{"id":4423,"date":"2025-12-18T06:55:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T06:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=4423"},"modified":"2025-12-18T06:55:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T06:55:46","slug":"%f0%9d%90%93%f0%9d%90%a1%f0%9d%90%9e-%f0%9d%90%8f%f0%9d%90%9a%f0%9d%90%ab%f0%9d%90%9a%f0%9d%90%9b%f0%9d%90%a5%f0%9d%90%9e-%f0%9d%90%a8%f0%9d%90%9f-%f0%9d%90%ad%f0%9d%90%a1%f0%9d%90%9e-%f0%9d%90%86","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2025\/12\/18\/%f0%9d%90%93%f0%9d%90%a1%f0%9d%90%9e-%f0%9d%90%8f%f0%9d%90%9a%f0%9d%90%ab%f0%9d%90%9a%f0%9d%90%9b%f0%9d%90%a5%f0%9d%90%9e-%f0%9d%90%a8%f0%9d%90%9f-%f0%9d%90%ad%f0%9d%90%a1%f0%9d%90%9e-%f0%9d%90%86\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud835\udc13\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc0f\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc1b\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc28\ud835\udc1f \ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc06\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc1d \ud835\udc0c\ud835\udc2e\ud835\udc2c\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc26: \ud835\udc07\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc30 \ud835\udc00\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1d \ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc25-\ud835\udc00\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1d \ud835\udc01\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc0e\ud835\udc2e\ud835\udc2b \ud835\udc0c\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc1d\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc27 \ud835\udc06\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc1d \ud835\udc12\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc27"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Malaysian Christian Engineer Lecturer Mr Ian Chai<\/strong><\/a> wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\ude16\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude26\ud835\ude39\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude38 \ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude36\ud835\ude31 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude11\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude34. \u201c\ud835\ude1b\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33,\u201d \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude2c\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25, \u201c\ud835\ude38\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude10 \ud835\ude25\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude26\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude27\ud835\ude26?\u201d \u201c\ud835\ude1e\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude13\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude38?\u201d \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25. \u201c\ud835\ude0f\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude38 \ud835\ude25\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36 \ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35?\u201d \ud835\ude0f\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude38\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25, \u201c\u2018\ud835\ude13\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude37\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude13\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude0e\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude34\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude28\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25\u2019; \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25, \u2018\ud835\ude13\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude37\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude28\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude23\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude27.\u2019\u201d \u201c\ud835\ude20\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36 \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude37\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude38\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude24\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude3a,\u201d \ud835\ude11\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25. \u201c\ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude37\ud835\ude26.\u201d \ud835\ude09\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude2b\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude27\ud835\ude3a \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude27, \ud835\ude34\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude2c\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude11\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude34, \u201c\ud835\ude08\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude3a \ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude28\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude23\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude33?\u201d – \ud835\ude13\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude2c\ud835\ude26 10:25-29 Then Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When modern readers encounter the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke\u2019s Gospel, they typically hear a heartwarming story about helping strangers. The word \u201cSamaritan\u201d has become so sanitised in our language that hospitals and charitable organisations proudly bear the name. We\u2019ve lost the parable\u2019s original shock value entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then something extraordinary happened on December 15, 2024, at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. A Muslim man named Ahmed al-Ahmed did something that suddenly made Jesus\u2019 ancient parable blazingly relevant again\u2014and in doing so, revealed exactly what made the original story so scandalous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\udc16\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2d \ud835\udc07\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc29\ud835\udc29\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1d \ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2d \ud835\udc01\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1d\ud835\udc22 \ud835\udc01\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, two men opened fire, killing 15 people and wounding at least 42 in what authorities are calling an antisemitic terrorist attack. In the chaos and terror, as people fled and fell, Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian-Australian Muslim fruit shop owner and father of two, was having coffee with a friend when he heard the gunshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video footage shows what happened next. Al-Ahmed sneaked up behind one of the gunmen, grabbed him and wrestled away his firearm. He then pointed the weapon at the attacker before setting it on the ground and raising his hands. During this act of courage, al-Ahmed was shot twice by the second gunman, suffering injuries to his shoulder and hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called al-Ahmed\u2019s actions \u201can example of Australians coming together,\u201d noting that he \u201ctook the gun off that perpetrator at great risk to himself and suffered serious injury as a result.