By Chin Ai Oh | Contributor
Imagine yourself at 14 years old. While watching a detective show, you get the brilliant idea of making your own clock-your most creative science project yet. As you tinker around, figuring out how each component fits, your heart pounds with excitement. You anticipate everyone's reactions when you show them your creation: your family, friends, teachers, classmates, and maybe, just maybe, the whole school. You expect your teacher to be proud of your work.
Most likely, that was how Ahmed Mohamed expected his teachers to respond when he brought his homemade clock to school on Sept. 14. But he received no affirmation or encouragement. Instead, he was hushed and told to hide the clock. When it started beeping, his teacher thought it might be a bomb.
Ahmed Mohamed is a Muslim. Were the authorities overreacting and jumping to conclusions when they assumed Ahmed had created a bomb? Did they react that way because Ahmed was a Muslim or was it really a precautionary measure?
This is not an isolated incident. Americans have a tendency to view all Muslims as terrorists, ignoring their individuality for the stereotype.
Not all Muslims are terrorists. Not all Muslims see the Quran as a law that commands them to persecute those who have wronged them. Not all Muslims see non-Muslims as the evil ones. But do you know what all Muslims are? They are all people created in God's image who desperately need to know the truth and good news of Jesus Christ.
The United States, a country that extols religious freedom, might be just the place for truth to spread among Muslims to gain momentum. Islam has strict laws against apostasy (renunciation of one's faith) and conversion. In countries where Islam represents the dominant or governing religion, various punishments-including death-may be carried out on those who try to proselytize.
I come from such a country. While Malaysia's government claims to allow the practice of religious freedom, her main people group, the Malays, are culturally Muslim. From generation to generation, whole families must remain Muslim, with little to no chance of ever hearing the Gospel in their lifetime.
Beneath the tudung (the headscarf worn by Muslim females) is a girl who laughs at sarcastic jokes, cries over sappy movies, sings to One Direction and studies for her SATs. And for as long as she can remember, that same girl has gone to the prayer room and recited her prayer to Allah five times a day without fail. Muslims are people too.
They are capable of loving and reflecting God's image too. As Christ-followers, when will we realize that Muslims are also fearfully and wonderfully made in God's own image? When will we acknowledge that God's heart is breaking for His people and allow Him to break our hearts for His children?
The U.S. represents a privileged place where we can share the Gospel with Muslims-like Ahmed and his family-who are already living here. The U.S. should be a place where Muslims can have the chance to hear God's good news rather than a place where they are treated as terrorists. Let us react to difficult situations like Ahmed's case wisely and responsibly in our social media, speech and actions. And may we, as people after God's heart, love those who are not easily lovable. Jesus died for all mankind, including the Muslims.
