A More Effective Way of Engaging Islam [Updated]
From here:
Though he is little known in the West, Coptic priest Zakaria Botros — named Islam’s “Public Enemy #1†by the Arabic newspaper, al-Insan al-Jadid — has been making waves in the Islamic world. Along with fellow missionaries — mostly Muslim converts — he appears frequently on the Arabic channel al-Hayat (i.e., “Life TVâ€). There, he addresses controversial topics of theological significance — free from the censorship imposed by Islamic authorities or self-imposed through fear of the zealous mobs who fulminated against the infamous cartoons of Mohammed. Botros’s excurses on little-known but embarrassing aspects of Islamic law and tradition have become a thorn in the side of Islamic leaders throughout the Middle East.
Mass conversions to Christianity — if clandestine ones. The very public conversion of high-profile Italian journalist Magdi Allam — who was baptized by Pope Benedict in Rome on Saturday — is only the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, Islamic cleric Ahmad al-Qatani stated on al-Jazeera TV a while back that some six million Muslims convert to Christianity annually, many of them persuaded by Botros’s public ministry. More recently, al-Jazeera noted Life TV’s “unprecedented evangelical raid†on the Muslim world.
A third reason for Botros’s success is that his polemical technique has proven irrefutable. Each of his episodes has a theme — from the pressing to the esoteric — often expressed as a question (e.g., “Is jihad an obligation for all Muslims?â€; “Are women inferior to men in Islam?â€; “Did Mohammed say that adulterous female monkeys should be stoned?†“Is drinking the urine of prophets salutary according to sharia?â€). To answer the question, Botros meticulously quotes — always careful to give sources and reference numbers — from authoritative Islamic texts on the subject, starting from the Koran; then from the canonical sayings of the prophet — the Hadith; and finally from the words of prominent Muslim theologians past and present — the illustrious ulema.
Typically, Botros’s presentation of the Islamic material is sufficiently detailed that the controversial topic is shown to be an airtight aspect of Islam. Yet, however convincing his proofs, Botros does not flatly conclude that, say, universal jihad or female inferiority are basic tenets of Islam. He treats the question as still open — and humbly invites the ulema, the revered articulators of sharia law, to respond and show the error in his methodology. He does demand, however, that their response be based on “al-dalil we al-burhan,†— “evidence and proof,†one of his frequent refrains — not shout-downs or sophistry.
More often than not, the response from the ulema is deafening silence — which has only made Botros and Life TV more enticing to Muslim viewers. The ulema who have publicly addressed Botros’s conclusions often find themselves forced to agree with him — which has led to some amusing (and embarrassing) moments on live Arabic TV.
Also:
Botros spent three years bringing to broad public attention a scandalous — and authentic — hadith stating that women should “breastfeed†strange men with whom they must spend any amount of time. A leading hadith scholar, Abd al-Muhdi, was confronted with this issue on the live talk show of popular Arabic host Hala Sirhan. Opting to be truthful, al-Muhdi confirmed that going through the motions of breastfeeding adult males is, according to sharia, a legitimate way of making married women “forbidden†to the men with whom they are forced into contact — the logic being that, by being “breastfed,†the men become like “sons†to the women and therefore can no longer have sexual designs on them.
To make matters worse, Ezzat Atiyya, head of the Hadith department at al-Azhar University — Sunni Islam’s most authoritative institution — went so far as to issue a fatwa legitimatizing “Rida’ al-Kibir†(sharia’s term for “breastfeeding the adultâ€), which prompted such outrage in the Islamic world that it was subsequently recanted.
Botros played the key role in exposing this obscure and embarrassing issue and forcing the ulema to respond. Another guest on Hala Sirhan’s show, Abd al-Fatah, slyly indicated that the entire controversy was instigated by Botros: “I know you all [fellow panelists] watch that channel and that priest and that none of you [pointing at Abd al-Muhdi] can ever respond to him, since he always documents his sources!â€
Incapable of rebutting Botros, the only strategy left to the ulema (aside from a rumored $5-million bounty on his head) is to ignore him. When his name is brought up, they dismiss him as a troublemaking liar who is backed by — who else? — international “Jewry.†They could easily refute his points, they insist, but will not deign to do so. That strategy may satisfy some Muslims, but others are demanding straightforward responses from the ulema.
All in all, the article is interesting reading on the way one Christian (with a $5MM bounty on his head) has decided to take up a peaceful AND effective mission into a world that needs to know Jesus…
UPDATE: I meant to include the concluding paragraphs, as well, and must not have pasted them over:
But the ultimate reason for Botros’s success is that — unlike his Western counterparts who criticize Islam from a political standpoint — his primary interest is the salvation of souls. He often begins and concludes his programs by stating that he loves all Muslims as fellow humans and wants to steer them away from falsehood to Truth. To that end, he doesn’t just expose troubling aspects of Islam. Before concluding every program, he quotes pertinent biblical verses and invites all his viewers to come to Christ.
Botros’s motive is not to incite the West against Islam, promote “Israeli interests,†or “demonize†Muslims, but to draw Muslims away from the dead legalism of sharia to the spirituality of Christianity. Many Western critics fail to appreciate that, to disempower radical Islam, something theocentric and spiritually satisfying — not secularism, democracy, capitalism, materialism, feminism, etc. — must be offered in its place. The truths of one religion can only be challenged and supplanted by the truths of another. And so Father Zakaria Botros has been fighting fire with fire. [emphasis mine]
HT: NRO
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16 Comments(+Add)
Throughout the Islamic nations and mcommunities there has been taking place a spiritual phenomenon. Many Muslims, especially men with families, have been having dreams where Jesus comes to them and presents Himself as Savior. When they awake, they believe in Christ because of the realness of the dream and many secretly lead their families to Jesus.
