1Sharing Christ with Muslim Womenby Steven M. Eggers1.0 IntroductionThe Western image of the Muslim woman is unfortunate. We see her as a hidden figuremoving in a black garment that looks like a tent. Covered head to toe, the Muslim woman isalmost symbolic of oppression and discrimination against women. We may wonder whywomen in 1999 tolerate such treatment. We may wonder how different Islam is fromChristianity. Are all Muslim women oppressed? Why would women voluntarily becomeMuslims? Yet, the picture inside Islam1 is quite different.The sacred book of Islam is known as the Quran. Muslims believe that this is a seriesof revelations given by God to the prophet Muhammad. The Quran has much to say aboutwomen and men. The Quran states that an outer covering is to protect women from harm(Surah 33:59) and gives very specific rules to women about modesty (Surah 24:31). Modestyof women is a central virtue in Islam. But the fundamental view is that, while women are alsoimportant in the eyes of Allah, men are to be their protectors and maintainers (Surah 4:34).What always needs to be remembered is that the focus in the Quran is on the responsibilityone has to Allah. Moreover, because one has obligations to God, this means that one hasobligations to others.One Muslim pamphlet on the role of women explains the idea of the covering this way.Look around you, across the street, around the world: you will see Muslimwomen choosing the veil of their own free will. For they recognize it for what itwas enjoined, an emancipation and liberation. The merchandising of the human 1 Islam is the name of the faith whose prophet is Muhammad. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.Both Islam and Muslim are terms that refer to submission to Allah [God]. It is never appropriate to call aMuslim a Mohammedan.2being profits only that ever-voracious corporate bottom line. Hijab [thecovering] is a womans statement, of transcending the often-abused power ofmen over their lives (Griffin 10).This is a very different point of view from those usually heard in the West!1.1 Islam as a FaithIslam arose in the Arabian Peninsula around 620 A.D. It is a faith whose most preciousgoal in life is expressed in its name: submission to the will of Allah. Muslims believe that Allah(God in Arabic) revealed His will to humans through the prophet Muhammad in therevelations now contained in the Quran. Given over a period of years, Muslims believe thatAllah gave revelations to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. Muhammad was to recite (themeaning of the word Quran) these revelations to the people around him. He was to warn themaway from the worship of many gods and call them to the worship of Allah, the Only God.Muslims say that they too believe in Jesus (whom they call Isa) and a number of OldTestament prophets. They also honor Mary, the mother of Jesus and John the Baptizer. TheQuran is quite clear in recognizing Jesus as a prophet to be held in great honor. Muslimsbelieve that their faith is that of Abraham, from whom there stems a long line of prophets.Christianity and Islam have a number of similarities; but there are also great differences.The faith of Islam is summarized in the Five Pillars:Confession of Faith: There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is theprophet of God.Charity: Giving a percentage of ones income to the poor.3Prayer: The five canonical prayers every day.Fasting: Dusk to dawn during a special month.Pilgrimage: Every able Muslim should travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia at leastonce.It would be misleading to think that this exhausts the meaning of Islam for the average Muslim.There are Muslim ways to wash, ways to eat, forbidden foods, and regulations about prayer.More importantly, Within its parameters is a code of behavior, a complete social pattern forman and for woman, that looks out to the whole of life through the harmony of balanced scale(Griffin 3). Muslims believe that Islam -- submission to the will of Allah -- involves the entirehuman life. No area of life is kept apart from Allahs will.Someone has said that Islam has created lawyers and not theologians. There is a bit oftruth to this statement. The concern of the Muslim is not to seek to know what is not knowable,for no one can truly understand God. What matters is our submission to Allahs will. To knowthis will and to do it is the highest virtue of human life. There are large volumes that tell theMuslim how to be a Muslim in every aspect of daily life. One volume has chapters that explainthe proper way of praying, where, how and when, and what to do if interrupted. While suchconcerns sound strange to most Americans, they show the depth of Muslims regard for whatthey understand to be Allahs will for their life.1.2 Living as a MuslimThe life of the Muslim centers on one goal: obeying Allahs will. From fasting dawn todusk or getting up before the sun for prayers, the Muslims life is a rhythm of prayer, worshipand obedience.4The Muslim life of obedience starts with