The Young Moslem Looks at Life/Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE YOUNG MOSLEM LOOKS AT CHRISTIANITY
It was between Old Babylon and Baghdad on the journey through Iraq. The third-class compartment of the train was crowded. Uncouth, illiterate, dirty Bedouins from the desert, with their cumbersome flowing robes and piles of luggage, occupied the greater part of the space. But there were a few young men of the educated effendi class who were seated next to us. Because they were in government employ they knew some English, and it was not long before we engaged one of these young Iraqis in conversation. He said his country had made great progress since the World War. A modern representative form of government had been set up, Baghdad was fast changing its atmosphere of The Arabian Nights for that of a European capital, a modern system of education was being developed, the Iraqis had taken charge of their own army and air force, and their country was now a member of the League of Nations. On the whole, they had much for which they were grateful to the British. Then I surprised him with the question, "Are you a Christian?" To which he immediately replied, "Thank God, no!"
Here we have a glimpse of the problem of the Moslem East facing the Christian West. The young Moslem looks at the West with longing eyes. He wants its culture, its comforts, its educational system, its industrial improvements, its democracy, its freedom of the sexes, its electric power, trains, automobiles, airplanes—in short, its material and social blessings. But he does not want Christianity. To him Christianity stands for the Crusades, the World War, and exploitation of his people. To him the culture and material comforts of the West are not part and parcel of Christianity. He can have these and still keep Islam.
And besides, why should he desire to give up Islam? As religions go it is superior to Christianity. It is more up to date, more modern, for it began six centuries later in time. Christianity is like an antiquated automobile. One would not think of buying a 1916 model when the latest streamlined model of the current year is to be had. Islam is like this latest model which supersedes all former models because of its superiority in design and efficiency in operation. As one student of Islam puts it, the Moslem sincerely thinks that Christianity does not offer men and women a religious experience that is higher and better and more perfect than that offered by Islam, but, on the other hand, that it drags them back to a religious stage that for a long time has been a back number. He thinks that we are turning the clock backwards.[1]
MOSLEM MISCONCEPTION OF CHRISTIANITY
"Thank God, no!" Thankful he was not a Christian! His answer startled me for a moment, but considering the Moslem point of view with reference to Christianity, that was the only answer my young Moslem companion could give. For Islam is shot through with the most amazing misconceptions concerning Christian belief and practices. And these misconceptions of the Moslem must be clearly understood by us if we are to give his views sympathetic consideration. Let us look now at the Moslem criticisms of Christianity. Some of them will appear at once as absurd; perhaps others will do us good.
1. The text of the Bible has been corrupted and it is not to be relied upon. As we have seen in Chapter Three, the Bible is regarded by Moslems as not genuine, either in the Old or the New Testament. This is the view of scripture that Mohammed held, and to Moslems it is completely true. As for the corruption and changing of the text of the Old Testament by the Jews, that charge has never been proved. And the Gospel which God revealed in the form of a sacred book to Jesus, as the Koran is said to have been revealed to Mohammed well, there never was any such book. The revelation of his mind, and heart, and purpose, and will for man which God gave to the world was Jesus Christ. The real gospel of Christianity is not a book, but a life.
2. Christians worship three gods. This idea, of course, is due to a misconception of the Christian teaching concerning the Trinity. And the three gods which the Moslem believes the Christian worships are the Father, the Mother, and the Son. In other words, they are God the Father, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus. Little does a Moslem comprehend the real Christian significance of God, who is not only one in personality and power and love, but also in the revealing of himself to the world in Jesus Christ and to individuals by his indwelling Holy Spirit. But all the Moslem can see in the Christian Trinity is the absurd mathematical equation that 1 + 1 + 1 = 1.
3. The Christian conception that Jesus is the son of God is utter foolishness and the very worst heresy. The Koran teaches concerning God, "He begetteth not, neither is he begotten." Therefore the Christians are all wrong. The Moslem idea concerning Jesus' sonship to God is that God became a physical father in the natural, human sense of the word which of course is absurd to the Christians as well as to the Moslems. Christians reject the notion of the physical sonship of Christ as quickly and as vigorously as do the Moslems. However, the Koran gives the Moslem no clue to the real Christian conception of the spiritual sonship of Jesus, which is that Jesus is God's son of the Holy Spirit, for "God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
4. The crucifixion is a lie. In the Koran the Moslem reads that Jesus was not crucified, that he was not slain, but another whom God made to resemble him was crucified in his place, while Jesus was taken up alive into heaven. That which is the very heart of the Christian faith is denied by the Moslem, who says it is not true and who finds it a stumbling-block to his understanding of Christianity. And "so the cross which to us is the most sacred symbol of our faith, is to them [the Moslems] merely the symbol of a tremendous hoax perpetrated on this believing world."[2] By one modern sect of Moslems, the Ahmadiyas of India, this denial of Jesus' death on the cross takes another form. They are willing to admit that he was crucified, but they claim that he did not die on the cross. He only swooned. Then his disciples took him down from the cross, and by the application of a marvelous salve restored him to life. He then secretly left Palestine because of the persecution of the Jews, and went on a preaching mission to Kashmir, where he finally died. In fact, the Ahmadiyas claim to have discovered his very grave in Srinagar which they point out to inquiring visitors and which the writer has also seen with his own eyes!
