An Informed Believer: Islam
Here is part of a paper I wrote for a class I took through the Nazarene Theological College (UK). The purpose of the class and the paper was to address the relational gap between Christians and Muslims and to suggest ways in order to distill the fear that exists towards either group. What I present below are ways in which us as American Christians can promote peace in our community and in our conversations with others, even if they believe something other than Islam. *Note: this was written prior to the election of President Trump.*
Perhaps the most important step in the local church’s encouragement to interact with Muslims is the need for purposeful prayer. The Bible commends believers to love and pray for their enemies (Mat 5:44). With this single and incredibly easy step, American Christians will have taken the first step in opening their hearts to loving their Muslim neighbors and seeking to find a mutual respect instead of casting down fear. Along with prayer, there is a great need for educating American Christians about Islam. In general, the overall view Americans, let alone Christian Americans, have towards Muslims is outstandingly negative. One study showed that over 60% of American Evangelical Christians view Islam unfavorably, while nearly 20% of non-Evangelicals view Islam very unfavorably (What do Americans Think About Islam, 2013). Even more, close to 75% of American Evangelicals believe Islam to be anti-Christian (What do Americans Think About Islam, 2013). With this much animosity toward a specific population, it is no wonder that little effort is spent in purposeful outreach.
Much of this, consequently, is due to the events on 9/11, when terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. Many psychologists have argued that the aftermath of this event had an acute psychological affect on the American people which separated the “American and Muslim communities; that fear has turned 9/11 into a national symbol on one side, and Islam into a force of evil on the other. Prominent psychologists note this ‘September 11 syndrome’ as Americans having an innate fear of anyone resembling the terrorists” (Ahmed, 2010, p. 98). What 9/11 has done is to create an automatic subconscious action that causes Americans to label Muslims as terrorists and fear the differences between a Muslim and an American.
The media today continues to struggle with separating the idea of terrorism and radicalism from Islam. There are weekly debates that attempt to come up with slogans, such as: “not every Muslim is a terrorist, but every terrorist is a Muslim” (Kilmeade, 2015). Hopeful Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum rephrases this with, “Not all Muslims are jihadists but the reality is, all jihadists are Muslims. And we have to stop worrying about offending some people and start defending all Americans” (Santorum, 2015). The effects of phrases such as these are detrimental to the public view of Muslims because, suddenly, everyone must be cautious and fearful of each Muslim because one can never know if any one Muslim might be a terrorist. Even in the midst of America’s current presidential race, politicians are seeking the best way to offer peace and security in some proposed plan against terrorism. Candidates such as Ted Cruz suggest, “Our enemy is not violent extremism. It is not some unnamed malevolent force. It is radical Islamic terrorism” (Cruz, 2015). Clearly this problematic connection between Islam and terrorism is difficult for everyone to define. It is in this struggle that the local church can help educate the public as to the reality of this issue of fear. By informing individuals about the nature and history of Islam and the unnatural nature of radical groups, perhaps people in the church can stop fearing their Muslim neighbors. In America, this fear is the strongest agent working against Christians purposefully interacting with Muslims.
Besides educating Christians about the split between terrorist groups and non-violent Muslims, the church should also look to educate its congregation on the basic framework of Islam. Besides fear, confusion and ignorance are other powerful forces that work against American Christians interacting with Muslims. For even confusion and ignorance fuel the fire of fear, as a person does not want to be part of a conversation where he/she feels ill prepared. It has only been since the early 1990’s that Islam has been part of media stories in the United States. Obviously, in the 21st century the frequency of news stories about Islam has exploded. As a result, Islam is still a relatively new topic and idea to the American public. This newness, accompanied by overtly negative news stories concerning Muslims, has not allowed the United States population to educate itself accurately about Islam. By knowing basic differences and where Christians and Muslims differ on important topics, Christians will gain the confidence to approach Muslims in conversation. Much of this can be done in Sunday school classes and group meetings or even by encouraging certain individuals to visit the local mosque in their local cities. Many mosques have open doors during the Friday afternoon prayer for people to come, visit the mosque, observe a daily prayer, and ask questions.
Education, however, can only take a person so far. In order to reach out to the surrounding Muslim community, the local church needs to provide or create purposeful opportunities that give Christians the chance to interact with Muslims. Already in place in the many areas are growing groups that promote open and peaceful dialogue. Some of these groups have frequent meetings and events (held at mosques, churches, and public buildings) to create an environment for open dialogue between members of each religion. Topics that the group discusses include: peace between religions, history of Islam in America, Middle Eastern Conflicts, the role of Jesus, Muhammad, etc. By participating in an already organized group or organizing its own events of open dialogue, the church can become a place for people to personally interact with neighboring Muslims. Beyond this, the basic idea of community and being a friendly neighbor to Muslims will go a long way in allowing Christians to engage and get comfortable with talking to Muslims. From just a few conversations with Muslims, Christians will realize just how much Muslims desire to be accepted into the local community, to be respected, and, most importantly, to be understood instead of having assumptions and prejudices thrown at them.
Most important in the local church’s striving to interact with Muslims is the breaking down of the walls of fear and generalization. By educating its members about Islam and its traditions and actively engaging in dialogue and community, the church may start to see itself embrace an important minority of its local area. Muslim engagement is well beyond the comfort zone of many American Christians, but by doing these things, Christians may start to allow themselves to stretch beyond those walls and embrace their fellow neighbors.
References
Ahmed, Akbar. (2010). Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.
“What do Americans think about Islam?” (2013). Retrieved from: https://www.barna.org/barna-update/culture/610-what-do-americans-think-about-islam#.Vl8AU9-rRE4.
Cruz, Ted. (Dec. 15, 2015). Retrieved from: http://www.twitter.com, @tedcruz.
Kilmeade, Brian. (Oct. 15, 2015). Kilmeade and Friends. Retrieved from: http://mediamatters.org/video/2010/10/15/kilmeade-not-every-muslim-is-an-extremist-a-ter/172018.
Santorum, Rick. (Dec. 15, 2015). Retrieved from: http://www.twitter.com, @RickSantorum.