Alexandria, Egypt

I certainly don’t love Islam, but I do love Muslims. Well, at least the ones that I have met so far. And when, you travel to the Middle East on a regular basis, one thing you learn very quickly is that the reality of everyday Muslims doesn’t match the Hollywood stereotypes at all, which often portray Muslims as murderous Islamic extremists. There are many stories that I could tell, and have told, about the warm hospitality that I have received and how the Lord has even used many Muslim friends and strangers to bless my life, just as he has used many other non-Christians too. And of all the Muslims that I have met while travelling in the Middle East, so far I have only met one whom I would regard as potentially dangerous person… a young radical Islamist who had the misfortune of sitting next to me on an international flight out of Alexandria for Dubai.

So far I have only met one whom I would regard as potentially dangerous person… a young radical Islamist who had the misfortune of sitting next to me on an international flight out of Alexandria for Dubai.

This young man had just spent months at a particular madrassa in Egypt, apparently being heavily indoctrinated in the teachings of the Koran so, quite naturally, I asked him all about Islam and Mohammad and what he believed. And he was very happy to talk and it soon became apparent that he represented a particularly radical sect… one which may even have even been involved in attacks against Christians in Egypt. I came to this conclusion because when our conversation touched on the recent terrorist attacks on churches in Alexandria, he seemed to react to those events with some excitement and delight, as if those attacks had somehow fulfilled some glorious purpose. This was a reaction quite unlike all other Muslims I had met, whose reactions to those events were more akin to revulsion, grief, sorrow and disgust.

He seemed to react to those events with some excitement and delight, as if those attacks had somehow fulfilled some glorious purpose. This was a reaction quite unlike all other Muslims I had met, whose reactions to those events were more akin to revulsion, grief, sorrow and disgust.

I initially made no attempt to say anything about my own beliefs but asked him lots of questions about his. I quizzed him on why he admired the prophet of Islam, why he believed what he believed and why he had concluded that the claims of the Koran were true. My reason for asking this was because I’m not only interested in what people believe, but in why they choose to believe what they believe.

Our conversation went on for quite a long time, discussing the differences between Islam and Christianity and addressing some of his misconceptions. Muslims, for example, are often taught that Christians worship three gods, which of course is a misunderstanding of the doctrine of the Trinity. And, finally, towards the end of our conversation, I asked him two simple questions: I asked him if he had seen any miracles and then asked him if he’d had any answers to prayer. To the first question he replied, “Oh, there are many miracles in the Koran”, to which I replied, “OK, but have you ever seen any yourself?” He honestly admitted that he himself had never seen any miracles and I just nodded and said nothing. To the second question, about if he’d ever had any answered prayers, he reluctantly admitted that no, he himself had never experienced answered prayers. Again, I just remained silent and nodded my head in understanding.

Then he looked at me and he somehow knew that I was hiding a secret. The curiosity finally got too much for him and he asked, “What about you? Have you ever seen any miracles or experienced answers prayer?” Bang. Now it was my turn to talk and he was ready to listen. Up until that times the conversation had been all about him and I had been just someone willing to ask questions and mostly to listen respectfully… perhaps I even appeared to him as a potential convert. But now, without my hardly saying a word about what I believed, he was filled with curiosity and I had a willing listener.

Up until that times the conversation had been all about him and I had been just someone willing to ask questions and mostly to listen respectfully… perhaps I even appeared to him as a potential convert. But now, without my hardly saying a word about what I believed, he was filled with curiosity and I had a willing listener.

I then proceeded to simply offer this young man my many eye-witness accounts of all the ways that I’d seen Jesus at work in my own life and the lives of others, including the many miracles and answered prayers I’d seen. The young man before me had no frame of reference to process what I was telling him and I don’t think that I’ve ever seen anyone look so uncomfortable as his countenance changed and the whole foundation of his radical belief system collapsed. All of his assumptions and misconceptions that he’d been taught about Jesus and his followers was also being washed away as here, sitting right in front of him, was a holy man with a real and authentic relationship with God.

It’s worth remembering that only a small minority of Muslims have ever known a genuine Christian and it’s quite likely that many of the professing Christians that they do know are nominal believers who are more than likely cultural adherents to the faith and not actually genuine followers of Jesus.

I explained God’s plan of salvation through the cross, foretold by the Old Testament prophets and fulfilled in Christ, and told him that he was also invited to receive God’s free gift of forgiveness and eternal life, and how the Lord would send to him a comforter and helper in the Holy Spirit. He went very silent for reasons that I fully understood. He’d invested so much of his young life in the pursuit of pure devotion to Islam. Turning from that and embracing Christ would not be likely to some without a heavy cost and impact upon all of his closest relationships. Knowing what he was thinking, I spoke about how following Jesus requires great courage and a willingness to die for what one believes. I left the rest of the flight for the Holy Spirit to do what He does best… argues our case for us through working deep conviction in the hearts of our hearers.

It’s experiences like these that make me wonder why Christians react with so much alarm when they see the encroachment of Islam. As worrying as the political aspirations of radical Islam are (total domination), I’m not afraid of Muslims and I embrace every opportunity to befriend them and speak with them. Often I find them much more receptive to the gospel message than many of my fellow Australians.

What I believe is far more eroding to the Christian foundations of western civilisation is not the presence of competing belief systems, but the prevalence of professing believers who, particularly in their dealings with Muslims, seem to have forgotten the grace of God and how to communicate it. The gospel will never be advanced by waving protest placards against Mosques or by liking Facebook pages that merely shout at the darkness (and become forums for xenophobia and racial hatred). The gospel will only advance when we learn to be effective ambassadors for the love of God which can only truly be found through his son, Jesus Christ.

The gospel will never be advanced by waving protest placards against Mosques or by liking Facebook pages that merely shout at the darkness (and become forums for xenophobia and racial hatred). The gospel will only advance when we learn to be effective ambassadors for the love of God which can only truly be found through his son, Jesus Christ.

It is possible to discuss and debate doctrine for hours and still make no dent on opposing belief systems. But there is something about simple testimony that simply rocks people’s worlds.