A response to Mr. Suleiman Bulbulia
I read with great amusement the tantrum thrown by a local Muslim apologist which appeared in the Daily Nation recently. Sadly, there were no shades of Averroes. The truth is Mr. Bulbulia, you were not amused at the article I referenced. You were upset at the section Why they Converted. Especially the part where it reads, “For some of these brothers and sisters it is important that the area where they live now, or where they originally come from, is not too closely identified to ensure either their own safety or that of their families.” If readers are confused at that statement, a quick visit to both www.persecution.net and the persecution section at Christianity Today, will open your eyes. That Mr. Bulbulia, is the world I live in. But the question still remains unanswered: How can you regard Jesus as a great teacher whilst, in the same breath, claim that the central message of His teaching, “Ye must be born again”, is not true? Jesus reminds you, don’t shoot the messenger now: “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). He asks that you note two things. One, the word “Ye” is plural in the original Greek, which means it applies to all men and women. Two, the word “must” is a very strong word and does not imply an option. I really see no way around this except to believe that Jesus is wrong; which immediately negates the claim that “He is a great teacher”. This places you squarely in the “religious intolerant” camp (previously thought to be monopolized by Christendom). Let me make it abundantly clear, I do not have a beef with Muslim people. Ever so often, I still fondly remember searching the streets of England with my friend from Malaysia who insisted that we must find a Halal meat shop to shop at for the farewell barbeque for our group. However, I do have a beef with your philosophy. A philosophy that would have us believe that all of the problems in Muslim countries are the direct result of "the occupation of the Western imperialist Zionist forces". Funny enough, I wonder if this response would be published in the “dailies” in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Praise the Lord for democracies where we can respond. Apparently, certain people do not want us to Know Islam. A bit of an appeaser perhaps?
