The siege in a cafe in the CBD in Sydney last week by a Muslim radical has led to a flurry of Muslim/anti-Muslim interviews, news stories here in the UK and overheard casual commentary on trains and in coffee houses. The act of violence and spectacle again raises the issue of conflict, distrust and even hatred between “us” and “them”. This fear and distrust is uncomfortable especially when it is in your face. I noticed while traveling by train from Lancaster to London on surely one of the busiest train travel days of the year (the weekend before Christmas) a large group of Muslim women in full chador were gathered at the station. There was such a large number we presumed they were attending some sort of conference or special event in London. With public sentiment ruffled again with recent events their presence had the feeling of Darth Vador showing up unexpectedly in the Hallelujah chorus sung by an English boys choir. Their presence duly noted we went on about the business of getting a family of four with attendant luggage (sadly I have yet to learn the benefits of traveling light) on board the train in a pulsating crowd in two minutes. This group of chador clad women busted through the train doors with no thought to who they knocked out of the way, thus blocking passage for the throngs attempting to push onto the train. They could have been any body but their advertised Muslim dress and actions warranted grimaces, stares and not a few mutterings of “Bloody hell!” I, too, muttered under my breath at their apparent thoughtlessness as we all tried to share the same carriage. Real feelings of “us and them” arose and I didn’t like the feelings. Rather than just dismiss them I decided to extend love by asking Holy Spirit when I finally got settled on the train.
Love is more than just sugar and spice.
Me: What do I need to see/know/hear here? On both sides of this “divide” I feel the distrust, hatred and “anti-ness”.
HS: God is in you because God is you. This distrust will continue until true trust in the Divine Nature is remembered.
This “anti-trust” serves the purpose, too, of highlighting the deep vein of lack of trust and covering over of the truth of the Divine. Radical elements is what will lead to wholeness because it is so disastrously separating. Through this discord the need/desire for the truth of wholeness will be revealed.
Do not fear this. Listen within in each moment to what what and when to do whatever your next step is. Each one is learning to listen within and know the Wholeness that is shared. I am with you always. Each one of you.
Joy returned not so much in my feeling all warm and cozy with this group of seemingly arrogant women but in noticing how I felt and allowing it. In asking Holy Spirit I realized all things are serving the greater purpose of returning to the awareness of Love’s Presence and weirdly at that point I sent up a little internal ‘You GO girls!” to these very noticeable women and wished them God-speed.