the example of Muhammad and hiscompanions. To know how Allah wants people to live is to examine the life of the prophetMuhammad. His life is the prime example of how to live a life of submission to Allah. So, inaddition to the Quran, the Muslim gets direction about life from the traditions of the life ofMuhammad and his closest companions. These traditions answer questions that are not given inthe Quran. These include the various rites of the pilgrimage, questions about divorce,inheritance and so on.There are about 1 billion Muslims in the world today. The largest Muslim nation isIndonesia. Other Muslim nations include Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. There are also many Muslimsin Africa, Asia and even the United States. In the United States, they are concentrated in suchareas as New York and Detroit.Their style of life is more easily carried out in the traditional Muslim lands than it is in theUnited States. One does not hear the call to prayer in a typical city in the United States, nordoes the government collect the poor tax for Muslims. Muslims in the United States have toadapt to new ways of being a Muslim. In the malls and cities of the United States one now seesMuslim families and sees Mosques arise in unexpected places. Muslim families are no longerexotic; they are now neighbors. What is unfortunate is that some people have a poor view ofIslam because of Muslim neighbors.One has to be fair and admit that some Muslims are not good Muslims. These peopleneither represent Islam well nor follow it properly. It is unfortunate that so often we make ourdecisions about a faith or a people by looking at poor examples. So, as we seek to understand5Islam and Muslims, we will remind ourselves that every human -- Muslim or Christian -- istroubled by the same problems in daily life. Every human has the same desires and hopes.2.0 Sharing Jesus with Muslim WomenIdeas Christians have in common with MuslimsTelling others about Jesus is the most precious thing a Christian can do. Christians loveothers because Jesus loves them. They want to share with their neighbors His greatest gift of all,forgiveness and hope. Certainly, telling others about Gods love in Jesus can causedisagreement and bewilderment.It all begins with respect, and respect begins with knowledge and understanding. Thereare numerous books and agencies one can consult to find out more about sharing Christ.Sharing the Christian faith with a Muslim woman has one great challenge. It is probablybetter that a Christian woman shares her faith with a Muslim woman because a Muslim womanwould be more at ease working with a Christian woman than with a Christian man. The averageChristian in North America may find this separation between men and women strange, but itrests on a belief deeply-held among many Muslims.Muslims worship one God and honor the prophets of the Old Testament. They abhorthe worship of idols and false gods. The Quran is right when it saysAnd your God Is One God: There is no godBut He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.(Surah 2:163)6Muslims and Christians both place great importance on listening to Gods Word.Muslims hold that God spoke through Jesus. They also honor the Old Testament prophets asmen who spoke Gods Word to their people. God used these same men in the past to tell Hismessage to the people of their day, and to point them to God and His will for their lives.All people need to be called to admit the times that they have failed God, that they havefailed to do what God has commanded. Christians have to admit that there are times when theyhave not listened to the Word of God and done as God wanted them to do. Muslims too arewilling to admit that there are times when they have failed to do all that Allah wants them to do.Sometimes these small sins were unexpected accidents. But often these sins cannot be passedover as mere accidents. Christians have to go to God to receive His forgiveness. The believerprays for Gods mercy and compassion. Even in Islam, there is recognition that forgiveness is agift of God.Christians also know there are angels, and a final day of judgment.Judgment Day is an unavoidable fact for all people. The New Testament says: People dieonce, and after that they are judged. (Hebrews 9:27 GODS WORD)On Judgment Day all people of every place will receive the just reward for their evildeeds. This is a day of terror. It will come. Sin is more than not doing what God wants; it isbeing willful rebels. Here the difference between Muslims and Christians start. Muslims believethat God (Allah) has given people rules that can be kept. Muslims believe that Allah has laid outin the Quran and the Hadith (the way the Prophet lived) all the rules one needs to know.Ideas that Muslims have trouble Understanding7Christians have a different point of view. Knowing the power of sin, Christians pointout that we cant keep Gods law in all its depth. In addition, Christians acknowledge that weas sinners really dont want to keep Gods law. Christians sometimes call