Lunch with a Muslim

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

I told her I am a Christian.  Her voice was soothing.  Reassuring.  "I love Jesus, too," she said.  "He is considered a prophet by Islam."

Former Muslims have all told me that those who adhere to the tenets of Islam cannot be trusted.  They are all capable of jihad.

I was having lunch with a Muslim woman.  I didn't know she was Muslim until the moment our food arrived.  I've known her for a few weeks.  She's kind, assuring, and caring.  She told me she loves her religion, and that she's upset that Islam has gotten such a bad rap.

"Reality is," I said, "that most terrorism is in the name of Islam."

"A few violent fools," she replied.  "They are not loving like Muslims are commanded to be."

The Koran says otherwise.

Allah is not loving, nor merciful, according to the words of Islam's holy text.

The Christian God, however, is merciful, loving, and was willing to die on a cross for our sins.

"Blasphemy," a Muslim once told me.  "Allah is too holy to step foot on Earth.  The idea that Jesus was God in the flesh is blasphemy."

The way to see where a Muslim stands is to ask them about Israel.

"Jews," she said, "are the source of all of the problems in the world.  They became Israel to take the oil.  It's all about oil, and they wish to take it.  I have books, if you like, to show you that you are wrong about it being their land."

"Should Israel be destroyed?"

"No," she said, "they should be relocated from the homeland."

Homeland.  For her the homeland is Palestine.  She told me she is Palestinian.  Married to a Syrian.  A local Muslim who attends the local mosque.  "Not every week," she said.  "On holy days."

I can see how easily people can be fooled.  She was sincere.  Sounded honest.  Worried that her religion was being misrepresented.

"I hate this talk about walls.  Don't you?  Trump banning Muslims.  It's horrible."

"Trump's wall?  I agree with it.  His immigration stance is among the reasons I voted for him.  Southern Mexico is fenced off, with guard towers and armed guards.  Should we not be able to do the same?"

She seemed honestly stunned.  "I hadn't thought of that.  Really?  Their border is guarded like that?"

"Yes," I said.  "Remember the Murrieta immigration protests in July of 2014?"

"Yes."

"I was a part of that."

"But, that was horrible.  Turning away families, like that."

I shook my head.  "Over a hundred people being processed at a facility designed for a couple dozen criminals is not what I call a good thing.  When I was on television over it I told them that my granddaughter had contracted a disease, one not common in our area.  Its spike coincided with the increase of illegal aliens being shipped into the area.  I want to protect my community from disease that has been eradicated in America.  Don't you?"

"Well," she said, "yes, but..."

"In 2005," I added, "San Ysidro did a report."

"What's San Ysidro?" she asked.

"That's the town at the San Diego border crossing.  Anyways, the report found that a large part of the Hispanic illegal aliens were connected to the drug cartels or criminal gangs.  One in three illegal border-crossers were of Middle Eastern descent, and even if terrorists are a small part of that, don't you think it would be wise for us, in the interest of protecting the receiving population, to use extreme vetting to ensure those coming into the country are not going to be a threat to our way of life?"

"Yes, but..."

"As for Islam, even if terrorists comprise only a small portion of the Muslim population, shouldn't we make sure the people coming into this country are not a part of that small contingent of terrorists?  It's like the old saying goes, if you had a bowl full of candies, and you knew a few of them were poison, would you grab a handful and eat them?"

She remained silent.

"During World War II, while we were at war with Germany, Italy and Japan, we limited immigration from those countries, not because we were being insensitive, but because we couldn't tell the good from the bad.  Same with Islam. You say Islam is peaceful, but mixed into that allegedly peaceful population are terrorists.  Shouldn't we make sure terrorists are not a part of the Muslim population coming into this country?"

"Yes, I agree."

"That's what Trump's executive order was about.  He isn't banning Muslims.  He's asking for additional vetting of people coming into this country from seven countries known to fund, promote, and support terrorism.  Part of the problem, be it Muslim, Mexican, or other folks, is that we no longer have immigrants coming to America to become American.  They are coming here to try to make America what they want it to be.  Do we want the United States to become Mexico, or Iran, or Syria, or Iraq?"

"No, I guess not."

"Don't believe what they tell you.  Believe what you learn.  There is nothing racist about what Trump is trying to do.  It's about national security."

"I believe you," she said.

I wonder.  She may agree, or she may simply have wanted me to believe she agreed.

While I wish to give her the benefit of the doubt, and I like the individual I had lunch with, in the back of my mind I still wondered if she was truly who she says she is, or if she is a Muslim practicing taqiyya.

She bought my book, 25 Myths of the United States Constitution, and accepted a pocket constitution.  For one of us the lunch was a learning experience.  Time will tell if I was a teacher, or a subject of deception.  I hope it is the former.  I truly like the woman I met, and I hope she was being truthful.  She came across as a loving human being.  But, because she's Muslim, I won't hold my breath on that one.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary