1. Be Courageous: Just Say Hi!
Often I hear, “I’m ready to get involved but I feel overwhelmed. How do I start?” That’s a fair question. While there may be no single answer the first step toward developing a friendship with Muslims can be as simple as just saying “Hi.”
For some of us, it may seem daunting to even think about walking up to a Muslim and just saying “Hi,” but it doesn’t have to be. Why? Because over the years I’ve walked up to hundreds (maybe thousands) of Muslims and just said “Hi” and have never ever felt anything but warmth and acceptance. Without a doubt, Muslims come from a religion and culture where there is a high value on friendship, kindness and hospitality. When you begin a relational journey with a Muslim by just saying hi, you will find warmth, acceptance and what I trust will be a beautiful lifelong friend. So be willing to “Just Say Hi!”
Let’s Get Practical
Applying the following practical principles will help you begin this wonderful journey of making lifelong friends with Muslims, which begins by saying hi.
Start With Regular Prayer. Ask God to fill you with His love for Muslims. He certainly loves them the same way He loves you and everyone. Ask God to show you that every person from every nation, tongue, and tribe has been created in the image of God and are objects of his offer of love and forgiveness. Asking God to help you see Muslims as God sees them will be a game changer.
Greet In a Culturally Relevant Way Muslims worldwide greet by saying “As-Salem-u-Alaikum.” “As-Salem-u-Alaikum” means peace be with you. There are scores of YouTube videos on how to greet a Muslim. Here is a simple YouTube video which will get you started. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEApCv1bIeg The important thing is that you start!
Greet With Thankfulness When you’re out and about and see a Muslim in the grocery store, Walmart, or just about anywhere, stop and thank God that He’s answered your prayer and is giving you an opportunity to show his love by greeting in a cultural relevant way. When you see a Muslim, walk up and say, "As-Salam-u-Alaikum," you will find that although your Arabic pronunciation is terrible, (mine is) Muslims will appreciate you trying.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions or Show Interest In Them. What do you say after you greet? There are no formula or steps to follow after we greet a Muslim, but I like to establish why I’m greeting them. I may say something like, “I just wanted to greet you and say ‘Hi.’ May I ask where you are from?” Or I may say, “I’ve learned to have such a love for the Muslim people, may I ask where you are from?” Or, often if I’m walking through a grocery store and hear another language I may walk up and politely say, “Hi,” excuse me. Forgive me, but may I ask what language that is?” Or, “Excuse me, is that Arabic?” If they say yes, then I’ll say, “O, I’m so glad. Where are you from?”
Be Relaxed Have Fun! You are walking into a God ordained moment with someone you’ve already been praying for. Be sure your body language, and smile, communicate how happy and excited you are! If the way you greet transmits how super excited you are to greet them, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much love and kindness your Muslim friend will show you in return. On an extremely rare occasion, after I greet and ask, “May I ask where you are from?” or “Excuse me, may I ask what language you are speaking?” I may get a “Why do you want to know?” When I hear that, I know that it is not hostile just curiosity. I’ll say something like, “O, I have wonderful Arab friends. I was wondering if you might possibly be Arab. I so love Arab people.” What I’m telling you are only examples of how to get started. Be sure to greet within your personality and who God made you. But I can assure you that if you ask God to give you His love for Muslims you will WANT to greet them. And, if you greet warmly because of God’s love, you will find quickly that you will have an open door to their hearts and an incredible friendship.
After Saying “Hi!” Maybe you’re reading this saying, “OK, I really want to do this, I’m willing. But what do I say after I greet?” That’s a fair question. The answer really is simple. Let me tell you this from personal experience. We lived for over twenty years in a foreign country. We lived among people with a different language, culture and religion. We know well what it means to be a foreigner, talk with an accent, and to be perceived as “different” from the host culture. When we were foreigners, it was a powerful and meaningful gesture when someone from the host culture would walk up to me and warmly say, “Hi! Where are you from?” If I perceived they were sincere and really wanted to get to know me, I would immediately respond with appreciation and a desire to get to know them. Some of those people who walked up to me years ago and said, “Hi!! Where are you from?” became lifelong friends. After greeting and adding a few follow up questions you could transition into something like, “It has been so nice to meet and talk to you. I’m fascinated by your language and culture. Would you mind if we exchanged numbers so we could meet and talk again?! I would be honored to talk to you again. Can we get together for tea or coffee sometime soon.” I know in a North American cultural context it would not be viewed as appropriate to meet someone and ask for personal information such as a phone number. Remember that you are not dealing with North Americans. When Muslims perceive your love for them they will readily respond.
So start and just say hi!