1. Ventures in Christian Discipleship
Welcoming Muslims
Ventures in Christian Discipleship
September 16, 2017
Dr. Kirk R. MacGregor
Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion
McPherson College

2. Overview of the current global situation
1.6 billion Muslims in the world (23% of global population)
98% of Muslims (1.568 billion) reject terrorism in any form
0.5% of Muslims (8 million) embrace global terrorism
Threat to the United States
1.5% of Muslims (24 million) embrace nationalist terrorism
No threat to the United States
In the twenty-first century, there have been 1,000 terrorist attacks in Europe, of which 2% (20) were committed by Muslims

3. Overview of the current global situation
The vast majority of Muslims have legitimate grievances against the United States and Europe
America’s unfavorability rating in the Muslim world is around 90%
Legitimate grievances against the United States:
Discrimination against and refusal to protect Muslims
Virtually unconditional support of Israel as it—despite the UN recognition of Palestinian statehood—takes land from, dislocates, oppresses, terrorizes, and murders Palestinians
Support for Arab dictators, with no interest in promoting democracy (which Muslims like!) despite America’s rhetoric to the contrary
Making war against and invading sovereign Muslim nations
Treating the Middle East like a giant gas station

4. Overview of the current national situation
Muslims make up 1% of American population (there are 3.3 million Muslims in the United States)
99.8% of American Muslims (3,293,400) reject terrorism in any form
0.2% of American Muslims (6,600) embrace terrorism
In the twenty-first century, there have been 97 terrorist attacks in the United States, 8 (8.2%) of which were committed by Muslims
There have been more Jewish terrorist attacks (11 = 11.3%) in the United States than Muslim in the twenty-first century
Most twenty-first century United States terrorist attacks have been committed by right-wing extremists (71 = 73.2% of attacks)

5. A higher percentage of Muslim Americans reject killing civilians than any other group in America

6. Overview of the current national situation
Every time a terrorist attack or shooting occurs, Muslims closely watch the news with extreme trepidation, praying that the suspect is not Muslim
This is not because these terrorists are likely to be Muslim but rather because in the instances where they happen to be, we see amplified mass media coverage and extreme unjustified hatred towards Muslims

7. ISLAMOPHOBIA

10. The beliefs of virtually all American Muslims
God
Angels
Holy books
Prophets
Salvation based on faith and righteous deeds
A future judgment

11. The practices of virtually all American Muslims
Creedal Recitation – Shahadah, lit. “to bear witness”
“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah.”
Six conditions for proper recitation
Salat (Prayers)
Jumu’ah
Zakat (Giving Alms)
Fasting During Ramadan
Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

12. How the Quran and virtually all American Muslims understand…
Jihad
Greater jihad, jihad “in the way of God”
Lesser jihad
War either just or unjust; it is never “holy”
Prohibits all but strictly defensive wars

13. But what did the following verses in the Quran originally mean?
“Slay the polytheists (kafir) wherever you confront them” (9:5)
“Carry the struggle to the hypocrites (munafiq) who deny the faith” (9:73)
“Fight those who do not believe in God and the Last Day” (9:29)
In their historical context, all of these verses were directed specifically at the Quraysh (“the polytheists,” kafir) and their clandestine partisans in Yathrib (“the hypocrites,” munafiq); “those who do not believe in God and the Last Day” is code for both groups
These verses cannot legitimately be used to suggest that Islam advocates fighting unbelievers until they convert

14. How virtually all American Muslims understand…
Sharia
Islamic religious law, parallel to Jewish halakhah and Roman Catholic canon law, governing matters of family, dress, and food
It is not a replacement for civil law
Based on four sources: Quran, Sunna, Ijma, Qiyas
How the Sunna, Ijma, and Qiyas are interpreted depend on the school of Sharia to which one subscribes, usually determined by the place of family descent
Places in the world where Sharia includes human rights abuses (certain African and Middle Eastern countries) are governed by schools of Sharia that controversially interpret Sunna, Ijma, and Qiyas

15. Islamists No American Islamists, so far as research reveals
Islamism = the fusing of religion and nationalism
Many nonviolent, some violent
Violent groups take a realpolitik interpretation of the lesser jihad
Examples: Hamas, Hizballah, Muslim Brotherhood, the Taliban
Islamists desire a state founded on an “Islamic moral framework” (i.e., their interpretation of Sharia) and lack any international agenda

16. Jihadists 0.2% of American Muslims (6,600) are Jihadists
Jihadism = the transnational rejection of all earthly governments and attempt to fight a cosmic war, which they believe will culminate in a single theocratic world order under the caliphate: the Islamic state
All violent
Radical reinterpretation of jihad: no greater jihad; lesser jihad is killing all perceived evildoers, which means all non-Jihadists
Examples: ISIS, al-Qaida, Boko Haram

17. Recommendations for Welcoming Muslims
Recognize there’s literally a 499 out of 500 chance that the person is as safe or safer than your other acquaintances
Invite the person to your home for a meal
Visit a mosque if one in the area, calling ahead to see when coming is appropriate and to see if you can have a guide
Express your sympathy for Muslims’ legitimate grievances against the United States, conveying that you, as a Brethren Christian, share those same grievances
Call your public officials to advocate for solutions to those grievances
Work to educate friends and family members who are Islamophobic