Keeping in mind that their focus yesterday was the sign put up by a Baptist minister in No. Carolina, and their press release in which they stressed that that minister has the right of free speech, today CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) leads its daily newsletter with these verses:
“Behold! The angels said: ‘O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and in (the company of) those nearest to God.'”
The Holy Quran, 3:45
“We gave (Jesus) the Gospel (Injeel) and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers.”
The Holy Quran, 57:27
HADITH OF THE DAY: ALL THE PROPHETS ARE BROTHERS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.”
And CAIR adds:
BAPTIST LEADER CONDEMNS ANTI-MUSLIM CHURCH MESSAGE — more below:
Morris H. Chapman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, issued the following statement regarding a controversy sparked by an anti-Muslim message displayed outside a North Carolina Baptist church: (See article below for background. The Southern Baptist Convention has more than 43,000 churches with more than 16 million members.)
“It is lamentable that Rev. Lovelace displayed a message on the sign in front of his church that applauds the desecration of the Koran. I do not know Rev. Lovelace personally, but no doubt he believes strongly in the Bible as God’s Word and Jesus Christ as the sole means of salvation for mankind, as do all Southern Baptists.
“Of course, the Koran does not support the beliefs of Southern Baptists, but we recognize and respect the rights of Muslims to believe as they choose. Furthermore, Southern Baptists wish to relate to our Muslim neighbors in a respectful manner that allows mutual sharing of our beliefs.
“The Southern Baptist Convention does not control the actions of any member church. It is not a denominational hierarchy. We cooperate as a network of churches and each church is autonomous, acting under its own authority. However, I know the heartbeat of Southern Baptists and I’m confident they will deeply regret the public display of this disrespectful comment about the Koran.”
