Glocal Christianity

Malaysian Government and Catholic Church in High Court over 'Allah'

Christian Today reports: "Malaysia’s high court began hearing legal arguments Monday over the use of 'Allah”'by Christians as a translation for God. While the Catholic Church in Malaysia insists that the word 'Allah' is not exclusive to Islam and has been used by Christians and Muslims in Arabic-speaking countries for centuries, Senior Federal Counsel Datuk Kamaluddin argued otherwise, saying that the word is exclusive to Islam and that its sanctity must be protected."

Which supports what I have said previously, that we shouldn't expect Christian inclusivism to be appreciated by Muslims in interfaith dialogue.

Should we observe Ramadan?

Brian McLaren has decided to celebrate Ramadan this year:

This year, I, along with a few Christian friends ... will be joining Muslim friends in the fast which begins August 21. We are not doing so in order to become Muslims: we are deeply committed Christians. But as Christians, we want to come close to our Muslim neighbors and to share this important part of life with them.

You can read the rest at Brian McLaren's blog, but I want to ask, could this be a case of offering food to idols (or in this case foodlessness)? Or is it contextual witness?

Before answering, consider the Shahadah, “There is no god but Allah and Muḥammad is the prophet of Allah.” What would contextualisation look like here?

Why would Jesus help a Muslim?

A Muslim speaks of his conversion experience.

Survey shows most Muslims support democracy

It would seem there are a few Muslim stereotypes that need deconstructing. Dinesh D'Souza of Christianity Today writes "Surveys of the world's Muslims find that most Muslims support democracy and freedom. Indeed, many Muslims complain that they are ruled by Western-supported secular despots who deny people their right to self-government." Ouch.

But there's more. The data also suggests that, while most Muslism support classic liberalism, including the right to vote and freedom of assembly, etc, what they really object to is modern liberalism, "which is characterized by the right to blaspheme, pornography as a protected form of free expression, the exclusion of religious symbols from the public square, the right of teenagers to receive sex education and contraceptives, the right to abortion, prostitution as a worker's right, and so on." In other words, they object to much the same things as many Christians do.

So maybe, just maybe, there is some common ground here.

For me personnally, the biggest barrier to cooperation with Muslims is what I see as Muslim resistance to religious freedom. In particular, the violent reaction of some Muslims to people who convert to another religion, other than Islam that is. Maybe that's also a stereotype that needs deconstructing, but I know people personally effected by such violence. So Muslims, help me out here. I need to see some evidence before I can believe that. 

Related Articles on Islam

The Muslim, my neighbour
Some Muslim leaders condoning rape
Taliban kill aid worker for spreading Christianity
American Muslim
Fatwa against terrorism
Prayer request from friends of Turkish martyrs

Virgins in Heaven

Nuns with guns. Funny on one level. Deeply disturbing on another. 

Could it be that the humour is in the very inconguity of the image, that this is not what we expect of nuns?

Yet, if we question church divisions between clergy and laity as somewhat artificial, where does this leave us? Either killing one another is right for all Christians, clergy included, or it is right for no Christians, is it not? Why don't we see an image of an ordinary Christian with a gun as equally incongruous? Our laughter reveals our Constantinian heritage. 

Politically incorrect as this may be, I think the image is helpful for exposing our baggage.

On the flip side, what does this say for our attitude towards Muslims? Do we see them all as terrorists, or potential terrorists, or terrorist sympathisers?

Obama, Osama and Muslim Reconciliation

I have just been reading what Obama had to say to the Muslim world via his keynote speech in Cairo. I have also been watching some of the Israeli and Palistinian and fundamentalist Christian reactions. You can read the full transcript of Obama's speach and view some video highlights here. Photos here. I hope it is a new beginning, but somehow I think reconciliation is going to take more than speaches don't you? I agree violence is not the answer, I just wonder how Obama plans to model that. Overall though, I see this Obama Cairo speech as a constructive step. So I ask, what stood out for you? What bits got you thinking?

Who is God for in Gaza?

Mary, one of the new readers of Glocal Christianity, recently drew my attention to a video she's made on the Gaza situation.

I must admit, I had mixed feelings watching this. I felt uncomfortable with the images calling for solidarity with the Palastinians. Not because I support Israel, but because I find it difficult to side with either side. But then I thought, who are the Palastinians? Should I directly equate them with Hamas? Did the babies in the firing line get to vote? Its not that simple. I suppose what I can say honestly is that I side with anyone - Palastinian, Israeli - who renounces violence as a solution to violence. Still pondering this one, its got me thinking.

The Muslim, my neighbour

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"

Many people have a harsh view of Muslims. Terrorists. Gang rapists. Ragheads.

But what if we were to think of them as neighbours?

My view of Muslims was profoundly changed by a neighbour of mine. His name was Mohammed. He was a Muslim.

He was from Egypt originally, but he lived next to me and my wife in our first house in Sydney’s western suburbs. In fact he was there before us. He had one wife, one daughter and a couple of sons. He was older than me, his family was older, but we were neighbours and we chatted as neighbours do.

I remember the first time he invited me into his house. There was this round plaque with Arabic script in the front entrance, where a mirror might otherwise go. I guess it was a verse from the Koran but I really don’t know. My knowledge of Arabic is limited to the insults I picked up from Lebanese kids in school. Anyway, he invited me in for an Arabic coffee, which was, if I recall correctly, rather odd tasting.

We helped each other from time to time. I remember one particular occasion when we were broken into and he came over and fixed my window for me. It was a rough job but better than I could do and it saved us some cash.

So you could say we had a good relationship, but not all was well, for the son of my Muslim neighbour had a drug problem.

