Bridging Cultural and Religious Divides

I always love the chance to share uplifting stories! Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, one of the most successful state-level pro-life groups in the country, is sending representatives to meet with pro-life leaders in Africa. Even cooler? Some of said leaders are Muslim.

Executive Director Scott Fischbach will speak at meetings in four East African nations, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar, beginning Sunday.

“This is a dream come true to actually meet, speak to and share directly with the pro-life contacts that MCCL GO has been working with via the Internet, phone and fax over the last 18 months,” Fischbach told LifeNews.com. “To finally be able to work hand-in-hand with those who fight to defend the unborn and their moms in Africa is a true honor.”

The initial schedule includes pro-life addresses at an East African regional conference held at the Mbagala Spiritual Center in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Meetings in Stone Town, Zanzibar, will be held with various Islamic leaders not only from Zanzibar, but also from Pemba. Several high-level meetings will take place in Kampala, Uganda; this is also where MCCL GO has been asked to speak with students at two major Ugandan universities.

American-Muslim relations currently leave a lot to be desired. According to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, more than a quarter of Americans (see page 4) report “at least some prejudice” against Muslims. And that’s just those who will admit it.

Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life is in a good position to have productive conversations with Muslims, because as far as I can tell they are religiously neutral and single-issue. While I am not Muslim and do not agree with all that Islam stands for, I welcome Muslim participation in the pro-life movement and hope that this conference will empower Africans of all faiths to stand up for their pro-life values.