The reason assigned by Moslems for calling the crucifixion of Jesus absurd is that since he was a prophet of God it was beneath his dignity to die the death of a common criminal. God would never allow that, and hence took him alive to heaven. Therefore they assert that Islam does greater honor to Christ than does Christianity. 5. The Christian conception of the atonement is entirely wrong, unbelievable and highly immoral. The Moslems understand Christians to believe that one may do any amount of evil one may choose without fear of consequences, for Jesus died to save man from all sin. Opposed to this is the Christian view, that while there is forgiveness for sins, yet Jesus Christ also imparts power to keep one from yielding to temptation.
6. Jesus is not the perfect example of humanity that Christians make him out to be. For instance, he was rude to his mother at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, and did not show her proper filial respect when she said to her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee?" He did not live a practical, well rounded life full of activity. He was not a man of affairs, nor the founder of a great nation, nor a lawgiver, nor a king, nor the leader of great armies. On the contrary, he was a meek and humble ascetic who renounced the world and its lusts, never married, and knew nothing of the problems of business or family life and the rearing of children. With such a limited range of human experience, how can Jesus be considered the ideal man?
7. Furthermore, the teaching of Jesus is highly impractical. How can one live up to his standards? Non-resistance to evil; turning the other cheek; going the second mile; praying for one's enemies; and maintaining purity not only in action but in the heart as well! How can such things be? After all, this is a life of flesh and blood we live, and man cannot be expected to accomplish the impossible. Christianity is a kill-joy religion, and makes no provision for the weakness of the flesh. Islam does. Christian ideals are unattainable and unworkable. Islam is both easy and workable. But perhaps there may be such a thing as a religion being too easy, and too workable for man's
good. Was not Browning thinking of this when he
. i e
said. Heaven must exceed our grasp,
Or what's a heaven for?
8. Christians are hypocritical. They do not live up to their religious ideals. They call Jesus the Prince of Peace, and yet no nations today fight as much as the Christian nations do. The World War was a terrific blow to the prestige of Christianity among the nonChristian peoples of the East. Jesus bade his followers be pure in heart, and yet Christian lands are not free from prostitution and the white slave traffic. Not only so, but the great freedom between the sexes is highly detrimental to morality. Jesus forbade divorce except for adultery, and yet divorce has become a great social disease of Christian countries, particularly in America. What can Christians say to this just criticism?
9. Christianity sanctions the use of alcoholic liquors., whereas Islam enforces prohibition. Of course it is not correct to say that the use of liquor is sanctioned by Christianity, but the fact that liquor is used so freely in Western Christian nations and often by
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people who regard themselves as Christians gives the Moslems ample room for believing that drinking is one of the abominable things permitted by Christianity, like the use of pork.
10. Western Christians are guilty of race prejudice. Moslems criticize them severely for this. What better describes the Moslem point of view than the following:
Islam preaches brotherhood and lives it. Christians preach brotherhood but do not live it. The Moslem missionary goes to a pagan tribe. He marries four wives from the tribe. He has sons and daughters, and he marries his sons to their daughters, and his daughters to their sons. He is one of them. The Christian missionary comes, but does he marry even one wife from their tribe? No! he brings a white wife from his own land, he sends his sons to find white wives in that homeland, and his daughters he would sooner shoot dead than marry to the young men of the tribe. 1
But is that all there is to it? If so, then the Moslem is right.
11. Christianity is but an agency of the forces of Western imperialism. There are two reasons for this criticism: One is that the Moslem can never blot the history of the Crusades from his memory. The other is that so often he has seen Moslem power give way before a superior force from the West. He has seen that happen in Egypt and the Sudan, North Africa, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and India. Following the ar 1 "The Moslem Point of View," by "Orientalist," in The Moslem World, January, 1936, p. 41. mies the Christian missionaries have come, under the conqueror's protection; and the Moslem has felt that to become a Christian was to join the ranks of the oppressors, and to be disloyal to one's own nationality. Furthermore, the missionaries bring with them an alien culture and teach foreign languages; and they are popularly supposed to be the supporters and agents of an economic system that exploits the native peoples and their countries. And how can one blame the Moslem for being a bit suspicious when he sees the huge sums of money made by foreign companies from the jute factories of Bengal, from the great oil fields of Burma, Iran and Iraq, from the copper and diamond mines of South Africa, and from the cotton of India?
