Ramadan, the special month of fasting and prayer for Muslims begins this Friday August 21.  Our friends at ReadtheSpirit.com published an article introducing Ramadan to non-Muslims and will be publishing various information and stories throughout the month at their Sharing Ramadan website.  The conclusion of writer Raad Alawan’s introduction highlights an important point about the value of prayer and fasting:

“This is a powerful theme that members of other faiths can appreciate. Jesus thought fasting was good for the soul. So do Jews, who fast on Yom Kipper; and Catholics who fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. My point? We’re more unified than it may seem sometimes. And isn’t that what we all seek in life?”  Click here to read the article in full.

While the thought of Rick Warren speaking at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual conference this July has apparently caused quite a furor for certain Christian bloggers, others highlight that the real emphasis should be first of all, on love for neighbor. Robert Parham at “On Faith” comments:

Jesus did not spell out prerequisites for doing right for one’s neighbor. Jesus did not tell his followers that they had to agree with their neighbors about God and the source of eternal salvation before they could love their neighbor. Love for neighbor wasn’t a doctrinal issue, it was a moral imperative.