Thanks so much for this gracious comment. And I'm glad you shared the bit about your nephew...the reality is I have never seen horrors like he has. I appreciate how you laid out media horror stories and yet end with what I believe to be true as well. It doesn't matter. We're called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute. Thanks for that reminder. And also for the kind words.

Thanks so much for sharing this story Raelene. It's a perfect picture of relationships changing us - holding fast to our beliefs, yet ever-willing to respect,love and learn.

Hi Jerry - thanks for the comment. It's precisely because there is often a "crusade" like mentality that we wrote the article. As someone raised in Pakistan I have no illusions. I could have chosen to write about my father being beaten up by Muslims when I was 6 years old, or my mom and I being surrounded by a crowd of men three feet thick in a village in Pakistan. I (we) chose to not write those stories this time, but write what we learned from the majority of our friends as we watched them work out a different faith. It's not a matter of making it acceptable - whether we like it or not Islam is a major world religion, and there are things that are inexcusable in the Muslim world, things that horrify Muslims themselves. This article was from a perspective not often heard in the western church - a perspective that attempts to build bridges. Jesus was not afraid to engage or dialogue and this was an attempt to engage.

Thank you so much for these words Jordan.

Thank you so much for reading - I wrote that article before we visited at Christmas time. If you are interested I invite you to take a look at these two posts: http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/12/29/tahrir-square-walls-and-graffiti/ and http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/12/26/cairo-christmas-a-weary-world-rejoices/