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By Rusty Benson
| AFA Journal Associate Editor
To many Americans the word Islam is synonymous with terrorism, violence
and extremism. And yet six million or more Muslims live and work
within our borders. They’re our neighbors, co-workers, physicians,
fellow businessmen and colleagues.
Should these people whose worldview is so alien to American culture
be considered friend or foe? Should Americans view Islam as a fanatical
religion that threatens our nation, or welcome it as a rich addition
to America’s diverse cultural landscape?
For a growing number of Americans in urban and rural areas across
the nation, these questions are more than theoretical. And for Christians
who believe that God superintends all of history, the presence of
Muslims in our neighborhoods and workplaces raises the question:
“What is God doing?”
“Despite the fact that it is creating a lot of chaos in the
our society and in the world in general, I believe God’s purpose
in bringing so many Muslims to America is so they can be reached
with the Gospel,” said Jeff Marlowe. Marlowe is a missionary
trainer with Enterprise, an Atlanta-based church planting initiative
affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America.
Marlowe, a former missionary in Senegal and Quebec, said most Muslims
come to America seeking economic opportunity. “Many come because
they are very highly skilled, including many hi-tech workers and
physicians. In a global economy, American industry is very ready
to employ people from nations such as Pakistan, India and Saudi
Arabia,” he said.
Still other Muslims follow opportunities in the service industry
such as hotel or convenience store management, according to Rev.
Ashton T. “Tat” Stewart, director of Persian Ministries
for World Witness in Colorado. Stewart said service jobs are taking
more and more Muslims into smaller towns and rural areas across
America.
Political refugees from countries in war-torn countries in Africa
and the Middle East make up another significant group of Muslims
coming to the U.S. Marlowe said his family recently shared their
home with one such family from Somalia. The family had lived for
12 years in a refugee camp in Kenya before being relocated to Clarkston,
Georgia, through a program of World Relief, a Christian organization.
Although Islamic terrorists in our nation are an obvious reality,
Stewart contends that the number of Muslims who come to America
with hostile political intentions is extremely small. They are generally
identified with militant extremist within countries such as Saudi
Arabia, he said.
Reflecting the scope of Muslim cultures across America, statistics
from the Hartford Institute for Religious Research indicate more
than 1,200 mosques in the U.S. They are attended by South Asian
Muslims (Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Afghani, 33%); African-America
Muslims (30%); Arab Muslims (25%); Sub-Saharan African Muslims (3.4%);
European Muslims (Bosnian, Tartar, Kosovar, etc. 2.1%); White American
Muslims (1.6); Southeast Asian Muslims (Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino
1.3%); Caribbean Muslims (1.2%); Turkish Muslims (1.1%); Iranian
Muslims 0.7%); and Hispanic/Latino Muslims (0.6%).
“It is also important not to stereotype Islam as a simple religion
that promotes violence,“ writes Abdul Saleeb (pseudonym) in
The Dark Side of Islam, a book co-written by Saleeb and well-known
Christian teacher R. C. Sproul (Crossway Books, 2003). “In fact,
Islam has a rich tradition in its intellectual history and in its
cultural achievements. … We must take Islam seriously as a
coherent, systematic faith that presents strong challenges against
the Christian faith.”
Privilege and price of sharing Christ
For Stewart, fluent in Persian and Turkish, the motivation to take
the Christian gospel to Muslims is found in the Bible. He cites:
“From one man he made every nation of men, that they should
inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them
and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that
men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though
he is not far from each of us” (Acts 17:26, 27, NIV).
“Islam is a religion of works, and in that way, very similar
to modern distortions of Christianity,” Marlowe explains. “They
believe what many nominal Christians believe: ‘I must make
myself good enough so that God will accept me.’ Islam is just
another form of man’s religion. Muslims need the hope that
can only come from Christ – just like I do.”
But Americans must overcome some aspects of our western mindset,
as well as cultural barriers to reach their Muslim neighbors with
the Gospel.
“Americans are propositional thinkers,” Stewart says. “We
think it’s a matter of showing how my Christian proposition
is more correct than your Islamic proposition. But a much more effective
way is to show your Muslim neighbor or co-worker that you see him
as a person, not as a project. Be a friend. Friendship is a higher
value than truth in the Muslim mind.”
Marlowe says that focusing on a single Muslim group is another important
strategy in earning opportunities to evangelize. “That means
understanding something of their language, customs, food, etc. The
whole key to reaching any culture is to reach the heart of the person,
and you can’t do that unless you understand their culture –
their worldview. And that takes time and hard work.”
Most cultures of the world, including Muslims, are oriented toward
the group (collectivist) instead of toward the individual, as Americans
are, Marlowe explains. “Most Muslims are not going to think
through something on their own, like hearing a sermon and coming
to Christ. They have to see it lived out by a group.”
Stewart says Muslims are attracted to the claims of Christ when
they see Christians demonstrate authentic faith through a pure life.
“Forget about apologetics, at least at first. That might come
later. They must smell the aroma of Christ in your life,”he
says.
“For example, if you buy gas where there are Muslims, don’t
just walk in, pay the clerk and leave. Linger for just five minutes,”Stewart
says. “Ask questions about his family. Ask if you can help them
adjust to America.”
Dos and don’ts
In an article titled “Reaching our Muslim Neighbors”(www.arpmagazine.org/0405/emphasis.html),“
Stewart writes that building bridges to Muslims begins with prayer
and a sense of utter dependence upon God’s Holy Spirit.
After that, “hospitality is the key to most Muslim hearts,”Stewart
writes. “Do not hesitate to call and ask to visit them. In most
cases this will please them and make them feel honored. Be sure
to take a gift, such as flowers or a basket of fruit, for this is
their love language.”
“When they come to your home be sure to stand up as they enter
and introduce them to your whole family,“ he says. “Offer
them something to drink such as hot tea or a soft drink; even if
they refuse bring it anyway. If you choose to serve food, avoid
all pork products.”
In conversation, ask a lot of questions and make few statements
at the beginning, Marlowe suggests. “We must get to the core
of their worldview, but that takes time.”
Be careful not to challenge their faith. Stewart says that people
from shame-based cultures easily wound and may quickly become defensive.
On the other hand, Muslims respect genuine faith, so look for low-threat
ways to introduce them to the things of God. Stewart suggests praying
for the Muslim family in your prayer before meals; giving them a
copy of the Scripture in their language and ordering a copy of the
JESUS Film in their language.
Although Muslims take great pride in defending Islam – at least
in public – privately many are interested in Christianity.
“I have found that every time you break the friendship barrier
with a Muslim and you sit in their home or they come to your home,
and you start talking heart-to-heart, you are going to find a lot
of questions about Islam and much interest in Christianity,”Stewart
says.
A Christian must be ready to answer those questions with the testimony
of his life that displays a love for Christ through a love for his
Muslim neighbor. An Afghani proverb says, “If you pressure me
I will not follow you to heaven, however, if you are kind and respectful
to me I will follow you anywhere – even to hell.”
Learn
more about ministry to Muslims in America
• Reaching our Muslim Neighbors
www.arpmagazine.org/0405/emphasis.html
• Christian Missions to
Islam Web site
www.arabicbible.com/christian/missions.htm
• The Dark Side of Islam
by R. C. Sproul and Abdul Saleeb, Crossway Books, 2003. Available
through Christian bookstores and online sellers.
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