Violence in the M.E. – Let’s Make a Movie Part 2 – Responding to the Polite Push-backs

In my previous post, I suggested that Christians make a documentary “Open-Letter” style movie to Muslims in the Middle East in an effort to seek forgiveness, reconciliation and peacemaking.

Like many blogs, there are a number of hits but only a few comments. The ones I receive are generally positive (which I am grateful for) and the push backs that I get are usually from my friends in the form of emails or conversations (which I am grateful for as well). But it does make it a bit more challenging to facilitate conversation here so I asked permission to share a few thoughts in response to the push backs. I hope I communicate them clearly and fairly.

The first is “Let the Arab world take care of itself …. In fact, whenever America (or the West) gets involved, we’ve added further hurt and done more damage.”

This is problematic for me on a number of levels.
One many of us still have relatives and family friends that live in the M.E. so to stop caring and seeking involvement seems like an un-natural reaction (to the least).
Two, it’s un-Christian to turn your back on any demographic.
Three, on a different level, it’s to the benefit of everyone (including Americans) to find solutions to problems of hate, violence and war. It’s a globalized world, problems cannot be quarantined in a particular region for any significant length of time.

Another shared similarly that “That there has always been violence in the Middle East and there always will be.”
This has been true and may prove to be but the future of the M.E. is beyond our control. What we as people can do is respond faithfully to the opportunities before us. I offer this as gently as I can but our faithfulness begins by not excusing ourselves from the issues at hand. If we can help, let’s help.

Someone chuckled with me regarding how effective a movie can really be. In one sense I do agree that the scope of a movie is limited. I just think this is something that non-government, non-military, regular types like us can actually do.

Further, because such violence is being done in the name of this Innocence of Muslims trailer, I thought it was an interesting response. I get that angry and violent hearts that have bought into a particular narrative regarding their identity and their understanding of the West has to pre-exist but I simply don’t believe that it always has to be this way.

One of the advances of our world is that we have the opportunity to hurt and bless each other through technologies like the internet.  Seems appropriate to try.

“Sounds like a guy who is still inspired by Kony 2012.” Ok, I said that to myself but maybe perhaps it crossed the minds of a few others – who knows?
We could fill a lot of blog space about what we learned from “Kony 2012.” Here’s what I think is appropriate for here. The most important thing that Invisible Children has done has invited young people to care about others they will likely never, ever meet. While I do not think that this generation is any more inward and selfish than previous ones, it’s always been incredible to hear 15 year olds express their thoughts on issues like trafficking.

What if we could inspire 15 year olds to care about those in the Middle East?
What if this went a step further and what if we could inspire 15 year olds in the Middle East to care about their counterparts in the West?

So, who wants to make a movie?

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For more check out these site and posts that I’ve enjoyed lately.

Preemptive Love– “Violence unmakes the world but love unmakes violence and remakes the world” – Jeremy Courtney. His organization lives and works in Iraq training local heart surgeons and nurses until they can eradicate the backlog of children waiting in line for lifesaving surgery.

“Why Is the Arab World So Easily Offended?” by Fouad Ajami – Washington Post Opinion Page

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