Jesus In Islam

Many Christians this week will be celebrating Consider Christianity Week as a means of equipping Christians with facts and evidence in support of Christianity for effective communication of Christian values with others. Christianity is considered the second of the three Abrahamic religions, the first being Judaism and the third Islam and should be understood within the construct of history and from it's position as part of a gradual process of revelation, however, it is not always understood as such. On account of this, there have unfortunately been numerous occasions throughout history where war and violence have erupted amongst believers of the Abrahamic religions with many such eruptions still reverberating today.

The Institute of Interfaith Dialog here in Houston recently held a panel discussion posing the theory that there is potential for a clash of civilizations between Christianity and Islam as a means of addressing some of the fears and misunderstandings between the two religions. And as realized during the panel discussion, there are as many points, if not more, that can be made in support of the numerous similarities bewteen Christianity and Islam as can be made in support of a potential clash.

One fact that Christians may not be well aware of is that Muslims also believe in Jesus, peace be upon him, and recognize him as one of those nearest to God. The Holy Quran, the Holy Book of scripture within the tradition of Islam reads in Surah 3 Ayat 45:

Behold! The angels said: "Oh Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of the company of those nearest to Allah;

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In Honor of Purple Hijab Day for Aasiya Hassan

My Sister
My sister is a confidant
My sister is a friend
My sister is the one I trust
To trust me till the end
My sister is a mirror
Who reflects my every flaw
And still she doesn’t judge me
And loves me even more
My sister is a looking glass
I see her beauty there
And yet there is no envy
There is no jealous glare
My sister is a muse
She inspires me to praise
My sister is a guide
She chastens all my ways
My sister is a jewel
A rare and precious stone
That I wear around my neck so that I never walk alone

Text copyright © 2001, 2010 Janette Grant

Islam and Black History Month

2010 marks the 34th year officially celebrating Black History Month. For generations, people have been celebrating and learning about the contributions of African Americans to American society since 1976 when Carter G. Woodson, the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, initiated the celebration of Black History Month as an extension to Negro History Week which he had established in 1926 as a means of documenting and researching the contributions of Africans to civilization. Woodson had seen first hand the lack of knowledge presented about African Americans while attending Harvard University, one of the top universities in the United States, and went about the task of rectifying the situation.

In effect, Black History Month became more than just a holiday; it became a way of rebuilding the psyche of American culture by reminding its citizens of teh great contributions that Africans and African Americans have made to the advancement of all aspects of society. Throughout the United States communities annually commemorate Black History Month with special events, concerts, lectures, plays, exhibits and various other forums to educate, inform and remind its citizens of African American achievements and discoveries.

In Houston, events like the Buffalo Soldiers display at local libraries and the Children's Express Theatre's presentation of the play, "The Freedom Train" at the African American Library at the Gregory School are just two examples of keeping our communities informed and thus more tolerant and better educated.

In light of that, a little known fact about the Islamic religion is that Islam was also rising to prominence among blacks iin the U.S. around the time that Negro History Week was being implemented by Carter G. Woodson.

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