"God is greater . . . Come to prayer . . . come to well-being." Why are those words so frightening?

It is indeed a tragedy of our current world that most Western people do not distinguish between the gentle people of the Islamic faith and the violent extremists.

In this post, I am not focusing on the violent extremism but on the positive aspects of the daily prayer, the adhan.

Jordan Denari is a researcher at Georgetown's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and a former Fulbright Fellow in Amman, Jordan.   He writes in response to the unfortunate controversy that arose over Duke University's short-lived plan to include the Islamic call to prayer from the bell tower of the Duke Chapel.    Largely the result of anti-Muslim rants from Christian evangelist Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, the plan was cancelled as too risky at this point in time.    (See my two ShrinkRap posts on January 15th).

Instead of the call coming from the chapel tower itself, the prayer call will be from the steps of the Chapel, and students will be invited to pray there in front of the chapel.

It's not the first time I have been sharply critical of Franklin Graham, whose NGO relief organization Samantha's Purse does a lot of good in the area of global poverty and hunger.   But his prejudices (anti-gay, anti-Muslim) make him -- to my thinking -- a shameful scion of the generally admirable Rev. Billy Graham.   Even though I strongly disagreed with Billy Graham's theology, he did not strike me personally as a hate-filled bigot as his son seems to have become.

But, let me turn back to what impressed me about Jordan Denari's essay, which was picked up by the Huffington Post.   He writes:

". . . Like the rest of the country, universities are fraught with busyness and competing distractions. Students rush around, faces buried in smart phones and heads cluttered with things to do.

"Given this grim reality of college life, it's too bad the Islamic call to prayer won't be proclaimed from Duke University's bell tower. The adhan can be an antidote to some of the challenges college students face. . . . 

"But what was missed in those debates was the meaning and purpose of the adhan: encouraging deeper mindfulness among those who hear it.  The adhan, like the ringing of church bells, calls us to gratitude, appreciation and attentiveness . . . .  Religious and non-religious students alike have much to gain from being called from the chaos of their days to remember the greater purpose and meaning of their lives. . . .


"When I lived abroad in Amman, Jordan . . .  "The adhan became something that I, as a Catholic, grew to deeply appreciate and enjoy. Countless times, the words "Come to prayer, Come to well-being," prompted me to step back from my day and remember what was most important. . . . "

Amen.   Thank you, Jordan Denari.

Ralph