Today we are gathered in front of someone who is not of our religion! Is this not a trap? Open your ears and listen, dear Muslims,” said one of the imams who attended our April 16, 2011 meeting. Three other imams also spoke out after my 30-minute presentation. Their group had come prepared for a heated debate, and they were ready to humiliate me. But God was at work.

After the first meeting with our Christian friends of other denominations on February 5, it took almost three months to arrange our next faith-dialog meeting with our Muslim friends. We shared our invitation cards with elders we knew well in our quarter, some friends who had shown open-mindedness and interest, some representatives of soccer teams we had gotten to know during our soccer tournament last year, and some of the 40 imams we surveyed some years ago. On the day of the meeting, about 35 people showed up. Among them were 10 imams and 10 others who serve as muezzins and alphas—a good group of Kandi’s Muslim community leaders.

Though I was familiar with the majority of the attendees, there were five I didn’t know. One, an authority on Muslim theology, was visiting Kandi. He works as secretary in an Islamic university in Niger. He was staying in the hotel where we hosted our meeting, and the four other men I didn’t know were there to visit him. These five noticed our gathering and decided to participate.

While my friends made encouraging comments about my sociability and my support of the Kandi community, our unexpected guests were very critical. The Muslim theologian questioned why, as a Christian, I was quoting the Quran instead of the Bible. He warned his fellow Muslims to be wary of my intentions. Quoting Muhammad, he said, “Christians will always want others to follow them.” One after another, the five men addressed different points of my presentation. They said they knew my intentions for organizing such a meeting. They said it was fine if my goal was to promote Islam, but if this was not the case, may Allah expose me and protect them. In benediction, they said, “May Allah give the Muslim community victory over her enemies and send evil back to where it comes from.”

My friends felt embarrassed and even angry about the unkind words of the five men, but they kept their peace. A good number of them, including the elders of my neighborhood, stayed after the meeting to speak with me. They encouraged me, voicing their disagreement with the negative comments of the five visitors. They assured me they had been witness to my sincerity and honesty in matters of faith and that I had their support in my goal of promoting religious freedom. One of them, a journalist at the local radio station, did an interview with me. One of the elders who stayed back even told me he would not have any problem letting his children pray with me.

To sum up, our first official meeting with our Muslim friends was a success on at least three fronts: 1) We had evident support from a considerable group of the Muslim community.

2) The radical group still shows interest in dialoguing with us. 3) We have been identified by most as being aligned with righteous faith principles. We thank God for His presence at the meeting and His guidance toward the end. It was the first of many such meetings that will take place at our Center for Faith Dialog and Research. We are confident that the Lord will continue to do His work among our Dendi Muslim friends. Thanks for your prayers and support. Our center is almost complete, and we look forward to being able to use it soon. God bless you for your commitment to be a part of our team.

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