ANOTHER RESPONSE FROM A READER

Here is another response from someone who has read my blog. My responses follow.

Good Morning Haaike,This is a really good post on this subject, and I'm glad that you have presented your side so well. I absolutely agree that there needs to be respectful and open dialog between Muslims and Christians without preconditions of the type that John argues for. We all worship the same God, the Creator of the Universe. Obviously there are big differences in our theologies and beliefs, and those are important. It should not be necessary for either of us to compromise our beliefs for the sake of an artificial unity. But we should be able to respect each other as fellow believers.In that spirit, let me address some of the other issues that you raise. I agree, here in the UAE we Christians are more free to worship than in many Muslim countries, and for that I'm grateful. However, that is not quite the same thing as saying we are free here. Maybe you haven't seen Christians worshiping under cover for fear of persecution, but others have. I imagine that if a non-Muslim friend or co-worker asks you questions about Islam, you have no fear of answering them. The same cannot be said for Christians. We have to be careful that we are not accused of trying to spread our "unpleasant heresy", even if we are not the ones who initiated the discussion and are only responding.As an aside, can I point out that calling each other heretics or infidels or terrorists or other names isn't helpful. I have no problems with you pointing out Christian theology that you disagree with, even in strong terms. But such name calling also makes it easy to question how sincere you are. I agree with you that we need "hearts that are truly open toward each other, and minds that are willing to critically evaluate personal prejudice". Name calling does not really demonstrate such an open heart or mind.Moreover, even if that were not true, it still doesn't negate the fact that non-Muslims even here in the UAE are not treated like minority religions are in the USA. It is true that the larger Christian denominations (Catholic, Episcopalian, Orthodox, etc) have been able to build churches, but I also know that many of the smaller, less well-known denominations have been turned down and have had to worship in members homes.I cannot speak for the entire world, but I can tell you from experience living both here and in the US that Muslims in there are much freer there than Christians are here. For that matter, Muslims are freer to worship there than Muslims are here (e.g. There is no government department that monitors sermons in the US). None of this should stop us from dialoging, however.As to Iraq, I don't think that you can fairly say that the US and UK have "murdered" innocent civilians. Murder requires intent. If you believe that George Bush and Tony Blair sent troops there with the intent of killing civilians, then they are murderers. That doesn't make the war itself right. But we should be accurate in our statements. There have been US servicemen who have committed murder while in Iraq. But that is not the same as saying that the US and UK are led by murderers.I also think that your question "Who is killing whom?" is very appropriate and almost never answered. If you visit the Iraq Body Count site and examine this month's figures, you will see that as of Tuesday the 23rd, the US forces have caused the death of 87 civilians in October. But there have been 863 reported civilian deaths in October. This means that almost 90% of the civilians that have been killed in October have been killed by fellow Muslims. Now, you can argue that those Muslim-on-Muslim killings only took place because of the war and the removal of Saddam. But, in a like way, I can just as easily say that those US-on-Muslim killings only took place because of the insurgency.Sorry for going on so long. Again, I think that we definitely need an open and respectful dialog, and I'm glad that you brought this subject up.

Let me just respond to a few matters:

[1] Do we all worship the same god? This is where a Muslim cannot agree, ever. There is no uncertainty in a Muslim's mind about the identity of God - laa illaha illa'llah! Whatever the commonality is that exists between Christians and Muslims, it is most certainly not the fact that we worhip "the same god". The Holy Qur'an states: And you will find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say: We are Christians [5:82]. And yet the Holy Qur'an also warns Muslims: O you who believe, don't take the Jews and Christians for friends, they are friends one to another [5:51]. This prohibition necessitates caution in Muslims' interaction with Christians because of the latter's proximity with and affinity for the Jews who have rejected both Jesus (peace be upon him!) and Mohammad (peace be upon him!). In other words, Muslims have some commonality of faith with Christians because of the importance of the person of Jesus, the Messiah, and not because we share in a common worship of the same god. The problem with Christian faith, from a Qur'anic perspective is simple: And with those who say: "We are Christians," We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished [5:14]. Christians have not embraced the fullness of Islam and have wandered off into shirk. Not only have Christians departed from the revelation that God gave them through the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him!), but they also insist that others follow their ways: And the Jews will not be pleased with you, nor will the Christians, till you follow their creed [2:120]. This naturally leads me to the following point in response - what my blog reader referred to as "name calling".

