God has called us to reach the nations and tell everyone about his name, right? What if there’s hesitation due to uncertainty of how someone might respond? Let’s talk about what many of our missionaries will have some level of interaction with; meeting and befriending Muslims.
Due to war, persecution, and political unrest across the Middle East and North Africa, millions of Muslims have relocated to Europe in search of peace in a new home. Muslims account for 5% of the population across Europe, and that number continues to rise. In contrast, most countries in Europe have less than 3% of people claiming to follow Jesus and most cities have well under 2%.
We’re making an effort to serve our Muslim neighbours and equip our global workers to best meet followers of Islam with the light and love of Christ.
Part of this equipping involves addressing stereotypes. Sadly, our western context includes inaccurate assumptions that lead to unfounded fear and hesitation. Walk with me as we learn just a little bit more together.
Because of the differences between Islam and Christianity, many Christians falsely assume it would be difficult to talk with Muslims about spiritual things. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Muslims believe in God, they believe in many of the same prophets as Christians do, they believe in Jesus and even that God inspired the Bible. With each of these commonalities, there are many connecting points for Christians to build bridges from scripture.
On the flip side, some elements of Christianity are either confusing or hard to understand when put into practice. For example, what’s going on with the trinity? Do we serve three different Gods? And is God’s grace too cheap, if all that Christians need to do is say a prayer and then they’re saved? Are Christians just free to go on living their lives as they please after that?
Befriending our Muslim neighbours and having these spiritual discussions with them can certainly help bring clarity to these misunderstandings we each might have! Islam is a part of every aspect of a Muslim’s life; this is important in understanding your Muslim neighbour, and in opening yourself up to being understood as well.
Another interesting misconception we sometimes see among some Christians is the idea that Muslims don’t want to be friends with Christians. Through community centres, sports, kids play groups, tea parties, or any number of other connection points, Muslim people can be very easy to befriend. We all seek community. Some aspects of our social lives are drawn on religious lines, but many others are based on interests, stages of life, and geography.
And this is at the core of GEM: discipleship starts with friendship.
Inter-faith friendships lead to inter-faith discussions and chances for gospel seeds to be sown. Sadly, many Muslims have never been befriended by disciples of Jesus. “They might be surprised that you as a Christian want to hang out with them because that hasn’t been their experience,” says Luke, a global worker in Berlin, Germany. “So when they meet a real one, they are interested in your faith,” adds Forrest, a GEM worker in Stockholm, Sweden. Just like any religion or culture, no two followers of the Quran are identical. And as Luke notes, we must “be careful not to reduce people to a stereotype or a project.”
Another misunderstanding is that Muslims are antagonistic toward Christians and only want to debate. This is a common caricature people in the West have of Muslims. But as Emily, a global worker in France, emphatically remarks, “This is not true!” Depending on who you encounter, the same could be said of Christians, if your experience was limited enough! But many Muslims have genuine questions and are seeking to understand. Emily goes on to say that “the key here is loving discussion, not debate. We must avoid the temptation to want to ‘win’ debate.”
Although misconceptions abound no matter what the faith or background, I do hope this has shed some light on what our missionaries are experiencing across Europe and can help you in the relationships you’re building in your own neighbourhoods.
Please join us in praying for open doors and opportunities for God’s workers as they build relationships with their Muslim neighbours!
References:
https://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/
https://joshuaproject.net/continents/EUR
https://gemission.org/five-misconceptions-in-ministry-to-muslims/
About the author:
Leanne Monge Barrera is a storyteller with Greater Europe Mission and serves out of Winnipeg, Canada.
