On a sunny Sunday in spring, we took the visiting preacher for a walk in Leicestershire.
We saw some women and children taking pictures of each other, so I offered to take a picture of the entire group. As we chatted, they told me that they were Kurdish from Iraq, then invited us to their picnic site. When we arrived, they offered us cold drinks and fresh kiwis to eat.
I enjoy visiting with Muslims, particularly those from the Arab world. A popular greeting is Ahlan wa sahlan, which translates as ‘My lands and my people are here for you’. A far cry from ‘nice to meet you’. Having studied Arabic in Jordan and Egypt, I revel in its richness and close proximity to biblical language and culture.