\u201d Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump praised him, with Trump calling him \u201ca very, very brave person\u201d who had saved many lives. A GoFundMe campaign has raised over $2 million for his recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s what makes this story a perfect modern parallel to the Good Samaritan: Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Muslim, risked his life and was wounded saving Jews from an antisemitic attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\udc13\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc00\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc2d \ud835\udc04\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc32: \ud835\udc09\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc30\ud835\udc2c \ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1d \ud835\udc12\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc2c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand why this matters, we need to grasp what Jesus\u2019 original audience heard when he said \u201cSamaritan.\u201d The hostility between Jews and Samaritans in the first century wasn\u2019t merely theological disagreement or cultural difference. It was a centuries-old hatred rooted in religious schism, territorial disputes, and mutual accusations of apostasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samaritans were viewed by Jews not simply as outsiders, but as heretics who had corrupted true worship. They were descendants of those who had intermarried with foreign colonisers, built a rival temple on Mount Gerizim, and rejected the authority of Jerusalem. To first-century Jews, Samaritans represented religious contamination and political betrayal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The animosity was deeply personal and immediate. Jewish travellers would go miles out of their way to avoid passing through Samaria. The Talmud records that Samaritan testimony was inadmissible in Jewish courts. Some Jewish texts of the period describe Samaritans in language reserved for enemies and apostates. This wasn\u2019t ancient history\u2014it was lived experience, the prejudice absorbed from childhood and reinforced by community boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus made a Samaritan the hero of his parable, he wasn\u2019t choosing a random foreigner or a distant enemy. He was choosing the enemy, the religious other who lived close enough to hate intimately, the neighbour who represented everything that faithful Jews believed threatened their covenant identity. The priest and Levite who pass by the wounded man in Jesus\u2019 story aren\u2019t merely callous individuals\u2014they represent the religious establishment itself, the very people who should embody covenant faithfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\udc13\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc0c\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc1d\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc27 \ud835\udc0f\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc25: \ud835\udc00\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1d\u2019\ud835\udc2c \ud835\udc12\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc32<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many Western Christians and Jews today, particularly those shaped by post-9\/11 anxieties, decades of Middle Eastern conflict, and rising antisemitism often associated with Islamic extremism, Muslims occupy a strikingly similar psychological space to Samaritans in the first century. This parallel isn\u2019t about theological equivalence\u2014it\u2019s about emotional response and cultural positioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider the layers of meaning in Ahmed al-Ahmed\u2019s actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 A Muslim saving Jews during a Hanukkah celebration<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Stopping an antisemitic terror attack<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Being wounded while protecting people celebrating a Jewish holy day<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 His Syrian origin adding another layer, given Syria\u2019s complex relationship with Israel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The global response transcending religious boundaries<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Prime Minister Albanese noted, the actions of the attackers were \u201ccompletely out of place with the way that Australia functions as a society,\u201d which he contrasted with al-Ahmed\u2019s response. But there\u2019s something deeper happening here. In a world where many people\u2014consciously or unconsciously\u2014associate Islam with violence and particularly with antisemitism, Ahmed al-Ahmed\u2019s heroism shatters categories exactly as the Good Samaritan\u2019s compassion did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\udc13\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc12\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1d\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc25 \ud835\udc11\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2f\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus told his parable to answer the question \u201cWho is my neighbour?