Open Letter
Dear Fellow Religious Leaders,
I am a Christian pastor with the Assemblies of God and numerous leaders within the Christian community have
approved the following letter.
It is to be recognized that both of our faiths have much in common. We both recognize the existence of one God
Who created the universe. We acknowledge that God is holy and that all of His ways are just and perfect. We
stress the importance of worshiping God above all else. We acknowledge the importance of loving one another,
of caring for the poor, the elderly, the sick or injured and those who are wrongfully outcast. We have an inward
desire for peace and acknowledge that it can only be attained by seeking this God of peace. Also, we eagerly
await the ultimate return of Jesus Christ (Isa).
We also acknowledge that our own faiths have throughout history fallen short of these ideals on numerous
occasions. One such extreme occasion would involve the horrible treatment of the Islamic people during the
medieval crusades. Enough cannot be said about these atrocities. For these actions, committed by our
ancestors we, the Church, are repentant and seek forgiveness not only from God but from the descendants of
those who were persecuted.
That being said, there is another matter of extreme importance before us in the present day. It concerns terrorist
acts being committed against people around the globe and the response of the Islamic leadership concerning it.
As you know, much of the secular press has labeled these actions as the result of “a religious war” being carried
on in our midst. This fact we find unconscionable as we, the Christian leadership, have no recollection of having
declared war on you. Nor has the Islamic leadership given us any formal declaration that they consider
themselves at war with us. It is most unfortunate that the secular press often takes it upon itself to represent or
misrepresent our positions.
With this fact in mind, we must place a number of questions before the Islamic leadership. There are a number of
reasons why your response is so important. Foremost, as leaders within the faiths of Islam and Christianity,
each of us have tremendous influence on those who are followers of such faith.
Since the division between Muslims and Jews seems far greater than that between Muslims and Christians, we
have been hesitant to include Jews in our correspondence with you. Nonetheless the path toward peace could
not ever be complete without dealing with the friction between Islam and Judaism so, at least for the present, we
will not include Jews in our discussion but will attempt to, particularly in point # 9, fairly represent their position.
Again, the point of this letter is to not to justify actions from either side but rather to establish a peaceful dialogue
between the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities and to, as much as possible, bring an end to hostility
and to establish peace for future generations as we anticipate the return of Christ.
We would request a formal and public reply to the questions below.
1. Are we in fact at war? Have the Christian and Jewish faiths in some way alienated themselves from Islam to
the point that you advocate our destruction? Certainly we must acknowledge the existence of many
Christian missionaries, evangelists and apologists from both within the clergy and the laity who seek to convert
Muslims to the Christian faith through persuasion. However there is a vast difference between converting through
persuasion and being forced to convert.
Recently two FOX News journalists verbally became converts to Islam when a knife was pressed against their
throats and their lives were threatened if they did not do so. So again, this question: Are we in fact at war to the
point that you advocate our murder?
2. There exists a story, whether historic or legendary, concerning the prophet Muhammad. It is said that, during
the early days of his ministry, his teaching that there is only one God was strongly rejected by his own Quarish
tribe as well as many other local tribes. Each day Muhammad would walk down a certain pathway past the house
of a woman who greatly despised his teaching. One tradition at least says that the woman was Jewish. Anyway,
the woman would openly ridicule him and pelt him with garbage. Muhammad never retaliated. Instead he took
the persecution in a humble manner and walked on. One day Muhammad
walked down the same road but the woman was not there. He wondered what had happened to her and began
to inquire. Learning that she had become ill, Muhammad went to visit her at her bedside. The woman was both
stunned and humbled to see him. She inquired as to why he would have such compassion upon one who had
so unjustly persecuted him and was told “If throwing garbage at me brings you happiness then you are welcome
to do so every day.” The woman was so overcome by this that she repented and became a follower of the true
God.
Now the above story is accepted by many Islamic people as historic and it is rejected by many others as a fable;
primarily because it runs contrary to the idea that Muhammad would have accepted terrorist attacks as an
acceptable method of spreading Islam.
Whether the story is historical or fictional we do not know. However our main question is this: Does this story run
contrary to the true nature of Muhammad? Or is it conceivable that he would have reacted in such a way? Our
Bible records the words of Jesus as telling his own followers to “turn the other cheek” and to “carry the Roman
soldier’s bag a second mile” and literally to turn your enemy into a friend (Matthew chapter 5). Such actions, by
our definition, reflect godly qualities and would be characteristic of a prophet.
So our question is this: Was the character of Muhammad of the nature that the above story would at least be
feasible? And, if so, were not the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our country worthy of being condemned by the Islamic
leadership as blasphemy?
3. It has been widely reported that, in many Islamic countries; primarily Saudi Arabia , school children are taught
to despise both Christians and Jews. In fact it is reported that the children are taught that Jews are actually apes
who have been designed to look human and that Christians are actually pigs.
NPR author Vicki O’Hara reports the following.
“The Center for Religious Freedom at Freedom House has studied some of the textbooks currently in use in
Saudi public schools, from grades one through 12. Nina Shea, the center's director, says the texts do not comport
with what Saudi officials have been saying. The textbooks "reflect an ideology of hatred against Christians, Jews .
. . and others who do not subscribe to the Wahhabi doctrine," Shea says. The center's report cites numerous
examples. It quotes a fourth-grade text as telling students to "love for the sake of God and to hate for the sake of
God." The report says that textbooks instruct students that Christians and Jews are "apes and pigs" and warns
students not to "greet," "befriend" or "respect" non-believers. Saudi officials have told Washington that their
reformed curriculum encourages tolerance and understanding of other religions and cultures.
Shea says any changes in that direction are miniscule. "They have made some changes," she says.
"Sometimes though, the changes aren't all they're cracked up to be. For example, they will say, 'You have to hate
the unbeliever but to treat them justly.' That's supposed to be an improvement." In its defense, the Saudi
embassy in Washington issued a statement saying that curriculum reform is a massive undertaking and that the
process in Saudi Arabia is ongoing. Shea is skeptical; she notes that the oil-rich Saudis began the reform
process five years ago. "They certainly have the money to change all the textbooks for next semester," she says.
‘Or, last semester for that matter.’"
Our question then is this: Does the Islamic leadership in fact advocate teaching this sort of hatred to children.
Would it actually be acceptable to hate someone for the sake of God? If so then are we not endorsing blasphemy
against a holy God? And finally, will the Islamic leadership openly rebuke school officials who print such
material? Please understand that we are not blaming the leadership of Islam nor Islam itself for these teachings.
