From Kansas City Star
Then he was waved in by a man parked in the spot reserved for the dean of that Episcopal Church.
Abdullah “took note” of that, he wrote on his Instagram account, and so after the prayer service he rang the doorbell of the church and asked to speak with the dean, Peter DeVeau, to give thanks.
From his window, DeVeau had been enjoying his view of a procession of colorful dress from all over the world.
When he was told a man named Husain Abdullah wanted to see him, he didn’t immediately know it was “the” Husain Abdullah, a Chiefs’ safety, because the name is common among Muslims.
As DeVeau descended the stairs toward Abdullah and his son, Jalaal, each dressed in traditional garb, DeVeau extended a Muslim greeting of peace: “As-Salamu-Alaikum.”
Abdullah returned the greeting, then enjoyed a tour of the Cathedral, a brief history of the Church and learning of DeVeau’s time in Iran, where he was exposed to Islam and traditions such as Ramadan and Hajj.
As Abdullah and his son were about to leave, Abdullah asked DeVeau if the church had a youth group.
And that’s why 30 members of that group will be attending the Chiefs’ game against San Diego on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
This exchange of simple kindnesses became part of DeVeau’s sermon a few days later, when part of his prepared text called for making it “easier and safer for our Muslim neighbors to attend prayers at nearby Bartle Hall. God knows, there is enough ignorance and fear-mongering among Americans regarding Muslims.”
That hysteria, of course, only seems to have increased since then as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to inflame radicals of all causes by alternately advocating the herding, branding and banning of Muslims because of the acts of a lunatic fringe.
The hateful approach hinges largely on dehumanizing Muslims. And at least part of that seeks to exploit the fact many Americans don’t have any sort of relationship with even one of the estimated 1.8 million adult Muslims in the United States, as noted by Star columnist Mary Sanchez.
“Muslims get a lot of bad press in this country, and it’s all due to ignorance,” DeVeau said. “It reminds me of the things people used to say about Catholics and Jews in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