\u201d The lawyer asking the question wanted to limit his obligation, to draw a circle around those deserving care. Jesus\u2019 answer exploded that circle entirely. The neighbour isn\u2019t defined by shared religion, ethnicity, or tribal loyalty. The neighbour is whoever shows mercy. And most scandalously, the person who shows mercy\u2014who truly understands covenant love\u2014turns out to be the religious outsider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed al-Ahmed\u2019s story recovers this scandal for modern ears. When we hear \u201cGood Samaritan\u201d today, we miss the offense\u2014we\u2019ve domesticated the story into a platitude about random acts of kindness. But when we see a Muslim saving Jews from an antisemitic attack, when we watch him being shot while protecting a Hanukkah celebration, when we hear his father say \u201cMy son is a hero, he has the passion to defend people\u201d\u2014we feel something of what Jesus\u2019 original audience felt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is uncomfortable for everyone. For those who harbour anti-Muslim prejudice, it challenges the narrative that Muslims are inherently violent or antisemitic. For those invested in interfaith conflict, it demonstrates that religious identity doesn\u2019t determine moral action. For everyone, it forces a reckoning: the person we might have viewed with suspicion or fear demonstrated greater courage and compassion than most of us will ever be called to show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\udc13\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc10\ud835\udc2e\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2c\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc2c \ud835\udc13\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2d \ud835\udc11\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc27<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parable of the Good Samaritan ends with Jesus asking \u201cWhich of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?\u201d The lawyer has to answer \u201cThe one who had mercy on him.\u201d He can\u2019t even bring himself to say the word \u201cSamaritan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed al-Ahmed\u2019s story poses the same question to us: Who was neighbour to the Jews being murdered at their Hanukkah celebration? The answer is undeniable\u2014and it\u2019s meant to be uncomfortable. It\u2019s meant to shatter our categories, to challenge our prejudices, to force us to recognise righteousness where we didn\u2019t expect to find it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Ahmed\u2019s mother said, \u201cI\u2019m proud that my son was helping people, rescuing people. He saw they were dying, and people were losing their lives.\u201d This is covenant love in action\u2014not defined by religious boundaries but by the fundamental recognition of human dignity and the willingness to sacrifice for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 parable wasn\u2019t a nice story about being kind to strangers. It was a prophetic provocation designed to destabilise religious certainty and ethnic prejudice. Ahmed al-Ahmed didn\u2019t intend to create a modern parable\u2014he simply saw people in danger and acted. But in doing so, he became what the Good Samaritan was to the first century: living proof that God\u2019s mercy flows through unexpected channels, that righteousness isn\u2019t confined to our religious boundaries, and that the people we\u2019ve demonised may understand divine love better than we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question Jesus leaves us with is the same one his original audience faced: Will you let your prejudices prevent you from recognising righteousness? Will you allow religious boundaries to override human compassion? Will you acknowledge that the \u201cenemy\u201d might be more faithful to God\u2019s heart than you are?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed al-Ahmed, recovering from gunshot wounds sustained while saving Jewish lives during Hanukkah, has already answered these questions with his body. The rest of us are still deciding how to respond to his modern parable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\udc00 \ud835\udc0f\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc1b\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc1f\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2b \ud835\udc0e\ud835\udc2e\ud835\udc2b \ud835\udc0c\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc2d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Jesus were telling the story today, He might say: \u201cA man was attacked, beaten, and left for dead. A pastor passed by. A worship leader passed by. But an Arab Muslim immigrant stopped, risked his life, and saved him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shock would be the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to elevate Islam. Not to deny Christian truth claims. But to expose the lie that our group has a monopoly on compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus chose the Samaritan precisely because it made the point unavoidable. There was no way to hear the parable and maintain comfortable categories. You couldn\u2019t say \u201cWell, of course the religious people passed by, but at least one of our own helped.\u201d The helper was the enemy. That was essential to the story\u2019s power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed al-Ahmed does the same for us. His heroism cannot be domesticated or explained away. A Syrian Muslim immigrant physically wrestling a gun away from an attacker targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah\u2014this is not a story that lets anyone off the hook. It confronts anti-Muslim prejudice directly. It challenges assumptions about who embodies righteousness. It forces the question: if a Muslim can risk his life for Jews, what excuse do we have for our indifference, our prejudice, our carefully maintained boundaries?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\ud835\udc06\ud835\udc28 \ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1d \ud835\udc03\ud835\udc28 \ud835\udc0b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc24\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc30\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc2c\ud835\udc1e\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The command at the end of the parable is not \u201cGo and believe likewise.