The Nature of Islam
The largest manhunt in history is underway. President Bush, in an unprecedented
action, gave the order to kill Osama bin Laden. Meantime, the Muslim world
(meaning in this case the almost entirely Islamic nations of the Middle
East) seeks to strike a balance with UN, NATO and U.S. pressure and their
own restive populations. Riots in Pakistan and elsewhere bespeak more
complicated issues than reported in the news and official government statements.
Contradictions and ignorance abound in information that attempts to delve
into Islamic thinking and beliefs.
What drives the hatred of America and the West among many Muslims
in the Middle East? Is it the simple effect of a madman and his horde
of followers on the radical fringes of a peaceful religion, as the mainstream
media and American Muslim community seem to portray? Or is jihad (Holy
War) part and parcel of a religion that views the world as split into
two camps: Muslims and infidels? What sense can be made of seemingly
contradictory Qur'anic texts (some found herein)? Some point to a side
of Islam being downplayed and at times misrepresented--that of a holy
book commanding destruction of non-Muslims who don't convert, while
other passages speak of respecting the "people of the Book" (Jews and
Christians). Muslim apologists and everyday adherents continually invoke
the meaning of the term Islam,"peace," as implied proof of its abhorrence
of terrorist tactics like those used on September 11. But what kind
of peace?
This collection includes articles by authors who have lived and worked
within Muslim cultures (in fact, Muslims do not see a separation, as
do many Westerners, between religious, civic and other areas of life).
Some of the contributors were Muslims themselves. We do not seek to
disparage Islam, but only to portray a balanced picture in a confusing
mass of sometimes contradictory ideas. Get a broader picture of this
important religion and compare it to biblical Christianity in our Special
Focus.
—Byron Barlowe, Editor/Webmaster, Leadership University
Feature Articles:
What Is Islam?
Rick Rood
The history, current status, basic beliefs and practices of Islam are
surveyed. Also, a Christian response to Islam is offered.
[Spanish Version]
Islam Partially
Perceived
Bernard Lewis
Lewis reviews "The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World"
(4 vols.) which is edited by Joseph Esposito.
Personal Pages at World
Religions Index
The personal testimonies of Muslims (along with those of other traditions)
who changed to faith in Christ. Features men and women from many lands,
from Pakistan to Palestine.
Ministering to Muslims
Charles D. Egal
The author has been serving as a missionary in a Muslim country. He
has attempted to apply the principles in this article and has found
them to be helpful.
[Spanish Version]
Terrorism and Islam
Professor Otto Helwig
Dr. Helweg, who studied Islam, classical Arabic, and the Middle Eastern
culture while living in the Middle East for more than a decade, writes
a straightforward article regarding the mindset of Muslims, particularly
the terrorists among them. First, he describes the sharp differences
in the worldview and culture of the West and Middle East, then briefly
explains the effect that the Qur'an and other sacred writings have on
radical Muslims. He disputes the characterization of Islam as a peaceful
religion and concludes that attempts to stamp out the evil of terrorism
are naive.
Bloody Borders: Islam Hijacked?
Charles Colson
Although politically expedient and "correct," the popular cast given to
Islam in the Western press and culture as a hijacked religion of peace
defies the true nature of much of its teaching. It also belies the
reality of the current brutal persecution in the Muslim world.
Questions About Islam
Sam Schlorff
"Can you explain for me the Mindset of the Islamic Terrorist?" Correspondence
answered by Sam Schlorff, Arab World Ministries
The Western Mind
of Radical Islam
Daniel Pipes
Pipes digs into the philosophy and practices of "Islamists"--modern-day
radical Muslims whose version of Islam tosses out a millennium 1,300
years of interpretation of law and the Koran. They are thoroughly modern
and Westernized, but seek to recreate the days of Mohammed. [Editor's
note: References to "the World Trade Center bombing" refer to the 1993
terrorist attack. This article was written before September 11, 2001.]
Related Article:
Learning About God
Rick Wade
We need to know about God in order to truly know Him. Muslims
do not believe that He is personally knowable, but the Bible explicitly claims
that He can be known by individuals. This essay explores the subjects of revelation,
the trinity (strenuously denied by Islam), God's sovereignty, and idolatry.
A Telling Exchange Regarding Muslim-Christian Dialogue:
The Approaching Century
of Religion
"The Public Square," First Things, October 1997
Richard John Neuhaus
Keying off Bat Ye'or's, The Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam:
From Jihad to Dhimmitude, Neuhaus challenges the notion of Islamic tolerance
so often invoked in discussions with and about Muslims. Jihad ("holy war") and
slavery are centuries-old features of some Islamic peoples, along with doses
of rape, pillage and other atrocities. Much of so-called Islamic culture, according
to Ye'or, was actually preserved by those under conquest of Muslims. He wraps
up by contrasting the prospects for Islam and Christianity in a postmodern world.
Islam and
Religious Dialogue
Correspondence, First Things, January 1998
Toby E. Huff
A sharp critique of one major point of Richard John Neuhaus' commentary in
the journal First Things, in which he drew from a book by Bat Ye'or, The
Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam: From Jihad to Dhimmitude.
Contrary to the conclusions of Ye'or and Neuhaus, Huff cites evidence that
Muslim culture, law and science was quite advanced and did not simply borrowed
from the West.
Islamic Encounters
"The Public Square," First Things Journal, February 1998
Richard John Neuhaus
Neuhaus' reply to critics of his review of The Decline of Eastern Christianity
Under Islam: From Jihad to Dhimmitude, by Bat Ye'or. His review/essay
spawned a global response, chiefly from members of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR), which generated an "Internet alert" in response. Neuhaus
calls for what he sees as a difficult but necessary dialogue between Islam
and Christianity--one dissimilar to the tactics of CAIR. He writes, "We can
help by not equating Islam with the evil done in the name of Islam, while,
at the same time, not letting an 'ideal' Islam obscure the Islam of historical
and contemporary fact."
We would love to get your