We are more than willing to accept the assumption that Muhammad himself would have voiced distain towards
children being taught these things. However it is meaningless for us to take such a stand. Such a proclamation
needs to come from the Muslim leadership itself. Years ago the Muslim leadership issued a proclamation
regarding the Ahmadiyya sect in Pakistan as “Not Islam.” Whether right or wrong, such a designation resulted in
the Ahmadiyya being shunned by millions. So you obviously have great authority and influence over the Islamic
community. We are therefore asking that such a proclamation be made in regards to terrorist attacks as well as
the aforementioned school literature.
4. Within the pages of the Qur’an, Muhammad himself describes the Bible as a good book. Please consider the
following quote:
"ALLAH is HE besides Whom there is none worthy of worship, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining.
HE has sent down to thee the Book containing the truth and fulfilling that which precedes it; and HE has sent
down the Torah (Law of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guidance to the people; and HE has
sent down the Discrimination (judgment between right and wrong)." – Surah 3:3-4”
Now it must be noted that some Moslems have claimed that the Bible was corrupted after the time of
Muhammad. This is plainly false as we currently have copies of the Bible which date centuries prior to the birth of
Muhammad with no such evidence of corruption. That being said, we are left to wonder why there was no report
of outrage on May 15, 2002 when the Washington Times reported that “there was little outcry when Islamic
terrorists holed up in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity reportedly used the Bible as toilet paper. Catholic priests
in the church marking the spot where Jesus was believed to have been born said that during the five-week siege,
Palestinians tore up some Bibles for toilet paper and removed many valuable sacramental objects.”
Should we not then conclude that these Palestinians committed blasphemy by desecrating a book that
Muhammad endorsed?
5. We are quite concerned that the horrible abuses committed by representatives of the Christian Church during
the medieval crusades have caused the Muslim people to discard to two cardinal principles of both our faiths;
namely the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Picture if you will the demented tyrant Raymond of
Toulouse robbing the homes of innocent Muslims, having them bound and placed inside their dwellings while the
structure was burned to the ground. And now picture all o f this being done in the shadow of a large crucifix.
Small wonder that the Muslim people began to view the cross as a symbol of evil. And we greatly fear that they
removed the crucifixion and the resurrection from their belief system as a result. We are disgraced by these
shameful actions of our ancestors and can only say that they falsely represent the Gospel message. We do
however ask that the Muslim community reexamine the words of Muhammad himself before dismissing the
actions of Jesus on the cross. The following verse in the Qur’an seems to imply the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the grave:
"Thereupon she pointed to him. They said, 'How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?' Jesus said, 'I am
a servant of ALLAH. HE has given me the Book, and has made me a Prophet; 'And HE has made me blessed
wheresoever I may be, and has enjoined upon me Prayer and almsgiving so long as I live; 'And HE has made me
dutiful towards my mother, and has not made me arrogant and graceless; 'And peace was on me the day I was
born, and peace will be on me the day I shall die, and the day I shall be raised up to life again.' That was Jesus,
son of Mary as quoted in Surah 19:30-35
Yet our understanding of Islam is that you teach that Jesus never went to the cross. We understand that this
interpretation is derived from Surah 4:157: “And for claiming that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the
messenger of GOD. In fact, they never killed him – they were made to think that they did . . . for certain they never
killed him.“
Whereas the substitution theory could be derived from the previous verse by itself, Arabic linguists have informed
us that the verse is actually a paraphrase of Jesus’ statement “You would have no power over me if it were not
given you from above” (John 19:11). This interpretation would seem logical since it complies with Sura 4:158
(“Instead God raised him to him”) and avoids an apparent contradiction.
The above understanding seems logical to us. Would maintaining the substitution theory not then put you in
contradiction to Muhammad?
6. It is our understanding that Muhammad taught men to treat women as their equals. Indeed Muhammad’s
wife Aisha and his daughters are said to have supplied spiritual leadership for the Islamic community after his
death.
However today in many Muslim communities we see Islamic women with limited access to education,
employment and equal rights in the family. Their own perspectives are seen as worthless and never sought.
We are most concerned by reports from Asian countries about women being routinely abused, about public
stonings for the crime of adultery and about so-called honor killings in which family members have reportedly
killed a daughter or a sister because of such things as her manner of dress or even for keeping company with
men who are Christian or Jew. We would request an urgent fatwa being issued by the Muslim leadership in
opposition to such things.
Recently we have become concerned about a young Iranian woman by the name of Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi.
This 18 year old woman stabbed one of three men who attempted to rape her and her 16 year old niece. For that
she has been sentenced to death. We are informed that such actions are common in several Islamic countries
and we find the practice horrific.
One of the unique aspects of Jesus’ ministry was that he counted women among his closest followers and was
always respectful of them. Is it not contrary to the will of God for men to do otherwise?
7. Various individuals within both the Christian and Muslim communities have pointed to passages in the Qur’an
which, at first glance, seem to encourage violence between the two movements. Passages such as Surah 2:193
& 216, 5:33 & 51, 8:39 & 65, 9:5 & 29 are seen by many Muslims as a call to arms against Christians. Christians
in turn see them as reasons to retaliate. However both groups seem ignorant of the historical setting in which the
passages were written:
History tells of heretical groups known as the Quraish and the Collyridians who existed in Asia at the time. This
latter group taught that three gods existed in the heavens. In the beginning a father god was said to have
impregnated a goddess named Mary and their ensuing offspring was named Jesus. Muhammad is almost
certainly describing these people in Surah 5:73, 75 and 116; passages often mistakenly seen as being directed
to the Christian concept of the Trinity. It is known that the Quraish practiced human sacrifice in their worship and,
because the Collyridian practice of offering cakes to Mary in worship seems to have evolved from the worship of
Artemis and since the latter religion was also characterized by human sacrifice, it seems likely that the
Collyridians sacrificed human beings as well. With this in mind, it would have seemed quite reasonable for
Muhammad to have decreed war upon them. However, by contrast, he seems to have been at peace with the
Christian community.
When the above facts are taken into account, does it not seem likely that the devil himself has used confusion
among both groups to promote violence when we should instead be working together in harmony?
8. One of the 9/11 terrorists imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay made the following statement” “Our religion is a
religion of fear and terror to the enemies of God: the Jews, Christians and pagans. With God willing, we are
terrorists to the bone. So many thanks to God.” Despite our differences, we in fact are willing to believe that Islam
is NOT in fact a religion of fear, terrorism or hate. However this needs to be made plain to your adherents and not
taught in your school systems. Some years ago the Islamic leadership declared the small Ahmadiyya splinter
group as being “not-Islam.” Whether right or wrong, such a designation resulted in their being shunned by the
Muslim world. However, when dealing with terrorism, the Muslim leadership has been strangely silent; be it
through intimidation or whatever. This needs to stop. Unless terrorism is truly compatible with Islam (which we
assume it is not) then such action needs to be taken.
