Christians to Seek Converts at Mosques' Doorsteps

August 3, 2007

Author: Lornet Turnbull and Janet I. Tu

Source: The Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003819538_muslimconvert03m.html

Led by a California pastor, a group of Christians will gather outside some Seattle-area mosques today in hopes of winning converts among Muslim worshippers coming to midday prayer.

They will also take their message of salvation to those attending this weekend's Arab Festival at Seattle Center and to the parking lots of shopping centers popular among people from Islamic or Arab cultures.

It's a bold — and some say audacious — gesture, coming at a time when choices over religion have grown increasingly sensitive.

But the way Pastor George Saieg sees it, many Muslims come from countries in which people lack the freedom to choose their own religion. An Arab who grew up in a Christian home in Sudan and attended Muslim schools, Saieg said Islam is a religion that offers its followers no assurance of salvation.

"In some countries, the penalty of leaving Islam is death," he said. "I want people to know that they have freedom in this country to hear about Jesus Christ."