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Christians see possible conversion of Muslims
Faith-based groups are poised to help with humanitarian aid in Iraq once the fierce fighting has subsided, and in some cases, Christians hope to offer more.
Many of the religious relief teams, such as a Quaker organization in San Francisco and a Buddhist group in Milpitas, are armed only with cans of food, Band-Aids and toothbrushes.
But a fraction of the agencies view the war as more than a relief effort. They see it is a golden opportunity to convert this predominantly Muslim country to Christianity, and along with supplies, they carry the New Testament and the message of Jesus Christ.
Iraq is in what some Christians call the “Last Frontier,'' or the “10/40 Window.'' That refers to the area 10 degrees to 40 degrees above the Equator, stretching from North Africa to China and containing the world's largest populations of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Listed on several 10/40 Web sites such as 1040window.org and AD2000.org, Christians are urged to pray for and convert these “unreached'' souls.
This week, the Southern Baptists' International Mission Board and the Rev. Franklin Graham, who runs the Samaritan's Purse in Richmond, Va., announced their groups are in Jordan poised to offer physical and spiritual help. Both groups advocate “church planting'' all over the world.
“This is a sensitive topic in the Middle East,'' said Khalil Jassemm, president of Life for Relief and Development, a Southern California Islamic non-profit agency. “Some Muslims associate missionaries with military power. They come during wartime, and it becomes a very delicate situation.''
If the missionaries are simply there to donate blankets and food, Jassemm said he applauds their efforts.
But if they come to preach Christianity to Muslims, Jassemm said it's not appreciated, even though he's sure his fellow brethren can handle themselves.
“Christians have been doing this for centuries, it's nothing new,'' he said. “Muslims can listen and make up their own minds.''
Jassemm's relief agency, started in 1993 shortly after the gulf war and accredited with the United Nations, is holding a fundraiser at the Muslim Community Association in Santa Clara on April 12.
Some groups say they do proselytize while offering relief aid, but they insist there are no strings attached to the supplies they give away.
“We're not Rice Christians,'' said Greg Koenig, spokesman for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod World Relief in St. Louis, which has one relief worker in Iraq as well as a missionary branch working around the world. “We render physical aid no matter what. But most groups like ours are not afraid to say, `We're Christian and we have a message as well as assistance.' ''
The term “Rice Christian'' refers to a time when missionary groups, mostly in India and China, would withhold bags of rice if the recipients wouldn't come to church, Koenig said.
The majority of the religious groups that work with the nation's largest relief clearing house, InterAction based in Washington, D.C., have the implicit understanding that proselytizing is not accepted.
Even though there is no specific rule, InterAction officials said an ultra-evangelical group likely won't be invited to be a member of the coalition under a selective peer review system.
So far, 40 agencies are part of InterAction's coalition to provide relief in Iraq.
At least half are faith-based and include the American Jewish World Service, Baptist World Aid, Catholic Relief Services and International Orthodox Christian Charities.
In the Bay Area, the Quaker-based American Friends Service Committee, along with help from a Buddhist group, the Tzu Chi Foundation in Milpitas, are shipping off health kits to displaced Iraqi families.
The United Nations estimates it may take $125 million to provide emergency relief during the initial aftermath of the war.
Catharine Hunter, head of the new Quaker-affiliated San Francisco Friends School, acknowledged that her own religion's history is filled with missionary zeal, citing Quaker churches set up around Africa.
But during the current crisis, the American Friends Service Committee has no agenda other than to package shampoo, medical kits and nail clippers for Iraqi war victims.
She said her kindergartners helped collect these items as part of their faith-driven mission of “peaceful problem-solving.''
“Missionaries have often gone wrong
and often done it right,'' she said. “It's a mixed bag. But now is not
the time to be pushing a faith-attached donation.'
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