beliefs, and a sign like that could attract people, as a reminder that there is a higher God.
It's a shame that in a Christian land like the USA people need signs to remind them of Jesus and God.
In an islamic country there is the 5x daily call for prayer ... isn't that also a sign to call people? So there is no difference ... so why consider it strange?
Dont be surprised Sis. PA is becoming more and more redneck by the day. On your next trip here you might find a sign that says "Jesus is Here...Free Beer" Anything to gather the faithful ;-)
Looks like a new cinema has just opened in Cairo. It is quite expensive to get in and you don't really know what movie you will be watching until you are in your seat. There are days the movie is exciting and you get to see people throwing shoes at each other and there are days when it is quite dull. All the movies have not passed the censor and some of them are cheap remakes of the original ones. You can even bring in your own popcorn or nuts if you have a "Wasta"! If you don't like the movie that is showing you can fall asleep. You even get paid to attend. Either way you are spending someone else's money. The poor Egyptian tax payer remember them?
come check out the pictures on my blog :
http://egyptiankangaroo.blogspot.com/
Nina - The red marquis is strange to me because in Islam the call to prayer is universal - the same wherever you are in the world, at the same times (according to local time zones) throughout the world. No matter where Muslims are located in the world, the call to prayer is the same, as are the Quran and the prayers. There is no room for interpretation of Islam as the root religion. Sunnis and Shias read the same quran yet are still the part of the same Muslim ummah (community). I understand that the sign in PA may have attracted some people to join the church in worship, but to me personally it was a showing of complete disrespect to Jesus. Peace.
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