The Lausanne Global Conversation is on the World Wide Open Network
Author: Hussein Hajji Wario
Date: 16.06.2011
Category: Unreached People Groups, Truth and Pluralism, World Faiths
Muslims know what is at stake in interfaith dialogues. They participate in them knowing Islam has a battered image around the world that desperately needs improvement. Sadly, some Christians who participate in these dialogues have no clue about Muslims’ intentions. They are involved in promoting “peace” but fail to realize their efforts inadvertently improve Islam’s global image.
Muslims and even some Christians who engage in interfaith dialogues misquote the Qur’an in order to bolster Islam’s image, promoting its nonexistent image of inclusiveness. They often selectively quote chapters of the Qur’an while leaving out verses that would obliterate their arguments. There are many examples but today I will deal with the most abused verse of the Qur’an in interfaith dialogues, which is found in Suratul Al-Hujraat (chapter 49 of the Qur’an). Verse 13 states:
Every article I have read on interfaith dialogue involving Muslims uses this Qur’an verse. Unfortunately, this verse has nothing to do with non-Muslims. Many non-Muslims sell out on the “O mankind” portion of the verse but mankind does not always include non-Muslims in the Qur’an. Islam is not as inclusive as Muslims and non-Muslim interfaith interlocutors would like people to believe.
This verse was revealed to address a case of racism, which involved Bilal, a Black Muslim during Muhammad’s time who used to call Muslims to pray. One day when Bilal sounded the call to pray, an Arab Muslim said, “Did Allah and His Messenger not find anyone to call to prayer except this raven.” That was when verse 13 was revealed. It clearly has nothing to do with non-Muslims but everything to do with Muslims. Mankind here referred to Muslims.
Muslims and Christians who quote verse 13 and mislabel it as a verse that promotes interfaith dialogue also totally ignore verse 9 of the same chapter, which called on Muslims to fight each other over a trivial issue. Verse 9 commands:
This verse was revealed when a donkey urinated and one Muslim quipped “the smell of the donkey’s urine is sweeter-smelling than” another Muslim’s fragrances. This trivial insult escalated into a fight then this verse was revealed.
The Qur’an calls on Muslims to fight each other over a minor issue like a donkey’s urine, what are the chances for ardent Muslims to live at peace with Christians who are the worst of the sinners! The same book accuses Christians of ascribing partners to Allah, calling their worship the most heinous sin.
It is mind-boggling Muslims and non-Muslims take the Qur’an out of context or change intended meanings of its verses in order to come up with a palatable message on interfaith dialogue. I am not opposed to interfaith dialogues as long as they candidly tackle issues at hand. Jesus Christ has called us to be peacemakers but let us not use our calling as an occasion to spread a fake image of Islam.
Keywords: Faith Shared, Interfaith Dialogue, Muslim, Christian, Islam, Christianity
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United States
This is very interesting article. I agree with you that passages should not be taken out of context. When verses or passages are taken out of context, it only leads to a misrepresentation of scripture and of God. As we see here, it can lead to deception as well. This article supports the idea that we, as Christians, need to be educated on other faiths and their ideologies and scriptures. Therefore, when we do sit down with others from a different faith, we can have clear, honest and open conversations, which will hopefully lead to a peaceful relationship. I do feel that these conversations are important and are going to become even more important as the world gets “smaller.” As Christians, we are called to a life of peace. We are also called to love our neighbors. It is important to remember peoples of different faiths are considered to be our “neighbors” as well. If we have a better understanding of different faiths, we start to build relationships that open doors leading to a more peaceful world. I realize it sounds as if I all for tolerance to the point that we do not spread the Gospel and work towards bring everyone to Christ. On the contrary, I believe that we must first relieve the hostility first. Relationship is key. It is what missions is about. You cannot have a relationship built on hostility. Once the relationship is established, we have the opportunity to allow Christ’s light to shine from us. I realize that there will always be those who oppose interfaith relationships. But, I do not think we are to give up because of them. God’s love does not stop..
03.11.2011
United States
@ jdb11583:
This was a very interesting article, indeed. As you mentioned, we often take Scripture out of context as a means of using it to serve our own purposes or to use it against another person. But ultimately, we must remember that we are called to live a life of peace and love, and to give others the same hope that we have because of our faith in Jesus Christ.
01.05.2013
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