A teaching which we understand to have originated from both the plagiarisms of Abu Hurayra (whom Omar Ibn Al-
Kittab, the 2nd guilded Khalifa accused of falsely reporting what Muhammad had spoken) and from within the
Wahabbi movement more than a millennium after the Qu’ran, says that those who commit acts of terror and kill
non-Moslems are guaranteed a place in heaven with 72 virgin women as their servants. (As we understand it, the
original Arabic meaning was not “virgins” but “white raisins.”) Here then is a vital point: Does the leadership of
the Islamic religion thus encourage the murder of those who subscribe to Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism,
Buddhism, etc. and promise such eternal rewards or does it discourage such practice? Does the Wahabbi
teaching not contradict verses in the Qu’ran such as 5:82?
"...and nearest among them in love to the believers will you find those who say, 'We are Christians,' because
amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant"
(5:82).
We have come across a quote from Osama Bin Laden in which he declares the United States government to be
an enemy of Islam and then declares that anyone who pays taxes to the U. S. is therefore an enemy to be killed.
Now please understand that our paying taxes does not constitute an endorsement of all that goes on in our
government. For example we strongly oppose the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion and are seeking to
have it abolished. We do however pay taxes in obedience to the words of Jesus. When asked about paying taxes
to the corrupt Roman government, Jesus observed Caesar’s image on a coin and stated “Render therefore unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
Secondly, please note another principle in our Bible from the following verses: Numbers 31:7 & 8, Deuteronomy 7
and I Samuel 15:3. It is here that the Hebrews are given instructions on how to deal with certain corrupt tribes;
namely the Midianites, the Caananites and the Amalakites. These groups not only advocated the extermination of
the Jews themselves but also the murder of their own first born child as a sacrifice to the pagan god Baal. That is
to say that Baal-worshippers sacrificed their own children. Indeed ancient texts speak of the Caananites placing
a new born baby on a hot iron and watching it die as a form of worship to Baal. The solution that God gives to the
Hebrews concerning these tribes of people is to wipe them out – kill them – remove them from the face of the
earth.
Now it pains us to say this but just recently an Islamic woman was apprehended at an airport in England together
with her baby. It seems that the woman had stored an explosive in the baby’s bottle and had plans of detonating it
over a populous American city thus killing each passenger including her own baby as well as thousands on the
ground. Now we have not heard any words of condemnation from the Islamic leadership in regards to this
woman. We are asking you right now “Will you condemn this woman’s actions as contrary to Islamic law?”
Still further we must ask if you will condemn the actions of extremists who recently shot Leonella Sgorbati, a
Christian worker at a children’s hospital in Mogadishu ? This lady died from three gunshots to her chest.
Will you condemn the intentional killing of Ali Mustaf Maka’il, a 22 year old college student also in Mogadishu ?
He was shot in the back for having become a Christian.
Will you condemn the words of Sheikh Abubukar Hassn Malin, one of your own clergy who called for the murder of
Pope Benedict XVI?
Will you condemn the beheadings of Daniel Pearl, Nick Berg, Kim Sun II, Paul Johnson and others; each of which
took place while the assassins shouted “Allah is great!”? And will you tell your people that imitating such actions
are blasphemous and place them in danger of the wrath of God?
Additionally we must point out that the Biblical response toward the Midianites, Caananites and Amalakites was
to destroy them. Please, we do not want our society to denigrate into such a state. As representatives of Jesus
Christ we want to be envoys for peace and not destruction. Please also bear in mind that, unlike in most Moslem
nations, the leadership of the Christian Church has only limited influence among our government’s policy
makers. And we have no authority to establish political or military policy at all .
9. As previously noted, we have elected to exclude the Jewish community from our dialogue for the present time
as we are not sure that the Islamic leadership would give approval to such a meeting . However the question of
Israel and the occupation of the Holy Land is a constant source of agitation and certainly cannot be overlooked.
Nor can we totally obtain our goal of peace until the Jews are included. In the meantime however, there is much
that the Muslim community can do to educate us.
A large portion of the Christian community has traditionally understood verses such a Isaiah 51:11 and Ezekiel 37:
12 to be forecasting the Balfour Declaration and the Jews return to the land in 1948 as well as their subsequent
capture of Jerusalem in 1967. However we must recognize that alternate interpretations are feasible: for example
Isaiah and Ezekiel could be referring to the decree of the Persian king Artaxerxes which gave the Jews the right to
return from exile in 446 B.C. By this view, the term “everlasting” in Isaiah 51:11 would be conditional upon their
obedience as shown in Deuteronomy 28:58-68 and 29:24-28. That such obedience did not occur is implied by
Jeremiah chapters 2 and 3 and by Mark 11:20.
In addition to this it must be noted that the Roman Emperor Julian II did in fact approve the reconstruction of the
Temple and the rebuilding of Jerusalem as the Jewish homeland in 363 A. D. However, as Julian’s historian
Ammianus Marcellinus records, the rebuilding was interrupted when “horrible balls of fire” came from underneath
the earth:
“ . . . Then they began to dig the new foundation, in which work many thousands were employed. But what they
had thrown up in the day was, by repeated earthquakes, the night following cast back again into the trench. "And
when Alypius the next day earnestly pressed on the work, with the assistance of the governor of the province, there
issued," says Ammianus, "'such horrible balls of fire out of the earth near the foundations,' which rendered the
place, from time to time, inaccessible to the scorched and blasted workmen. And the victorious element
continuing in this manner obstinately and resolutely bent as it were to drive them to a distance, Alypius thought
proper to give over the enterprise."
The above disturbance may have resulted from the Ark of the Covenant (which all but the Levitical priesthood were
forbidden to touch) still being within the foundation. It is our understanding that the present Mosque of Omar was
simply built over top without disturbing the foundation and with the entrance to the Holy of Holies simply sealed
over. However, whether or not that is the case, it could well be that this was a sign that Jesus’ cursing of the fig
tree and its ensuing death in Mark 11 indicated an end to the Abrahamic covenant and an end to the Jewish
community’s right to the land.
We have also noted that many in the Islamic community point to the actions of Zionist groups such as the Irgun or
the Stern Gang and their alleged bombing of the King David Hotel in 1946 (which killed 91 innocent men, women
and children) or the brutal massacre of 260 Arab people at Deir Yassin that these groups committed on April 9,
1948 – incidents that no doubt fueled the fires of future hostilities. Certainly we cannot endorse such actions.
They are shameful. We should note though that there is much dispute as to whether or not these incidents were
accurately reported. Nonetheless we are offering a listening ear to the Muslim leadership on these subjects.