[2] Are Christians "believers"? It is true indeed that we are all creatures of the same God, but it is not true that we are all worshippers of this same God. About this the Holy Qur'an is very clear: He who chooses disbelief instead of faith, verily he has gone astray from a plain road [2:108]. Disbelievers have certain specific characteristics: Those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers, and seek to make distinction between Allah and His messengers, and say: "We believe in some and disbelieve in others, and seek to choose a way in between." Such are disbelievers in truth [4:150-151]. The irony never escapes Muslims that we accept the prophets of Judaism and Christianity, but Judaism rejects any prophets after their own, so do Christians. The essence of Christian heresy is the fact that they have rejected the final revelation of God through the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him!) and hence they reject the Holy Qur'an. The term "al kafireen" [deniers/disbelievers] is used 93 times in the Holy Qur'an and many of these references are to Christians and Jews. Especially Christians get the whole thing wrong when they view Jesus (peace be upon him!) as some kind of "god" and a companion for God: They indeed have disbelieved who say: Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary [5:17; 5:72]. The mere thought of some kind of "trinity" proposes that God has companions, and this is utterly reprehensible to Muslims: They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three [5:73]. As I pointed out above - Muslims are very clear about the fact that we do not worship the god of the Jews or the god of the Christians - laa illaha illa'llah, wahdahu wa sharikalah! The penalty for this Christian heresy is severe: Lo! Those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, theirs will be a severe punishment [3:4]...And those who disbelieve the revelations of their Lord, for them there is painful doom and wrath [45;11]. The Holy Qur'an makes no ambiguous statements about the lot of those, like Christians, who reject the truth. In fact: Indeed Allah has cursed the disbelievers and for them is a flaming fire [Al Ahzab:64]. And so I can go on and on.

The point I am making above is that it is not "name calling" to call Christians "disbelievers" and "heretics" since they have indeed departed from the revelation of God to them through the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon them!). There is no commonality of worship between Christians and Muslims, and there will never be.

[3] The reader makes a good point about the Muslim-to-Muslim violence that takes place in Iraq. Of this Holy Qur'an says: Whoever kills a believer of set purpose, his reward is hell forever. Allah is angry witih him and He has cursed him and prepared for him an awful doom [4:93]. A Muslim who kills another Muslim has his or her fate cast in concrete, and the curse of Allah rests on that person. However, let us not trivialise the murder of innocent Iraqis by "coalition forces" as if some "oops!" happened. How on earth does one "mistakenly kill" 85,000 innocent people, oops? The same fate awaits those coalition forces who kill innocent Muslims as awaits those Muslims who kill innocent Muslims. Thing is - it is the so-called Christian "West" that perpetrates these hideous murders in the name of "civilised values" that are based on Judaeo-Christian doctrine.

[4] Do Christians have religious freedom in Islamic countries? What is often forgotten by Christians is that Islamic jurisprudence is not the result of intellectual and democratic processes, but the application of the laws of God. The way we choose to govern ourselves is a direct expression of the way we worship. Shari'ah law is the application of Qur'anic revelation and not the application of "mob insight". Thus, the democratic values that underpin the sentiments of my blog reader are not exactly relevant in an Islamic society, and the mistake is made to assume that democratic jurisprudence is inherently superior to Islamic jurisprudence. My reader assumes that in Islamic countries it is not a tit-for-tat that reciprocates the kindness and "freedom" of Muslims in non-Islamic countries. But this assumes, again, that Islamic jurisprudence is fundamentally flawed because it does not attain to the lofty morals and ideals of a secular democracy. Muslims expect the freedom to worship as Muslims in non-Islamic, democratic countries since those who shaped and uphold those societies pride themselves of their inclusive permissiveness. Thus, Muslims expect only what those societies themselves set out to achieve! No Islamic country has ever suggested that Christians (and other religionists) are free to do as they please in an Islamic country. Christians who visit or live in an Islamic country should expect only what that Islamic country has set out to do: to uphold and apply the Divine Law of God, as found in the Holy Qur'an and the authentic ahadeeth.

In summary: let us explore commonality where this exists (in our mutual prophetic heritage), but let us, likewise, be clear about our differences. Just as Christians wish and pray for Jews to embrace the fullness of the Christian faith, so Muslims wish and pray for Jews and Christians to embrace the fullness of Islam.