In that the present War setting of the
Any Christian who has spent much time at all
sharing views with a Muslim neighbor or friend will quickly realize that
Muslims and Christians share many deeply-held values. We also share many common
roots in our religious traditions, and share similar personal stories of faith.
Yet we also know that the 1400 years of shared history between Christians and
Muslims has not always been friendly. Wars have been fought over territories.
Each side has accused the other of treating minorities unfairly and imposing
religion by force. Some modern observers predict that the next great world
conflict will be between the Muslim world and the West. Others are more
hopeful.
Roots of antagonism on the Christian side
come primarily from two sources: 1) differences in beliefs, especially surrounding
the person and work of Jesus; and 2) movie, book and news media portrayals of
angry Muslim fanatics shouting anti-Western slogans.
On the other side, many Muslims have
"Inherited" an awareness of being a target for extinction by
Christians throughout most of our shared history. The medieval crusades were
the beginning, followed by the Spanish Inquisition, the colonial period, and
the modern missionary movement, all of which attempted in their own way to
eliminate Islam and Muslims from the face of the earth.
Yet despite these differences we share much
in common. We share a commitment to God in a world which is becoming
increasingly godless. We share many values which call people to a higher goal
than crass materialism and individualism. Learning to work together for a
better world does not mean that we have to ignore our differences. Christians
will always witness to the truth of God as we experience it in Christ. Muslims
will likewise always invite others to follow the way of God as it has been revealed
to them. If this "competition" is friendly instead of deadly, then it
will not tear our world apart, but can only enrich our world to the glory of
God and the benefit of humanity.
It seems only natural for us to
identify a religious movement by the name of its founder. Buddhism is so-named
because of the central role of the Buddha, who has a merely human or a
quasi-divine role, varying according to different varieties of Buddhism.
Christianity is named for the central place of Christ, whom Christians regard
as more than human, but both human and divine. Some Christians have had the
idea that Muslims worship Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship
Christ. This notion is quite offensive to Muslims, who regard Muhammad neither
as divine nor as the founder of a new religion. They see him as a human
messenger who called people to return to the true worship of one God, the only
religion which has been true since the beginning of time.
Muslims have extremely high regard for
all of the many prophets who preceded Muhammad in this same mission. Muhammad
is unique only in that he is "the seal of the prophets," the last one
in a long line to bear the message of God to humanity. It is in this context
that Muslims also have great respect for Jesus, whom they view as one of the
greatest prophets, born of a virgin, and appointed by God to be (along with
Muhammad) the first to be raised from the dead at the end of time. Most Muslims
will not even pronounce the name "Jesus" without adding an expression
of honor and respect.
Muslims will not pray to Muhammad or to
Jesus, or any of the prophets. It is understood that each person is called to
trust in God alone for his or her well being, both in this life and in the life
to come. No one can influence God on another's behalf, but must rely only on
the boundless overflowing mercy of God. When Muhammad died a natural death in
the privacy of his home, many in the city were disturbed at the news and
worried about their future without the beloved leader. Muhammad's close friend
Abu Bakr rose to address them in their grief. He said, "O people! If you
want to worship Muhammad, know that Muhammad is dead. If you want to worship
God, know that God is alive and alive will never die."
All three faiths in the
Judeo-Christian-Muslim tradition recognize that evil is present in the world,
even though God created good. All three teach that an important part of a life
of faith is for each believer to actively resist what is evil and support what
is good. (Christians may compare with 1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians chapter 6 and
similar texts.)
Islam teaches that when believers witness an
act of evil they must try to stop it from happening, if possible. If they do
not have the power to stop the evil, they must speak out against it. If
circumstances prevent even speaking out against the evil, then the least
believers can do is to make firm resolve in their heart against that evil. Yet
the Judeo-Christian-Muslim faiths also teach that evil is skilled at disguising
itself to appear good, and that our own selfish motives can often deceive us.
For that reason, the struggle for the good must be waged - not just against the
evil around us - but also against the evil which is within our own hearts.
(Compare Romans 7:21ff.)
In Islam, the struggle of good vs. evil is
called Jihad -- "striving
for the good." Muslims often remind us of two jihds mentioned in the
Qur'an, a Greater Jihad, and a Lesser Jihad, one of them against evil in
the world around us and the other against evil within us. Surprisingly (or
not), the struggle against evil in the world around us is the Lesser Jihad, while the Greater Jihad is the struggle between
good and evil which we wage in our own hearts. It is the inner struggle which
is most difficult and also most important, for unless we recognize and combat
the evil within us, we will never successfully resist the evil around us.
Both Christians and Muslims must not be
misled by anyone who uses the language of spiritual warfare as an excuse to
commit acts of violence on other human beings. Repel evil with that which is better -- Qur'an 23:9; 41:34.Jihad is a struggle for the healing of
creation, not its destruction.