However, even if accurate, these actions do not justify the later attacks upon Israel and her supporters (such as
those on 9/11 and the recent rocket attacks from Gaza. ). To say that they do is to thoroughly misinterpret the “eye
for an eye, tooth for a tooth” concept stated in Exodus 21:23. This passage is a quote from the Law Code of
Hammurabi which was in effect when the Hebrews traveled through the wilderness on the way to Caanan. The
concept being stated here is that, when in the other guy’s back yard, you will need to abide by his laws. We
practice this same thing in the United States and elsewhere. Several years ago a young American boy was
apprehended in Singapore for breaking car windows. He was sentenced to be cained 6 times with a marshal
arts weapon and promptly told the judge, “Your honor, you can’t have me cained. I am an American and in
America that is considered cruel and unusual punishment.” The judge’s response: “This ain’t America boy.”
Just as being an American did not prevent the young boy from being subject to Malaysian law so the Hebrews
were not prevented from being under Hammurabi’s law when in his land. However once they crossed over into
the land of Caanan , Hammurabi’s law code was no longer in effect. Similarly the “eye for an eye” principle does
not apply to the people of God. We are under a higher standard which requires us to be imitators of God and to
extend His mercy and forgiveness to others.
We must also point out that the term “Palestinian”, given to those who are making claim to the land, is a
misnomer. While it is true that the ancient Philistines (or Palestinians) could make a claim to the Gaza Strip,
these people were entirely wiped out in 1270 by the Mamluk Sultan Baybars and do not exist as a people anymore
(an apparent fulfillment of Jeremiah 47:2-5 and Zephaniah 2:5).
Additionally it has been asserted that the modern day nation of Israel consists not of descendants of the Biblical
Hebrews but rather of the ancient Turkish people known as the Khazars. While the vast majority of Khazars did
indeed opt for conversion to Judaism, recent DNA testing indicates that no more than 12% of the present-day
Israelis bear any genealogical relation to the Khazars. A 2005 study concluded that “if the R-M17 chromosomes
in Ashkenazi Jews do indeed represent the vestiges of the mysterious Khazars then, according to our data, this
contribution was limited to either a single founder or a few closely related men, and does not exceed 12% of the
present-day Ashkenazim (Nebel, Filon, Brinkmann, Majumber, Faerman & Oppenheim The Y Chromosome Pool
of Jews as part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East; “The American Journal of Human Genetics 2001,
volume 69, #5 pp. 1095-1112. See also Nebel, Filon, Faerman, Soodyall & Oppenheim Y Chromosome For a
Founder Effect in Ashkenazi Jews “European Journal of Human Genetics 2005 #13, pp. 388-391).
While the present disagreements over the land are regrettable, it would seem unwise for the Christian community
to become directly involved at all. However we would suggest that the dispute be resolved by a coming together of
people of faith rather than those of the secular community who would likely tend to take whatever position is
politically favorable. Also we believe that people of faith would be more likely to resolve the matter peacefully by
seeking God’s will on the subject. An old song contained the words “There will never be any peace until God is
seated at the conference table.” Let’s extend that invitation to God. It may very well be that He would establish a
spirit of unity and love between both sides to the point that they could live together harmoniously in the
land.
10. Now we must also draw attention to recent words of Iranian leader Ahmadinejad: He stated that all tension
could be brought to a halt if America would just convert to Islam. We would request an explanation as to just what
this means. There are so many different versions of Islam throughout the world that we are not even able to
interpret the statement. The only thing that we can think of in this regard is to break down the term “Islam” into its
simplest form; that being “submission or surrender to God.” The vast majority of the Christian and Jewish
communities have made an effort to do just that – to submit and surrender our lives to God. It is for this reason
that we see so much conflict between the Judeo/Christian community and the secular world in America . We
cannot approve of their endorsement of such things as abortion, pornography or the homosexual lifestyle and, as
a result they both hate and ridicule us.
We therefore ask the question “Should those within the Christian and Jewish communities who have
surrendered their lives to God then be considered Islamic? Would it for example be possible for someone to
believe in the Deity and resurrection of Jesus Christ and salvation by grace and yet still be a Muslim?
Either way, there would seem to be a tremendous opportunity for us to work together for world peace. Now we
recognize the likelihood that there would be great disagreement over just how we could accomplish these goals.
For example some might conclude that the best way to remove pornography from a society is to kill the
pornographer. This would run contrary to Christian teachings as we would instead seek to change the
pornographer’s heart with the good news that God loves him. This may or may not run contrary to Muslim practice
but, with all that the Quran has to say about the mercy of God, it seems unlikely. Nonetheless we see an
incredible opportunity for both groups to come together as a force for good.
This is why your response to these questions is so important. Many throughout the world do not even believe in
God and much of that disbelief stems from their having seen violence and terror committed in the name of God.
To the contrary, despite our differences, Islam, Christianity and Judaism can be a force for good and for peace in
the world and the clergy can lead the way.
Howie Gardner
orueagle3@yahoo.com
Update: September 2008:Dear Friends,
We at CM Dialogue are extremely excited by the announcements that (1) King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has
announced an upcoming dialogue between representatives of Islam, Christianity and Judaism (2) the
announcement that Saudi Arabia will allow the opening of between 5 and 10 Christian Church congregations
within their borders and (3) the announcement that Muslim scholars in Ankara, Turkey have begun a massive
revision of passages in the Hadith – those which are likely not attributable to Muhammad himself and which
inspire violence and the abuse of women.
Regardless of how one regards the individuals who have carried out suicide terrorist attacks over the past
decade, the charge cannot be made that these people were non-religious. Rather they had a fervent belief in God
but, we believe, a distorted understanding as to his true nature. From all indications, the 9/11 terrorists actually
expected to wake up in Heaven receiving the praise of a vengeful god who appreciated seeing his children carry
out acts of terror upon one another as he was apparently too weak to carry them out himself. This vengeful deity
was then expected to reward the terrorist with 72 virgin women who would be his servants for eternity.
This however is NOT the true nature of God as portrayed in either the Quran or in the Bible. Recently leading
Muslim clerics have recognized this fact and have gathered in Ankara , Turkey to begin a massive revision of the
Hadith – a collection of the writings of post-Quranic authors who previously offered their own interpretations, often
erroneously, as to the true intent of Muhammad in regards to specific passages in the Quran. Of particular
interest are those of Abu Hurayra, a proponent of terrorism and an opponent of women’s rights, who compiled
more than 5000 Hadiths without benefit of a second witness. Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second guided Khalifa
and a contemporary of both men, accused Hurayra of making up stories about Muhammad.
This is an incredible effort which the British press has compared to the Protestant Reformation within Christianity.
We at CM Dialogue applaud such an effort and are hopeful that our readers will encourage the following revisions
to be made in the Hadith.
