Over the past few years thousands of lives have been lost by the bombings of suicide Muslim fundamentalist terrorists, the most recent in a Western country being the underground rail and bus bombings in London in June/July this year. This has led to anti-Muslim attitudes increasing in Western countries including Australia and to many Christians labelling Islam as an evil religion, much to the embarrassment of Christian missionaries working in Muslim countries. Does the Koran teach or condone these killings?

One passage in the Koran, cited by those who say Islam is an evil religion, is this

"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits, for Allah loves not transgressors. And kill them whenever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out - - - if they fight you, kill them."

That appears to be damning evidence against Islam. But this passage must be seen in its context. These words were directed against the idol-worshipping tribes of Medina who were trying to wipe out Mohammed and his followers. Mohammed was engaged in a life and death struggle to establish his monotheistic religion. His words were not a call for a jihad, a command for his followers to kill "all infidels" as Islamic fundamentalist Imams and terrorist organisations claim. Are we to judge Islam by the actions of a few bigoted fundamentalist Imams and their followers or by quoting extreme passages from the Koran? Is that the only teaching of the Koran?

The overwhelming teaching of the Koran is for Jews and Christians to be treated with reverence and respect. Mohammed considered Jesus a prophet through whom God had spoken. He taught that Christians would achieve salvation if they lived up to the teachings of Jesus. Since the early days of Islam things have changed. Over the centuries the two religions have been bitterly opposed to one another. The Crusades were a time of bitter fighting and dreadful atrocities on both sides. Today the animosity continues and writers speak of a "clash of cultures" which in reality is a clash of religions. Islam is a missionary religion and wants to see the world become an Islamic world. In countries where Muslims predominate Christians are usually regarded as second-class citizens and suffer restrictions on practising their faith. Proselytising is strictly forbidden. But when Muslims emigrate to a Christian country they demand the right to proselytise Christians.

One could go on enumerating the difference between Christianity and Islam. But what can be done to achieve greater understanding between Christians and Muslims? In A.D. 1219, at the time of the Fifth Crusade, St Francis of Assisi made an attempt at reconciliation between the two sides by visiting the great sultan, Al Kamil, the leader of the Muslim armies, and sharing the salvation and love of Jesus with him. He stayed some time with the sultan. The visit changed the lives of both men and led the sultan to say, "Oh Francis, if I ever meet another Christian like you, I will become a Christian". Francis had expected to meet a barbaric pagan. Instead he met a highly cultured and deeply spiritual man. One writer says: "He found something of Jesus alive and well in his new friend, so much so that they were able to pray together". We today need to have the same understanding of and compassion for Muslims that Francis had. Because of the worldwide tension today between Christian and Islamic nations and our concentration on the things that divide us we often fail to realise that the two religions have important things in common. There are two in particular. Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions and both accept the Old Testament as holy scripture.

Of course there are profound differences between the two religions and I would in no way gloss over them. The goal for Muslims is to be like Mohammed who taught if necessary you could kill your enemy. The aim of Christians is to be like Jesus who taught that we love our enemies and do good to those who would harm us. But in judging Islam we should endeavour to see the best in it and not concentrate on its worst features. None of us would like the Christian faith to be judged by Deuteronomy 7:1-2 calling for "ethnic cleansing": or by Leviticus 20:10-13 calling for the death penalty for adultery and homosexual acts or by the barbaric behaviour of the Crusaders. Demonising all Muslims because of the atrocities of a few fundamentalist Muslim terrorists - disowned by the vast majority of Muslims worldwide - is wrong, We must be fair in our criticisms and loving in our actions.

In one of his books Tony Campolo, American sociologist and Christian author, tells of a Princeton Theological Seminary student asking the great Swiss Protestant theologian, Karl Barth, whether he thought religions other than Christianity were valid ways to God. Barth answered, "No! No religion can provide a valid way to God and His salvation. Not even the Christian religion. Only Jesus Christ can serve as a mediator to God". Campolo goes on to say: "It may be the case that many who never called themselves Christian were truly possessed by Christ and will be invited into the eternal kingdom".

The Australian Prime Minister is to be commended for calling a summit meeting with Muslim leaders. This will enable the government and Muslim leaders to work together to improve relations between Muslims and rest of the community. As Christians we too have an important role to play. To us has been entrusted the "ministry of reconciliation". We must build relationships of trust between Christians and Muslims. Distorting the beliefs of others has never won a lasting victory for the Christian church. As that great missionary to Muslims, Temple Gardiner of Cairo (1871-1928)

once said "The Spirit of Jesus is the only asset of the church".

Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Blackburn

Reproduced with the author's permission.