this type of sinrebellion against God. We dont want to have Him as our Lord, and we object to His laws.Admitting this kind of sin is difficult, but necessary. Therefore all people need to come to God,admit their sin, and ask for help.The Christian acknowledges that our life is to be one of obedience to God, but it isobedience that flows out of the knowledge of His forgiveness. While there are many traditionsin the Christian church, such as ways to pray and worship, Christians believe that Godcommands none of these. Christians may differ with each other on how to pray, but they see inthese differences expressions that show their love for God. Good Christians and good Muslimshave many things in common, but Christians acknowledge that their faith is not one focusedupon human obedience, but upon what Gods Son Jesus Christ has done for them.While Muslims honor Jesus, the Christian must clearly understand that Muslims onlyhonor Jesus as a prophet. A Muslim finds it difficult to understand that Jesus is more than aprophet. Certainly the Quran describes Jesus in glowing terms:Christ, the son of Mary, Was no more than A Messenger; many wereTheMessengers that passed away Before him. His mother was a woman oftruth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth make Hissigns clear to them; Yet see in what ways They are deluded Away from thetruth! (Surah 5:75)He said: I am indeed A servant of Allah: He hath given me a revelation andmade me A prophet. (Surah 19: 31)8And We made The son of Mary and His mother As a sign. We gave them bothShelter on high ground, affording rest and security And furnished with springs.(Surah 23:50)But this is still not the full picture of Jesus revealed in the Bible. Jesus is a teacher, of course,but so much more.Christian Ideas Difficult For Muslims To AcceptIt is difficult for Muslims to understand the Christians deep faith in Jesus as Savior. Butthat God became man to save sinners (the Incarnation) is the most difficult tenet for Muslims toaccept.2 Christians speak of Jesus, who is the only One who both knows our life and our trueneeds. Because Christians recognize their own failures to do Gods will sin Christiansconfess that only God Himself can help them.We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He wastempted in every way that we are, but he didnt sin. So we can go confidentlyto the throne of Gods kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which willhelp us at the right time (Hebrews 4:15- 16, GODS WORD).Coming in our helplessness to God in prayer, we seek Gods mercy and kindness. At Histhrone of grace there is forgiveness. Forgiveness is His gift to us. God gives it because Jesus,humanitys representative and savior, is the one mediator between people and God. TheChristian knows that while people can pray for us, only God can do the redeeming.There is one God. There is also one mediator between God and humans. Hesacrificed himself for all people to free them from their sins. This message isvalid for every era. (1 Timothy 2:5-6, GODS WORD)The hardest idea for Muslims to understand is the idea that Jesus is God in the flesh. Asmentioned above, Christians believe that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Moreover,9Jesus prefers life and obedient death on a cross as a substitute for all humanity, and Hissacrifice is beneficial for all people.By trusting Jesus as Savior, Christians believe that sinners receive the gift of a blessedlife eternal. Such eternal blessing is not the result of their own deeds, no matter how good thesedeeds are. Paradise is a gift of God given to all who turn in trust to Jesus Christ to save them.This gift of faith and salvation from God is undeserved.3.0 Additional ResourcesMore InformationPOBLO is a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod ministry that shares the Gospel withMuslims. They can put you in touch with various resources. Contact:Rev. Randy DuncanPeople of the Book Lutheran Outreach35001 Michigan Ave.Westland, MI 48184(734) 467-6256BooksThere are numerous good books written about the relationships between Christians andMuslims and how to share your faith with Muslims. The following are just two. You may notagree with everything they say, but they are very good starting points:Cragg, Kenneth. Call of the Minaret. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Press, 1992.Dretke, James. A Christian Approach to Muslims. Pasadena, Calif.:Wm. Carey Library, 1979. 2 The incarnation is the Christian doctrine that Jesus who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of theVirgin Mary (Apostles Creed).10Both of these books are available at the Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Waynebookstore. Telephone (219) 452-2160.4.0 References CitedAli, Yusf. The Meaning of the Holy Quran. Brentwood, Maryland:Amana Corporation, 1992.Griffin, Tasleem K. Within the Sheltering Peace. Islamic Circle of North America.The Bible, GODS WORD is a copywrited work of the Gods Word to the NationsBible Society, 1995. Quotations are used by permission.