Howie Gardner
orueagle3@yahoo.com
Dear Fellow Religious Leaders,
I am a Christian pastor with the Assemblies of God and numerous leaders within the Christian community have
approved the following letter.
It is to be recognized that both of our faiths have much in common. We both recognize the existence of one God
Who created the universe. We acknowledge that God is holy and that all of His ways are just and perfect. We
stress the importance of worshiping God above all else. We acknowledge the importance of loving one another,
of caring for the poor, the elderly, the sick or injured and those who are wrongfully outcast. We have an inward
desire for peace and acknowledge that it can only be attained by seeking this God of peace. Also, we eagerly
await the ultimate return of Jesus Christ (Isa).
We also acknowledge that our own faiths have throughout history fallen short of these ideals on numerous
occasions. One such extreme occasion would involve the horrible treatment of the Islamic people during the
medieval crusades. Enough cannot be said about these atrocities. For these actions, committed by our
ancestors we, the Church, are repentant and seek forgiveness not only from God but from the descendants of
those who were persecuted.
That being said, there is another matter of extreme importance before us in the present day. It concerns terrorist
acts being committed against people around the globe and the response of the Islamic leadership concerning it.
As you know, much of the secular press has labeled these actions as the result of “a religious war” being carried
on in our midst. This fact we find unconscionable as we, the Christian leadership, have no recollection of having
declared war on you. Nor has the Islamic leadership given us any formal declaration that they consider
themselves at war with us. It is most unfortunate that the secular press often takes it upon itself to represent or
misrepresent our positions.
With this fact in mind, we must place a number of questions before the Islamic leadership. There are a number of
reasons why your response is so important. Foremost, as leaders within the faiths of Islam and Christianity,
each of us have tremendous influence on those who are followers of such faith.
Since the division between Muslims and Jews seems far greater than that between Muslims and Christians, we
have been hesitant to include Jews in our correspondence with you. Nonetheless the path toward peace could
not ever be complete without dealing with the friction between Islam and Judaism so, at least for the present, we
will not include Jews in our discussion but will attempt to, particularly in point # 9, fairly represent their position.
Again, the point of this letter is to not to justify actions from either side but rather to establish a peaceful dialogue
between the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities and to, as much as possible, bring an end to hostility
and to establish peace for future generations as we anticipate the return of Christ.
We would request a formal and public reply to the questions below.
1. Are we in fact at war? Have the Christian and Jewish faiths in some way alienated themselves from Islam to
the point that you advocate our destruction? Certainly we must acknowledge the existence of many
Christian missionaries, evangelists and apologists from both within the clergy and the laity who seek to convert
Muslims to the Christian faith through persuasion. However there is a vast difference between converting through
persuasion and being forced to convert.
Recently two FOX News journalists verbally became converts to Islam when a knife was pressed against their
throats and their lives were threatened if they did not do so. So again, this question: Are we in fact at war to the
point that you advocate our murder?
2. There exists a story, whether historic or legendary, concerning the prophet Muhammad. It is said that, during
the early days of his ministry, his teaching that there is only one God was strongly rejected by his own Quarish
tribe as well as many other local tribes. Each day Muhammad would walk down a certain pathway past the house
of a woman who greatly despised his teaching. One tradition at least says that the woman was Jewish. Anyway,
the woman would openly ridicule him and pelt him with garbage. Muhammad never retaliated. Instead he took
the persecution in a humble manner and walked on. One day Muhammad
walked down the same road but the woman was not there. He wondered what had happened to her and began
to inquire. Learning that she had become ill, Muhammad went to visit her at her bedside. The woman was both
stunned and humbled to see him. She inquired as to why he would have such compassion upon one who had
so unjustly persecuted him and was told “If throwing garbage at me brings you happiness then you are welcome
to do so every day.” The woman was so overcome by this that she repented and became a follower of the true
God.
Now the above story is accepted by many Islamic people as historic and it is rejected by many others as a fable;
primarily because it runs contrary to the idea that Muhammad would have accepted terrorist attacks as an
acceptable method of spreading Islam.
Whether the story is historical or fictional we do not know. However our main question is this: Does this story run
contrary to the true nature of Muhammad? Or is it conceivable that he would have reacted in such a way? Our
Bible records the words of Jesus as telling his own followers to “turn the other cheek” and to “carry the Roman
soldier’s bag a second mile” and literally to turn your enemy into a friend (Matthew chapter 5). Such actions, by
our definition, reflect godly qualities and would be characteristic of a prophet.
So our question is this: Was the character of Muhammad of the nature that the above story would at least be
feasible? And, if so, were not the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our country worthy of being condemned by the Islamic
leadership as blasphemy?
3. It has been widely reported that, in many Islamic countries; primarily Saudi Arabia , school children are taught
to despise both Christians and Jews. In fact it is reported that the children are taught that Jews are actually apes
who have been designed to look human and that Christians are actually pigs.
NPR author Vicki O’Hara reports the following.
“The Center for Religious Freedom at Freedom House has studied some of the textbooks currently in use in
Saudi public schools, from grades one through 12. Nina Shea, the center's director, says the texts do not comport
with what Saudi officials have been saying. The textbooks "reflect an ideology of hatred against Christians, Jews .
. . and others who do not subscribe to the Wahhabi doctrine," Shea says. The center's report cites numerous
examples. It quotes a fourth-grade text as telling students to "love for the sake of God and to hate for the sake of
God." The report says that textbooks instruct students that Christians and Jews are "apes and pigs" and warns
students not to "greet," "befriend" or "respect" non-believers. Saudi officials have told Washington that their
reformed curriculum encourages tolerance and understanding of other religions and cultures.
Shea says any changes in that direction are miniscule. "They have made some changes," she says.
"Sometimes though, the changes aren't all they're cracked up to be. For example, they will say, 'You have to hate
the unbeliever but to treat them justly.' That's supposed to be an improvement." In its defense, the Saudi
embassy in Washington issued a statement saying that curriculum reform is a massive undertaking and that the
process in Saudi Arabia is ongoing. Shea is skeptical; she notes that the oil-rich Saudis began the reform
process five years ago. "They certainly have the money to change all the textbooks for next semester," she says.
‘Or, last semester for that matter.’"
Our question then is this: Does the Islamic leadership in fact advocate teaching this sort of hatred to children.
Would it actually be acceptable to hate someone for the sake of God? If so then are we not endorsing blasphemy
against a holy God? And finally, will the Islamic leadership openly rebuke school officials who print such
material? Please understand that we are not blaming the leadership of Islam nor Islam itself for these teachings.
