Ask The McMurrays (by Thom)

When we get the same question posed to us by different people, we realize that maybe more people are wondering the same question. When this happens, we try to answer the questions in a column called “Ask The McMurrays.”

We’ve been asked a couple of times now about the local reaction to the European political cartoons depicting Muhammad. Mali is a country that is 90% Muslim, and the president is also Muslim. We’ve read the news reports of rioting in various parts of the world: Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. However, the response here has been decidedly different. I read a local paper today, and it described a protest march that happened this past Saturday. The march was quiet and uneventful. In fact, when you read about “moderate Muslims”, Malian Muslims could be the poster child. There are extremists here, and their numbers are growing slowly, but they are a small minority. I talked with my Malian colleague today and asked him what the average person thought about the characters. His response was what I expected – most people don’t like them, and think they shouldn’t have been published, but believe in the freedom of the press. Whereas most Muslims in other parts of the world have complained about the act of depicting Muhammad, people here complain more about the context of the depiction.

One more thing: my colleague pointed out that many Christian churches here in Mali makes it a point to not discuss Muhammad in terms of evangelism. We can talk about Jesus openly, but when Muhammad enters the conversation, they will become defensive. That’s a good reminder to keep Jesus in front, and point to the Truth.

By the way, if you have a question about our missionary life in Bamako, Mali, please drop us an email at mcmali@gmail.com. If your question is specifically for Thom or Amanda, please indicate that in the email. Feedback is a wonderful way for us to know what interests those who read this.