But since the destruction on Monday, the Muslim community in Joplin has also seen an outpouring of love—coming from its neighbors in Joplin, as well as from around the world. A website was set up to raise money to rebuild the mosque, and as of Friday evening more than $305,000 in donations had poured in. Also, in what could perhaps be viewed as another example of Christians and Muslims coming together, an Episcopal church in Joplin hosted an iftar meal on Wednesday, while a student attending a Christian college in Joplin has organized an event for later this month entitled “Neighbors—Joplin Mosque Rally.” The affair will take place August 25 in a local park and will include food and live music from local bands.
“When there’s an act of hate, you have a choice to make it something beautiful. So that’s what this is all about: making things beautiful from things that aren’t,” said 20-year-old Ashley Carter, organizer of the rally.
Carter is a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin and she says she was inspired by “my love for Jesus. And I know that Jesus calls us to love people.” On her Facebook page she writes:
As of Friday evening, nearly 600 people had posted that they planned to attend.
What’s going on in Joplin has even attracted attention from the mainstream media:
By Josh Levs, CNN
(CNN) - When 20-year-old Ashley Carter heard about a mosque burned to the ground in her town this week, she was shocked.
"I was very saddened," she told CNN on Wednesday. "I thought it was very evil."
So Carter, a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri, texted a friend, suggesting they organize an event "promoting acts of love."
But quickly, the idea changed: They would organize a "rally of people coming together, from all walks of life, all religions, a really diverse group of people trying to promote this radical love."
Read more
If you go on and read the rest of the story, you’ll also find that members of a Jewish group, the United Hebrew Congregation, were expected to take part in the iftar meal. Also, more on the Joplin story can be found here.
Carter’s ideas about “radical love” and “paying it forward” are interesting ideas. Is there perhaps a lesson to be learned from all this?
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
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