We are more than willing to accept the assumption that Muhammad himself would have voiced distain towards
children being taught these things. However it is meaningless for us to take such a stand. Such a proclamation
needs to come from the Muslim leadership itself. Years ago the Muslim leadership issued a proclamation
regarding the Ahmadiyya sect in Pakistan as “Not Islam.” Whether right or wrong, such a designation resulted in
the Ahmadiyya being shunned by millions. So you obviously have great authority and influence over the Islamic
community. We are therefore asking that such a proclamation be made in regards to terrorist attacks as well as
the aforementioned school literature.
4. Within the pages of the Qur’an, Muhammad himself describes the Bible as a good book. Please consider the
following quote:
"ALLAH is HE besides Whom there is none worthy of worship, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining.
HE has sent down to thee the Book containing the truth and fulfilling that which precedes it; and HE has sent
down the Torah (Law of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guidance to the people; and HE has
sent down the Discrimination (judgment between right and wrong)." – Surah 3:3-4”
Now it must be noted that some Moslems have claimed that the Bible was corrupted after the time of
Muhammad. This is plainly false as we currently have copies of the Bible which date centuries prior to the birth of
Muhammad with no such evidence of corruption. That being said, we are left to wonder why there was no report
of outrage on May 15, 2002 when the Washington Times reported that “there was little outcry when Islamic
terrorists holed up in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity reportedly used the Bible as toilet paper. Catholic priests
in the church marking the spot where Jesus was believed to have been born said that during the five-week siege,
Palestinians tore up some Bibles for toilet paper and removed many valuable sacramental objects.”
Should we not then conclude that these Palestinians committed blasphemy by desecrating a book that
Muhammad endorsed?
5. We are quite concerned that the horrible abuses committed by representatives of the Christian Church during
the medieval crusades have caused the Muslim people to discard to two cardinal principles of both our faiths;
namely the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Picture if you will the demented tyrant Raymond of
Toulouse robbing the homes of innocent Muslims, having them bound and placed inside their dwellings while the
structure was burned to the ground. And now picture all o f this being done in the shadow of a large crucifix.
Small wonder that the Muslim people began to view the cross as a symbol of evil. And we greatly fear that they
removed the crucifixion and the resurrection from their belief system as a result. We are disgraced by these
shameful actions of our ancestors and can only say that they falsely represent the Gospel message. We do
however ask that the Muslim community reexamine the words of Muhammad himself before dismissing the
actions of Jesus on the cross. The following verse in the Qur’an seems to imply the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the grave:
"Thereupon she pointed to him. They said, 'How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?' Jesus said, 'I am
a servant of ALLAH. HE has given me the Book, and has made me a Prophet; 'And HE has made me blessed
wheresoever I may be, and has enjoined upon me Prayer and almsgiving so long as I live; 'And HE has made me
dutiful towards my mother, and has not made me arrogant and graceless; 'And peace was on me the day I was
born, and peace will be on me the day I shall die, and the day I shall be raised up to life again.' That was Jesus,
son of Mary as quoted in Surah 19:30-35
Yet our understanding of Islam is that you teach that Jesus never went to the cross. We understand that this
interpretation is derived from Surah 4:157: “And for claiming that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the
messenger of GOD. In fact, they never killed him – they were made to think that they did . . . for certain they never
killed him.“
Whereas the substitution theory could be derived from the previous verse by itself, Arabic linguists have informed
us that the verse is actually a paraphrase of Jesus’ statement “You would have no power over me if it were not
given you from above” (John 19:11). This interpretation would seem logical since it complies with Sura 4:158
(“Instead God raised him to him”) and avoids an apparent contradiction.
The above understanding seems logical to us. Would maintaining the substitution theory not then put you in
contradiction to Muhammad?
6. It is our understanding that Muhammad taught men to treat women as their equals. Indeed Muhammad’s
wife Aisha and his daughters are said to have supplied spiritual leadership for the Islamic community after his
death.
However today in many Muslim communities we see Islamic women with limited access to education,
employment and equal rights in the family. Their own perspectives are seen as worthless and never sought.
We are most concerned by reports from Asian countries about women being routinely abused, about public
stonings for the crime of adultery and about so-called honor killings in which family members have reportedly
killed a daughter or a sister because of such things as her manner of dress or even for keeping company with
men who are Christian or Jew. We would request an urgent fatwa being issued by the Muslim leadership in
opposition to such things.
Recently we have become concerned about a young Iranian woman by the name of Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi.
This 18 year old woman stabbed one of three men who attempted to rape her and her 16 year old niece. For that
she has been sentenced to death. We are informed that such actions are common in several Islamic countries
and we find the practice horrific.
One of the unique aspects of Jesus’ ministry was that he counted women among his closest followers and was
always respectful of them. Is it not contrary to the will of God for men to do otherwise?
7. Various individuals within both the Christian and Muslim communities have pointed to passages in the Qur’an
which, at first glance, seem to encourage violence between the two movements. Passages such as Surah 2:193
& 216, 5:33 & 51, 8:39 & 65, 9:5 & 29 are seen by many Muslims as a call to arms against Christians. Christians
in turn see them as reasons to retaliate. However both groups seem ignorant of the historical setting in which the
passages were written:
History tells of heretical groups known as the Quraish and the Collyridians who existed in Asia at the time. This
latter group taught that three gods existed in the heavens. In the beginning a father god was said to have
impregnated a goddess named Mary and their ensuing offspring was named Jesus. Muhammad is almost
certainly describing these people in Surah 5:73, 75 and 116; passages often mistakenly seen as being directed
to the Christian concept of the Trinity. It is known that the Quraish practiced human sacrifice in their worship and,
because the Collyridian practice of offering cakes to Mary in worship seems to have evolved from the worship of
Artemis and since the latter religion was also characterized by human sacrifice, it seems likely that the
Collyridians sacrificed human beings as well. With this in mind, it would have seemed quite reasonable for
Muhammad to have decreed war upon them. However, by contrast, he seems to have been at peace with the
Christian community.
When the above facts are taken into account, does it not seem likely that the devil himself has used confusion
among both groups to promote violence when we should instead be working together in harmony?
8. One of the 9/11 terrorists imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay made the following statement” “Our religion is a
religion of fear and terror to the enemies of God: the Jews, Christians and pagans. With God willing, we are
terrorists to the bone. So many thanks to God.” Despite our differences, we in fact are willing to believe that Islam
is NOT in fact a religion of fear, terrorism or hate. However this needs to be made plain to your adherents and not
taught in your school systems. Some years ago the Islamic leadership declared the small Ahmadiyya splinter
group as being “not-Islam.” Whether right or wrong, such a designation resulted in their being shunned by the
Muslim world. However, when dealing with terrorism, the Muslim leadership has been strangely silent; be it
through intimidation or whatever. This needs to stop. Unless terrorism is truly compatible with Islam (which we
assume it is not) then such action needs to be taken.
