The other night I was invited to a meal at a local mosque. The hospitality was gorgeous; the food - tandori chicken, spring rolls, rice, stewed lamb, dal - was amazing, served hot and plenty, family style at big tables. It was all free.
Except that it wasn't. The intention of the evening was to debunk some myths about Islam. Sort of a "you've heard from all the rest, now hear it from us" kind of a thing. And that was a wonderful idea. I love the openness and the transparency they were going for.
Unfortunately, the "tour" turned out to be a sermon. I've been to plenty of similar events in Christian churches that had the same feel to them: instead of sharing, it was about converting.
In the old days of Christian missionaries, there was a term for this - "rice Christians," which meant people who were converted because they were given food when they were hungry.
I wasn't that hungry the other night, I have to say, even though I'd worked right through lunch.
I did eat too much, though, which may have been why I tossed and turned with dreams that night. I dreamt that religions, so full of hope and meaning, would be united by their highest efforts and the best good, rather than a lower common denominator like what I experienced that night. Give us your best, religions of the world, and call out our best in return...and then perhaps no one will ever go hungry again.
I can dream, right?
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