\u201d It is \u201cGo and do likewise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus doesn\u2019t ask the lawyer to change his theology about Samaritans. He doesn\u2019t require him to accept Samaritan worship practices or validate their religious claims. He commands him to imitate the Samaritan\u2019s compassion. The parable\u2019s genius is that it separates theological correctness from moral excellence\u2014and insists that the latter matters more than we want to admit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed al-Ahmed did go and do likewise. He saw people dying and acted. He didn\u2019t calculate whether they shared his faith or his politics. He didn\u2019t weigh whether saving them would complicate his standing in his community. He simply saw human beings in mortal danger and responded with his body, his courage, his willingness to be wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what covenant love looks like when it\u2019s not theoretical. This is mercy when it costs something. This is the kingdom of God breaking into our world through the most unexpected messenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\udc13\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc10\ud835\udc2e\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2c\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc27 \ud835\udc13\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2d \ud835\udc11\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc2c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud835\ude1b\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude32\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude11\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude37\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude28\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude28\u2014\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude38\u2014\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude24\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2e \ud835\ude0f\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude3a, \ud835\ude27\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude27\ud835\ude27\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25, \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude37\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude2f… \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude28\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude37\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude35.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will we see ourselves in the priest and Levite, those whose religious obligations somehow prevented them from stopping? Will we acknowledge that our theology, our church involvement, our biblical knowledge might actually be what keeps us from recognising righteousness when it appears in unexpected forms? Will we admit that we\u2019ve constructed a narrative where Muslims are the problem, and any story that complicates that narrative must be explained away or minimised?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or will we let this story do what Jesus\u2019 parable was meant to do\u2014break our hearts open, shatter our certainty about who the good people are, and drive us to our knees in recognition that God\u2019s mercy is wilder and more generous than we\u2019ve allowed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus chose the Samaritan because the Samaritan made the point unavoidable. Ahmed al-Ahmed does the same. His story cannot be absorbed into comfortable categories. It demands a response. It forces a choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that is why his story feels like a parable we did not want\u2014but desperately need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The priest and Levite probably had good reasons for passing by. Religious purity laws. Important responsibilities. Pressing appointments. Jesus wasn\u2019t interested in their reasons. He was interested in who stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have good reasons too. Theological differences. Security concerns. Cultural anxiety. Complicated geopolitics. Jesus, we can be fairly certain, isn\u2019t interested in our reasons either. He\u2019s interested in who acts with mercy when mercy is costly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed al-Ahmed acted. He was shot twice doing it. He\u2019s now recovering, praised by world leaders, supported by millions in donations\u2014but the real gift he\u2019s given us isn\u2019t his heroism alone. It\u2019s the mirror he holds up, the question he forces us to answer: When the moment comes, who will we be? The ones who pass by with our reasons, or the ones who stop?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parable ends with a command: \u201cGo and do likewise.\u201d Not \u201cGo and believe correctly.\u201d Not \u201cGo and maintain proper boundaries.\u201d Do likewise. Act with mercy. Risk something. Be neighbour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two thousand years later, a Syrian Muslim immigrant showed us what that looks like. The question is whether those of us who claim to follow the One who told the original parable will have the humility to learn from it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Malaysian Christian Engineer Lecturer Mr Ian Chai wrote: \ud835\ude16\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude26\ud835\ude39\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude38 \ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude36\ud835\ude31 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude11\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude34. \u201c\ud835\ude1b\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33,\u201d \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude2c\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25, \u201c\ud835\ude38\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude10 \ud835\ude25\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude26\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude27\ud835\ude26?\u201d \u201c\ud835\ude1e\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude13\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude38?\u201d \ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25. \u201c\ud835\ude0f\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude38 \ud835\ude25\ud835\ude30 \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36 \ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35?\u201d \ud835\ude0f\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude38\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25, \u201c\u2018\ud835\ude13\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude37\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude13\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude0e\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude38\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude2d \ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,7,6,2,127,10,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-racism","category-articles","category-history","category-international-news","category-islam-hope-allah-swt","category-news","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4423"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4425,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4423\/revisions\/4425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}