Thread by @SarahIJoseph

This morning's Pause for Thought: (Thread)

I’ve been thinking about three people this week.
- Jesus, as it was Easter weekend.
- Martin Luther King Jr, as it was the 53rd anniversary of his assassination on Sunday.

#Easter #MLK53 #MLKDAY

- And Mahatma Gandhi, as today is the anniversary of The Salt March – a 24 day protest against the British Salt Tax in India.

We often talk of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther-King Jr. in glowing terms. But actually their lives were lives of difficulty.

All three of them promoted non-violent resistance against injustice, yet often I feel we sanitise their stories, and neuter their contributions to history.

I’ll never forget an American gentleman coming into my office a number of years ago, asking me to support his peace march. “It’s completely non-political”, he said, by way of encouragement, “Just like Jesus and Gandhi.”

I looked at him across my desk. “Jesus and Gandhi were both very political,” I said. “What do you think the overturning of the money lenders’ tables in the Temple was all about? What was Gandhi’s Salt March if it wasn’t direct action?”

He looked at me, confused. He left the office and I never heard from him again. I guess we weren’t on the same page!

In 1999 there was an Easter ad campaign about Jesus. The slogan: “Meek. Mild. As if!”, was accompanied by a rather revolutionary image of Christ. It caused quite a furore, but I personally thought the campaign was powerful.

At a time of year when the Easter message can be reduced to chocolate eggs and fluffy bunnies, I’m rather inclined towards things which shake things up a bit.

As a Muslim, I believe in Jesus. He’s a much revered and beloved prophet within the Islamic tradition. His life’s example was to speak truth to power, and to defend the poor, the oppressed, and the outcasts.

I often hear people talk about religion as if it’s irrelevant to our modern age. For me, I’ve worked in interfaith for 30 years or more, and some of the most revolutionary, radical, and relevant people I’ve ever met have been priests and rabbis.

Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr, are both contemporary examples of people who drew on faith to promote justice.

I find their message powerful, mirroring the Qur’anic maxim, “Be just, for justice is the closest thing to awareness of God.” For me, that message is as relevant today, as it ever was.

Not sure I got that thread fully in order!
But here is the recording from the BBC
bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…