A teaching which we understand to have originated from both the plagiarisms of Abu Hurayra (whom Omar Ibn Al-
Kittab, the 2nd guilded Khalifa accused of falsely reporting what Muhammad had spoken) and from within the
Wahabbi movement more than a millennium after the Qu’ran, says that those who commit acts of terror and kill
non-Moslems are guaranteed a place in heaven with 72 virgin women as their servants. (As we understand it, the
original Arabic meaning was not “virgins” but “white raisins.”) Here then is a vital point: Does the leadership of
the Islamic religion thus encourage the murder of those who subscribe to Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism,
Buddhism, etc. and promise such eternal rewards or does it discourage such practice? Does the Wahabbi
teaching not contradict verses in the Qu’ran such as 5:82?
"...and nearest among them in love to the believers will you find those who say, 'We are Christians,' because
amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant"
(5:82).
We have come across a quote from Osama Bin Laden in which he declares the United States government to be
an enemy of Islam and then declares that anyone who pays taxes to the U. S. is therefore an enemy to be killed.
Now please understand that our paying taxes does not constitute an endorsement of all that goes on in our
government. For example we strongly oppose the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion and are seeking to
have it abolished. We do however pay taxes in obedience to the words of Jesus. When asked about paying taxes
to the corrupt Roman government, Jesus observed Caesar’s image on a coin and stated “Render therefore unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
Secondly, please note another principle in our Bible from the following verses: Numbers 31:7 & 8, Deuteronomy 7
and I Samuel 15:3. It is here that the Hebrews are given instructions on how to deal with certain corrupt tribes;
namely the Midianites, the Caananites and the Amalakites. These groups not only advocated the extermination of
the Jews themselves but also the murder of their own first born child as a sacrifice to the pagan god Baal. That is
to say that Baal-worshippers sacrificed their own children. Indeed ancient texts speak of the Caananites placing
a new born baby on a hot iron and watching it die as a form of worship to Baal. The solution that God gives to the
Hebrews concerning these tribes of people is to wipe them out – kill them – remove them from the face of the
earth.
Now it pains us to say this but just recently an Islamic woman was apprehended at an airport in England together
with her baby. It seems that the woman had stored an explosive in the baby’s bottle and had plans of detonating it
over a populous American city thus killing each passenger including her own baby as well as thousands on the
ground. Now we have not heard any words of condemnation from the Islamic leadership in regards to this
woman. We are asking you right now “Will you condemn this woman’s actions as contrary to Islamic law?”
Still further we must ask if you will condemn the actions of extremists who recently shot Leonella Sgorbati, a
Christian worker at a children’s hospital in Mogadishu ? This lady died from three gunshots to her chest.
Will you condemn the intentional killing of Ali Mustaf Maka’il, a 22 year old college student also in Mogadishu ?
He was shot in the back for having become a Christian.
Will you condemn the words of Sheikh Abubukar Hassn Malin, one of your own clergy who called for the murder of
Pope Benedict XVI?
Will you condemn the beheadings of Daniel Pearl, Nick Berg, Kim Sun II, Paul Johnson and others; each of which
took place while the assassins shouted “Allah is great!”? And will you tell your people that imitating such actions
are blasphemous and place them in danger of the wrath of God?
Additionally we must point out that the Biblical response toward the Midianites, Caananites and Amalakites was
to destroy them. Please, we do not want our society to denigrate into such a state. As representatives of Jesus
Christ we want to be envoys for peace and not destruction. Please also bear in mind that, unlike in most Moslem
nations, the leadership of the Christian Church has only limited influence among our government’s policy
makers. And we have no authority to establish political or military policy at all .
9. As previously noted, we have elected to exclude the Jewish community from our dialogue for the present time
as we are not sure that the Islamic leadership would give approval to such a meeting . However the question of
Israel and the occupation of the Holy Land is a constant source of agitation and certainly cannot be overlooked.
Nor can we totally obtain our goal of peace until the Jews are included. In the meantime however, there is much
that the Muslim community can do to educate us.
A large portion of the Christian community has traditionally understood verses such a Isaiah 51:11 and Ezekiel 37:
12 to be forecasting the Balfour Declaration and the Jews return to the land in 1948 as well as their subsequent
capture of Jerusalem in 1967. However we must recognize that alternate interpretations are feasible: for example
Isaiah and Ezekiel could be referring to the decree of the Persian king Artaxerxes which gave the Jews the right to
return from exile in 446 B.C. By this view, the term “everlasting” in Isaiah 51:11 would be conditional upon their
obedience as shown in Deuteronomy 28:58-68 and 29:24-28. That such obedience did not occur is implied by
Jeremiah chapters 2 and 3 and by Mark 11:20.
In addition to this it must be noted that the Roman Emperor Julian II did in fact approve the reconstruction of the
Temple and the rebuilding of Jerusalem as the Jewish homeland in 363 A. D. However, as Julian’s historian
Ammianus Marcellinus records, the rebuilding was interrupted when “horrible balls of fire” came from underneath
the earth:
“ . . . Then they began to dig the new foundation, in which work many thousands were employed. But what they
had thrown up in the day was, by repeated earthquakes, the night following cast back again into the trench. "And
when Alypius the next day earnestly pressed on the work, with the assistance of the governor of the province, there
issued," says Ammianus, "'such horrible balls of fire out of the earth near the foundations,' which rendered the
place, from time to time, inaccessible to the scorched and blasted workmen. And the victorious element
continuing in this manner obstinately and resolutely bent as it were to drive them to a distance, Alypius thought
proper to give over the enterprise."
The above disturbance may have resulted from the Ark of the Covenant (which all but the Levitical priesthood were
forbidden to touch) still being within the foundation. It is our understanding that the present Mosque of Omar was
simply built over top without disturbing the foundation and with the entrance to the Holy of Holies simply sealed
over. However, whether or not that is the case, it could well be that this was a sign that Jesus’ cursing of the fig
tree and its ensuing death in Mark 11 indicated an end to the Abrahamic covenant and an end to the Jewish
community’s right to the land.
We have also noted that many in the Islamic community point to the actions of Zionist groups such as the Irgun or
the Stern Gang and their alleged bombing of the King David Hotel in 1946 (which killed 91 innocent men, women
and children) or the brutal massacre of 260 Arab people at Deir Yassin that these groups committed on April 9,
1948 – incidents that no doubt fueled the fires of future hostilities. Certainly we cannot endorse such actions.
They are shameful. We should note though that there is much dispute as to whether or not these incidents were
accurately reported. Nonetheless we are offering a listening ear to the Muslim leadership on these subjects.