This is well known in Muslim communities and it not so rare anymore. God can work outside our prescribed methods and parameters!
Chris – therein lies the gospel and the heart of God.
Rick,
I have read your statements before, but I cannot remember where. Perhaps it was you who wrote them in another thread. Can you direct me to some place where I can see this ‘in action’ via testimonials from people who have experienced it or participated in it? I’m not doubting you, on the contrary, I hope to God it is true. But, I would like to see some personal testimony anyhow. Thanks in advance.
jerry
Jerry, here a two, there are more.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070131/25508_Film_Evangelizes_Muslims_through_Spiritual_Phenomenon.htm
http://www.dreamsandvisions.com/English/dreamsofjesus.html
this is interesting, but i wonder what of the feelings of more moderate Muslims who probably take offense at the systematic dismantling of their faith by a representative of another…
indeed, there are many strong voices emerging in the Muslim world which advocate for a kind of Islam that breaks free from some of the more unsavory aspects of the historical faith just as Christian and Jewish leaders have broken away from some of their own historical errors.
i’d also be interested to know – what’s the basic profile of these converts? are they educated?
also, what of the fact that Islam, like Judaism, is as much a culture as it is a religion? since the enticements to radical Islam actually stem from poverty and disenfranchisement, the ideology (which is really not spiritual in nature), it seems that this kind of preaching (which does nothing to address the actual problems faced by the average citizen of many Middle Eastern nations) could anger many more in the Muslim world than the number of converts.
Evan,
I would agree that there is probably a risk of offending some Muslims. I think that is always a risk. Paul certainly offended some of those he was trying to reach – so much to the point that they ran him out of town and stoned him. I think the thing is, though, that he wasn’t trying to be shocking or offensive, he was just speaking the truth.
That is where I think many Christians have gone overboard when speaking against Islam. I’ve heard people say things like, “we should just turn that whole country into a glass parking lot”, or “we should wrap the bombs in bacon”. Things that are just meant to be inflammatory.
I think it is possible to give a harsh critique of something and still be respectful. It doesn’t like this man’s goal is simply to anger Muslims, but rather he does seem to care for them.
“…since the enticements to radical Islam actually stem from poverty and disenfranchisement…”
Uh, not so much. The following is from a NYT article published not long after the 9/11 attacks:
And let’s not forget, Osama bin Laden came from a wealthy family. Many more articles exist debunking the “poor, uneducated, oppressed muslim with nothing to live for” theory. The fact is, radicalism has been part of the fabric of islam since its inception. Perpetual jihad and violence against infidels is codified in its holy book.
Now, I await my fatwa.
Jerry,
I met a guy who had that as his conversion experience. Came here to the states for Seminary and moved back to Pakistan when he was done. Executed for his faith, there.
wait…
but half that article is about how some of the 9/11 hijackers DEVIATED from the norm, not the other way around. the sections you put in bold type merely show that you didn’t get the messages of the sections you left as they were.
and let’s remember (please) that al-Qaeda isn’t just a branch of greater Islam. it’s a specific group with specific origins, and the phenomenon of terrorism isn’t limited to one branch of Islam, or even to Islam itself.
yes, a certain brand of Islam may have a sect that perpetuates one kind of violence, but there are also those called terrorists who react against Israel’s aggression (disenfranchised, impoverished, genocide victims themselves, nothing to lose), there were those called terrorists who fought in the Irish Republican Army (who felt disenfranchised) and those who came out of South Africa during apartheid (disenfranchisement, poverty, genocide victims, nothing to lose).
and on and on.
sorry, Americans, it’s not all about what finally happened in your backyard that one fateful day. terrorism as a tactic didn’t become an issue that day, and it’s not an “us vs. them” struggle of the ages.
and i would suggest that when Christians in the West blah blah blah on about something being in the “fabric of Islam,” they do nothing but enhance the stereotype of Westerners as ignorant disinterested imperialists, and it debases the message of the moderate Muslims i mentioned.
get a Muslim friend.
or two.
you’ll learn a lot.
(and no, i don’t mean one who’s converted to Christianity.)
Won’t all religions eventually be dismantled, Evan? So why is this a bad thing if they are coming to Christ?
Jerry, that’s not what i said.
my questions were tactical.
i mean, obviously this cleric-of-another-kind is reviled by much of the Muslim world, and those he converts are put in danger…
and i don’t know where the idea that all religions will be dismantled comes from…
Evan,
With all due respect, have you read that part where the bible says everyone will bow before Jesus? Or is that not what you said either? Just so I understand, you did use the word “dismantled”, right?
Your friend,
Jerry
I did, but i was using it in an earthly context in the perspective of “Hey, who does this person think he is?”
people who might believe (and they have that right) that the problem isn’t Islam itself, that they need not abandon their faith which goes back for centuries, but that they need to modernize it for relevance in the current world.
and yes, i’ve read that part of the Bible, but seriously, using the “God’s going to blow it all up in the end” logic to disrespect other peoples’ faith systems is equivalent to the logic that allows Christians to drive around in their SUV’s and vote for oil companies, i mean Republicans, because hey, they say they’re pro-life, and we don’t care about how they’re destroying the earth with their policies because “God’s going to blow it all up in the end.”
Evan,
I’d agree with Jerry here – Zakaria Botros is being VERY much in the vein of what Jesus taught about spreading the gospel, which will result in the lies of other religions revealing themselves. He is not going at it in the manner of a bullhorn guy, but rather as someone from within the culture who loves those he is speaking to and rescuing from a (permanent) dead end religion…
hey, this guy might be okay…
i just raise the questions.
questions? We don’t need no stinkin questions!
This is Christianity we’ve got it all figured out. Or didn’t you get the memo?