Tobias Maier HIS 225-01 Dec.

5th, 2012

Deadly Misunderstandings

Importance
Small misunderstandings can easily grow out of proportion
Centuries of loathing, division and war have resulted from the differences between Christians and Muslims These misunderstandings are as relevant today as ever before We live in an influential area: High interaction btw M&C

Discuss:

Heres the plan

Origins and definitions Historical Background (btw M&C) Mutual Misunderstandings Resolution? Note: Touchy subject & everyone is different

Origins
Islam: In 610 CE Muslims believe Muhammad received the verses of the Quran from God through the angel Gabriel. Christianity: Had its beginnings around 32 CE among Jewish followers of Jesus.

History of Muslim-Christian Relations

Muslim-Christian dialogue dates back to the rise of Islam in the seventh century. Rooted as both traditions are in the monotheism of the patriarch Abraham, Muslims and Christians share a common heritage. For more than fourteen centuries these communities of faith have been linked by their theological understandings and by geographical proximity. The history of Muslim-Christian interaction includes periods of great tension, hostility, and open war as well as times of uneasy toleration, peaceful coexistence, and cooperation. Historically, Christians living under Islamic rule were usually treated as protected (dhimm) peoples; the practical implications of dhimm status fluctuated from time to time and from place to place. Even in the best of circumstances, however, it was difficult for Christians and Muslims to engage one another as equals in dialogue.

History of Muslim-Christian Relations

On the Christian side, the arrival of Islam in the seventh century presented major challenges. In the short space of a century, Islam transformed the character and culture of many lands from northern India to Spain, disrupted the unity of the Mediterranean world, and displaced the axis of Christendom to the north. Islam challenged Christian assumptions. Not only were the Muslims successful in their military and political expansion, but their religion presented a puzzling and threatening new intellectual position.

John of Damascus (a Syrian monk and priest) in the eighth century provided the first coherent treatment of Islam. His encounter with Muslims in the Umayyad administrative and military center of Damascus led him to regard Islam not as an alien tradition but as a Christian heresy. Subsequent Christian writers, particularly those not living among Muslims, were even harsher. Most tended to focus on malicious and absurd distortions of the basic tenets of Islam and the character of Muhammad. This trend is especially evident in Europe following the Crusades.

Loaded Words
Term Literal Meaning Common Christian Understanding Common Muslim Understanding

Christian

Little Christs -orof the party of Christ

Someone who has put his faith and trust in Jesus

An immoral, polytheistic, wine-drinking, pigeating, loose-dressing, Western, materialistic, imperialistic infidel

A follower of Muhammad who has found the truth of submission to God, going to heaven, and who has the latest revelation of the truth A place where Christians practice immorality and other shameful practices

Muslim

One who has submitted his life to God

A heathen, unbelieving, jihadist infidel who worships Muhammad and is going to hell

Church

Called out ones = the body of Christ

A building, Gods house, a denomination, a onehour meeting with singing, prayer and a sermon A place where Muslims worship the false god Allah and teach Muslims to kill Christians

Mosque

Place of prostration and gathering

A place to meet with others socially, to do the prayers God requires of us and to hear the exhortations to do what God requires

History of Muslim-Christian Relations

The Crusades, launched in 1096, cast a long shadow over many centuries. In the midst of their stories of chivalry and fighting for holy causes, medieval writers painted a picture of Islam as a vile religion inspired by the devil or Antichrist. The prevailing sentiment in Europe was illustrated in Dante's Inferno, where a mutilated Muhammad was depicted in Hell for being A fomenter of discord and schism. There were only a few more positive voices among medieval Christians: St. Francis of Assisi (1226), who visited the sultan of Egypt in the midst of the Crusades, instructed his brothers to live among Muslims in peace, avoiding quarrels and disputes. However, deep animosity toward Islam prevailed.

Where does this animosity come from?

What do (some) Christians think Muslims believe?

Muslims worship the false god Allah Muslims dont believe in Jesus Islam promotes violence In Mosques, Muslims are told to kill Christians for the sake of Jihad The Quran denounces the Bible

Is Allah God?
Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, no different from the God of Abraham and Moses Allah Comes from the Aramaic cognate Alaha, which comes from the Hebrew word Elohim: The primary name used for God in the Torrah Arab Christians have used the word Allah many years before Islam even existed Muslims DO believe in Jesus. Hes mentioned in the Quran 25 times. The Quran refers to Jesus as holy(19:19), the Word of Truth (19:34), having been born of a virgin (3:47; 19:20-21), and having raised the dead (3:49; 5:110) The Quran affirms the old and new testaments (5:46,48; 2:136)

Does Islam Promote Violence?

The different religious communities are explained as a part of God's plan; if God had so willed, the Quran asserts, humankind would be one community. Diversity among the communities provides a test for people of faith: Compete with one another in good works. To God you shall all return and He will tell you (the truth) about that which you have been disputing (5:48). The Quran includes positive affirmations for the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), including the promise that Jews and Christians who have faith, trust in God and the Last Day, and do what is righteous shall have their reward. (2:62; 5:69)

19th and 20th Century Changes

Improved transportation
Several developments in the Improved communication nineteenth and twentieth centuries set the stage for contemporary Muslim International commerce Christian dialogue, such as:

Unprecedented levels of migration

Result of Inter-faith Dialogue

Scholars gathered a wealth of information on diverse religious practices and belief systems.
Although Western studies of Islam were often far from objective, significant changes had occurred. With more accurate information in hand, many non-Muslim scholars concluded that Muhammad was sincere and devout, challenging the prevailing Western view that he was a shrewd and sinister charlatan.

Similarly, the scope and reliability of information on Christianity has broadened the horizons of many Muslim scholars during the past century.
*Article

A Dialogue Movement
Pope John Paul II 1985 Speech, Casablanca Soccer Stadium to over 80,000 Mulims

We believe in the same God, the one God, the Living God who created the world In a world which desires unity and peace, but experiences a thousand tensions and conflicts, should not believers come together? Dialogue between Christians and Muslims is today more urgent than ever. It flows from fidelity to God. Too often in the past, we have opposed each other in polemics and wars. I believe that today God invites us to change old practices. We must respect each other and we must stimulate each other in good works on the path to righteousness."

References

Esposito, John L. "Muslim-Christian Dialogue." The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. 2009. Print. Brown, Stuart E., comp.Meeting in Faith: Twenty Years of Christian Muslim Conversations Sponsored by the World Council of Churches. Geneva: WCC Publications, 1989. Cragg, Kenneth. The Call of the Minaret. 2d rev. ed.Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1985. First published 1956. Mohammed, Ovey N.Muslim-Christian Relations: Past, Present, Future. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1999. Watt, W. Montgomery. Muslim-Christian Encounters. London: Routledge, 1991.