Muslim-Christian interfaith dialogue

Instead of being surrounded in paradise by the 72 virgins he believed he was promised in the Quran the latest Islamic 'martyr' will have found himself disappointed along with all the Islamic 'martyrs' who did not know Christ.

Reporting on Interfaith Relations in 2013 the Pew Research Centre stated: "Muslims around the world agree that Islam is the one true faith that leads to salvation. Many Muslims also say it is their religious duty to convert others to Islam."

By contrast the Anglican Church shows no appetite for converting others to Christianity despite the Great Commission. Instead they provide space in churches and cathedrals for inappropriate interfaith meetings, the implication being that many senior Anglicans simply do not understand what they are doing.

If they watch edition 570 of Anglican Unscripted (starting at position 10.40) they should be left in no doubt that Islam is incompatible with Christianity and that Muslims along with other non-Christians need to be saved.

Postscript [05.02.2020]

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: "My Question in the House of Lords yesterday asking the government whether they will go to the root of the problem and encourage our Muslim leaders to reform their religion to stop it being used to carry out attacks like in Streatham on Sunday. Their answer shows they will not." 

The answer given: "My Lords, it is a matter of regret that these outrageous attacks are not limited to any one section of the community and are not to be attributed to religious belief but to a corruption of that belief", indicating that some serious reading is required.

From Christian Concern: "What is Islam? Is it a religion of peace? Read this article by @TDieppe
https://christianconcern.com/resource/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace/

No Christians allowed

Welcome - but not if you are a Christian                                Source: CBNNews

From CBN News:

No Christians Allowed: Muslim UN Officials Block Syrian Christian Refugees from Getting Help

"Christian Syrian refugees have told CBN News that they have been blocked from getting help from the United Nations Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, by Muslim UN officials in Jordan.

"One of the refugees, Hasan, a Syrian convert to Christianity, told us in a phone call that Muslim UN camp officials 'knew that we were Muslims and became Christians and they dealt with us with persecution and mockery. They didn't let us into the office. They ignored our request.'

"Hasan and his family are now in hiding, afraid that they will be arrested by Jordanian police, or even killed. Converting to Christianity is a serious crime in Jordan.

"A clear pattern of discrimination by the United Nations refugee agency in Jordan against Christians. And it appears to be one reason that while tens of thousands of Syrian Muslim war refugees have been settled in the United States and Britain, only a small number have been Christian."

And the two governments that could stop this persecution of Christian refugees – the US and Britain – have done little to nothing about it."

Full CBN News report HERE.

I doubt that this problem will be mentioned in cosy inter-faith gatherings far away from suffering Christians.

St George's Day

Photo: Belfast Telegraph

Today is St George's day. Reported in the Belfast Telegraph is a call by multi-faith campaigners for St George to be a symbol of unity. "The hijab, or headscarf worn by Muslim women, should be as welcome as "bangers and mash" in England, religious groups and campaigners have said in a St George's Day appeal for unity." The declaration said the saint needed to take his "rightful place" as a national symbol of inclusivity "rather than a symbol of hatred! As patron saint for England, St George is there for everyone living in England," they said.

I am all for unity but not as the result of subjugation. Panorama last night investigated the 'Secrets of Britain's Sharia Councils' highlighting the disgraceful way Muslim women are treated by self-appointed judges outside the law. As hellish as that must be for the women involved, at least the protection of the law is available for them. Not so in Egypt. In an article "An Islamist Declaration of War Against Christianity" an account is given of the attack on St. Mark's Cathedral. Named after the author of the Gospel of the same name who brought Christianity to Egypt "some 600 years before Amr bin al-As brought Islam by the sword" is not simply “just another” Coptic church to be attacked and/or set aflame by a Muslim mob. Instead, it is considered "the most sacred building for millions of Christians around the world—above and beyond the many millions of Copts in and out of Egypt. As the only apostolic see in the entire continent of Africa, its significance and evangelizing mission extends to the whole continent, including nations such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria, to name just a few. As an apostolic see—the actual seat of an apostle of Christ—the cathedral further possesses historical significance for Christianity in general." There has been no outcry from the media similar to the hysteria surrounding any inferred even trivial act against Islam. 

Put another way, "this jihadi attack on St. Mark Cathedral is no different for Copts than a jihadi attack on the Vatican would be for Catholics. Or, to maintain the analogy, but from the other side, it would be no different than a “crusader” attack on the Grand Mosque of Mecca for Muslims. While one can only imagine how the world’s Muslims would react to a “Christian/Western” assault on their most sacred of shrines, “post-Christian” Western leaders, as usual, stand idly by (not unlike Egyptian state security, which stood idly by as the Muslim mob opened fire on the cathedral)."

In Britain the UK head of an international Catholic charity has attacked a government report on human rights violations, saying it "glosses over" the growing problem of persecution against Christians (here). The great chasm between Christianity and Islam cannot be ignored. St George defended Christianity. So must we. Happy St George's Day!

Postscript

See "The Qu’ran is facing a blistering attack from contemporary scholarship" on the Christian Medical Comment blog here.