However, even if accurate, these actions do not justify the later attacks upon Israel and her supporters (such as
those on 9/11 and the recent rocket attacks from Gaza. ). To say that they do is to thoroughly misinterpret the “eye
for an eye, tooth for a tooth” concept stated in Exodus 21:23. This passage is a quote from the Law Code of
Hammurabi which was in effect when the Hebrews traveled through the wilderness on the way to Caanan. The
concept being stated here is that, when in the other guy’s back yard, you will need to abide by his laws. We
practice this same thing in the United States and elsewhere. Several years ago a young American boy was
apprehended in Singapore for breaking car windows. He was sentenced to be cained 6 times with a marshal
arts weapon and promptly told the judge, “Your honor, you can’t have me cained. I am an American and in
America that is considered cruel and unusual punishment.” The judge’s response: “This ain’t America boy.”
Just as being an American did not prevent the young boy from being subject to Malaysian law so the Hebrews
were not prevented from being under Hammurabi’s law when in his land. However once they crossed over into
the land of Caanan , Hammurabi’s law code was no longer in effect. Similarly the “eye for an eye” principle does
not apply to the people of God. We are under a higher standard which requires us to be imitators of God and to
extend His mercy and forgiveness to others.
We must also point out that the term “Palestinian”, given to those who are making claim to the land, is a
misnomer. While it is true that the ancient Philistines (or Palestinians) could make a claim to the Gaza Strip,
these people were entirely wiped out in 1270 by the Mamluk Sultan Baybars and do not exist as a people anymore
(an apparent fulfillment of Jeremiah 47:2-5 and Zephaniah 2:5).
Additionally it has been asserted that the modern day nation of Israel consists not of descendants of the Biblical
Hebrews but rather of the ancient Turkish people known as the Khazars. While the vast majority of Khazars did
indeed opt for conversion to Judaism, recent DNA testing indicates that no more than 12% of the present-day
Israelis bear any genealogical relation to the Khazars. A 2005 study concluded that “if the R-M17 chromosomes
in Ashkenazi Jews do indeed represent the vestiges of the mysterious Khazars then, according to our data, this
contribution was limited to either a single founder or a few closely related men, and does not exceed 12% of the
present-day Ashkenazim (Nebel, Filon, Brinkmann, Majumber, Faerman & Oppenheim The Y Chromosome Pool
of Jews as part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East; “The American Journal of Human Genetics 2001,
volume 69, #5 pp. 1095-1112. See also Nebel, Filon, Faerman, Soodyall & Oppenheim Y Chromosome For a
Founder Effect in Ashkenazi Jews “European Journal of Human Genetics 2005 #13, pp. 388-391).
While the present disagreements over the land are regrettable, it would seem unwise for the Christian community
to become directly involved at all. However we would suggest that the dispute be resolved by a coming together of
people of faith rather than those of the secular community who would likely tend to take whatever position is
politically favorable. Also we believe that people of faith would be more likely to resolve the matter peacefully by
seeking God’s will on the subject. An old song contained the words “There will never be any peace until God is
seated at the conference table.” Let’s extend that invitation to God. It may very well be that He would establish a
spirit of unity and love between both sides to the point that they could live together harmoniously in the
land.
10. Now we must also draw attention to recent words of Iranian leader Ahmadinejad: He stated that all tension
could be brought to a halt if America would just convert to Islam. We would request an explanation as to just what
this means. There are so many different versions of Islam throughout the world that we are not even able to
interpret the statement. The only thing that we can think of in this regard is to break down the term “Islam” into its
simplest form; that being “submission or surrender to God.” The vast majority of the Christian and Jewish
communities have made an effort to do just that – to submit and surrender our lives to God. It is for this reason
that we see so much conflict between the Judeo/Christian community and the secular world in America . We
cannot approve of their endorsement of such things as abortion, pornography or the homosexual lifestyle and, as
a result they both hate and ridicule us.
We therefore ask the question “Should those within the Christian and Jewish communities who have
surrendered their lives to God then be considered Islamic? Would it for example be possible for someone to
believe in the Deity and resurrection of Jesus Christ and salvation by grace and yet still be a Muslim?
Either way, there would seem to be a tremendous opportunity for us to work together for world peace. Now we
recognize the likelihood that there would be great disagreement over just how we could accomplish these goals.
For example some might conclude that the best way to remove pornography from a society is to kill the
pornographer. This would run contrary to Christian teachings as we would instead seek to change the
pornographer’s heart with the good news that God loves him. This may or may not run contrary to Muslim practice
but, with all that the Quran has to say about the mercy of God, it seems unlikely. Nonetheless we see an
incredible opportunity for both groups to come together as a force for good.
This is why your response to these questions is so important. Many throughout the world do not even believe in
God and much of that disbelief stems from their having seen violence and terror committed in the name of God.
To the contrary, despite our differences, Islam, Christianity and Judaism can be a force for good and for peace in
the world and the clergy can lead the way.
Howie Gardner
orueagle3@yahoo.com
Update: September 2008:Dear Friends,
We at CM Dialogue are extremely excited by the announcements that (1) King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has
announced an upcoming dialogue between representatives of Islam, Christianity and Judaism (2) the
announcement that Saudi Arabia will allow the opening of between 5 and 10 Christian Church congregations
within their borders and (3) the announcement that Muslim scholars in Ankara, Turkey have begun a massive
revision of passages in the Hadith – those which are likely not attributable to Muhammad himself and which
inspire violence and the abuse of women.
Regardless of how one regards the individuals who have carried out suicide terrorist attacks over the past
decade, the charge cannot be made that these people were non-religious. Rather they had a fervent belief in God
but, we believe, a distorted understanding as to his true nature. From all indications, the 9/11 terrorists actually
expected to wake up in Heaven receiving the praise of a vengeful god who appreciated seeing his children carry
out acts of terror upon one another as he was apparently too weak to carry them out himself. This vengeful deity
was then expected to reward the terrorist with 72 virgin women who would be his servants for eternity.
This however is NOT the true nature of God as portrayed in either the Quran or in the Bible. Recently leading
Muslim clerics have recognized this fact and have gathered in Ankara , Turkey to begin a massive revision of the
Hadith – a collection of the writings of post-Quranic authors who previously offered their own interpretations, often
erroneously, as to the true intent of Muhammad in regards to specific passages in the Quran. Of particular
interest are those of Abu Hurayra, a proponent of terrorism and an opponent of women’s rights, who compiled
more than 5000 Hadiths without benefit of a second witness. Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second guided Khalifa
and a contemporary of both men, accused Hurayra of making up stories about Muhammad.
This is an incredible effort which the British press has compared to the Protestant Reformation within Christianity.
We at CM Dialogue applaud such an effort and are hopeful that our readers will encourage the following revisions
to be made in the Hadith.
Howie Gardner
orueagle3@yahoo.com
Christian / Muslim Dialogue
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