We first became aware of it through a series of family arguments, between the father and son which sometimes spilled out onto the streets. Over time they became increasingly heated. I remember one night in particular where, in the middle of the night there was this knocking at the front door. I stumbled to the door to find his drug addled son, standing outside, looking through the window, asking to come in. “He’s lock me out”, he said in a daze. With a young wife inside I denied him entry also but talked to him for a bit. It was a bit unnerving, I had less experience with drug addicts then.

Knowing this must be tearing my neighbour apart, I did what I felt Christ would do, I went to him and said I was willing to listen, that I would be there for him. He broken down and wept. I held him. He told me of his anguish as a father, his frustration, his sense of helplessness. In that moment we ceased to be Christian and Muslim neighbours, we were just two men.

And you know, as I listen to reports of Israel invading Gaza, of Muslims launching missiles and Jews levelling suburbs and Christians playing politics, and think of the cycles of violence and revenge that plague the homeland of Christ, I think of my Muslim neighbour and the humanity we shared. I think we this will only stop when we find our own humanity … looking back at us through our neighbours.

[Photo: my son befriending some Muslim women at an Australian mosque some years ago]

Mumbai Terrorist Attacks

Regular readers of this blog would be aware that I have been closely following the escalation of terrorist activity in India, and in particular the emergence of Hindu terrorism in response to Islamic and Marxist terrorism.

Well, news reports are now emerging of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, where people holding British and American passports have been targeted. Australians have been caught in the crossfire in the Taj Mahal Hotel. I have not yet heard who is responsible for the terrorist acts but it seems to be a significant development.

For more on the terrorist attacks in Mumbi read:

Mumbai terrorist attacks: gunmen go on rampage
Mumbai attacks: Aussie casualties could rise, warns PM

Some Muslim leaders condoning rape?

A report into imam training by the Islamic Women's Welfare Council of Victoria has found that some Muslim religious leaders are condoning rape within marriage, domestic violence, polygamy, welfare fraud and the exploitation of women.

The report has been rejected by the Victorian Board of Imams, however the report itself says the board ignored or did not directly answer many of the questions. It says women, community and legal workers and police "were particularly concerned about domestic violence and suggested that imams aimed to preserve the family at the cost of women."

Taliban Kill Aid Worker For Spreading Christianity

Taliban terrorists have claimed responsibility for the killing of a Christian aid worker on Monday in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Co-workers said: 

"She was killed violently while caring for the most forgotten people in the world; the poor and the disabled," the statement said. "She herself would not regret taking the risk of working in Afghanistan. She was where she wanted to be -- holding out a helping hand to those in need."

A true witness to Christ

American Muslim

Here is a picture in dire need of a caption. What thoughts does it stir for you? The image, entitled "American Muslim" is by Mangagirl3535

Killing Muslims and Christians a Game?

If there was ever any doubt that Atheists can be just as susceptible to fundamentalism as any other religion, then take a look at this new video game under development by a “zealous” humanist.

You can see video footage and a transcript here.

The object of the game is to stop the spread of Christianity and Islam by murdering Abraham and the authors of the Bible, before beheading Muhammad.

“It’s the idea of being able to go back in time and sort of nipping the problem in the bud,” said the game’s creator.

What problem would that be, the problem of violent extremism?

Yes, I am being sarcastic.

It's not that I am suggesting all Atheists are fundamentalists. I just seek to demonstrate that we theists don't have a monopoly on fundamentalism any more than we have a monopoly on truth. Fundamentalism has its origins in hate and fear, and these unfortunately infect all humanity.

Fatwa Against Terrorism.

In news of note, Mohamed Haneef joined the Dalai Lama on the podium of an anti-terrorism conference in India on Sunday.

For those not familiar with the story, Haneef was locked up as a suspected terrorism suspect in Australia last year. The charges were later dropped and, though a judicial inquiry is still in progress, from what has emerged so far it seems that the authorities were, shall we say, over zealous.

Now, while I am sympathetic to Haneef's complaint against the typcasting of Muslims as terrorists, I am also sympathetic to complaints that Muslim leaders haven't done enough in terms of condemning Muslim terrorists. It was with great interest therefore, that I read this comment at the end of the article:

After the attack an influential conservative Muslim seminary in India, the Darool Uloom Deoband and its political arm, Jamiat-i-Hind, issued a "fatwa" against terrorism.

You can read the full story here

Muslim Evangelization

Why is it that sharing the good news with Muslims is considered so much more controversial than sharing the gospel with Atheists? I was reading this report from Religious Intelligence the other day:

THE CHURCH of England is to be asked to back the explicit conversion of Muslims in a controversial motion set to be debated at the Church’s ‘parliament’ this summer.

The Private Member’s motion is being put forward by lay member Paul Eddy, who believes that senior church leaders are dismissing the church’s mission to evangelise, if those being evangelized are from another faith background.

But Mr Eddy admits that his motion has angered some in the church, with at least four bishops calling on him to drop his campaign for fear of harming inter-faith relations.

However, another bishop, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester, has backed Mr Eddy’s campaign, arguing that it was important for all faiths to enter into dialogue without giving up their core beliefs.

While I am not conversant with the UK situation, I have experienced similar attitudes over here in Australia on occasions. From what I gather, some Christians seem to think Atheists are a tabula rasa¹ in terms of world view commitment. I find that very curious. I don't know about you, but guys like Dawkins strike me as being very committed to their world view. I can only see this dichotomy as naive and unbiblical. Every path has its hard core committed types and fluffier hangers on - even Atheists, even Muslims. What damages interfaith relations more is when supposed representatives of Christianity water down their Christianity to the point it is non-representative. That doesn't serve reconciliation. It just creates syncretistic offshoots.

¹ Latin for blank slate