12. Finally, Christianity is divided, and many of its sects enter into bitter competition. The Moslem, in spite of the sects in Islam, is terribly confused by this lack of unity in Christianity. He cannot understand why, if Christians worship one God and recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world and use one Bible, there should be such innumerable divisions: Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists, Seventh Day Adventists and so forth. Nor can we Christians understand why it should continue to be so, since there is so much emphasis these days on the essential unity of all Christians. If the Moslem is interested in Christianity at all, he is likely to ask, "Which of these various sects represents the true Christian faith?"
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MOSLEM APPRECIATION OF JESUS
The Moslem attitude toward Jesus Christ and Christianity is not entirely one of criticism and depreciation. A young Moslem said to me one day, "We Moslems hold Jesus Christ in greater honor and respect than you Christians do. We consider him a great prophet, and we never mention his name without prefixing the title Hazrat (His Excellency) and follow it with a prayer for him 'On him be peace.' You Christians do not show him that much respect."
Undoubtedly, for the most part, Moslems do honor Jesus. It would be strange if they did not, for while the Koran has a great many disparaging things to say about Christians it has nothing to say against him who is the Christian's Lord. Jesus is in the line of divine prophetic succession; he is called "a Sign to the worlds," "the Word of truth," and "the Word of God." He is called also "a Spirit from God," "Spirit of God," "the Messenger of God," "the Servant of God," and he is spoken of as "illustrious in this world and the next." Furthermore, Moslems regard Jesus as the great healer. Also, like Pilate, they "find no fault in him," though they are inclined to the opinion, as previously pointed out, that his virtue was of the negative sort rather than positive. Many of them look for his return again at the Last Day when he will fight for the ultimate victory of Islam, slay the Antichrist, kill all the swine, break the cross, and reign on the earth as a righteous king for a period of forty years. During this time they say he will marry, have children, and finally die and be buried at Medina near Mohammed between the graves of the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Omar.
Various Moslem writers show their appreciation of Jesus by giving alleged quotations from his sayings. Here are a few of them that bear at least a curious resemblance to his words in the Gospels: "Verily, you will obtain what you like only by your patience with what you dislike!" "0 company of disciples, how many lamps has the wind put out, and how many worshipers has self-conceit spoiled!" But perhaps the best of all is the one which the great Moghul emperor of India, Akbar, had inscribed over the doorway of one of the buildings in his capital city of Fatehpur Sikri. It reads, "Jesus, peace be upon him, said, 'The world is a bridge, so pass over it, but do not build upon it.' "
One of the Moslem traditions about Jesus gives the following singular picture which describes his superiority over others. It goes thus, "No one followed Jesus who was his equal; and he never scolded an orphan; and he never laughed immoderately; and he never even drove a fly from off his face; and he never broke a promise once given; and he never was frivolous."
But with all their words of respect to Jesus, Moslems give him but lip service. They miss the essential part of his life and work and teaching when they eliminate the cross. That which means most to Christians, that which makes him our Lord and Master, has been denied as an imposture. But signs are not
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wanting that thinking Moslems here and there are beginning to pay attention to the cross and the suffering and sacrificial death of our Lord and to sense their meaning. A well educated Moslem said to me one day, "Mr. Gandhi has done more than all you missionaries to show me the meaning of the crucifixion. The way he has suffered for his people here in India, even by going to prison, and fasting almost to death, has greatly touched the hearts of us Moslems, and we are beginning to see a new meaning in the Christian story of the crucifixion. After all, maybe the message of the cross does hold the secret for the rebuilding of the world."
THE CHRISTIAN CONTRIBUTION TO MOSLEM LIVES
Nor are Moslems entirely wanting in their appreciation of Christian homes and individuals. Here is the case of a Moslem youth who accepted an invitation to live for a time as a member of a Christian family. He belonged to one of the best Moslem homes of his city. His father was a learned and respected gentleman in government service. His mother also was of high social standing. The young man loved his home and had many good things to say in appreciation of it. When the time came to leave his Christian friends he used words to this effect: "I have been grateful for the privilege of being in your home, eating at the family table, and thus getting to know the various members of the family and guests who have come. I am greatly impressed with the things you talk about, the ideals and standards you hold in life, and especially the sincerity and purity which I see lived out daily."
In spite of many examples to the contrary in recent years, notably in Egypt and Turkey, I am sure it can be said without fear of contradiction that Moslems are more inclined to learn about Christianity, and more appreciative of Christian effort among them, than has been known before. Christian literature prepared for Moslems is produced particularly in Syria, Egypt, Iran, India, Java, and China, and reports come from all countries that for this there is an unprecedented demand.
Christian schools and colleges are frequently selected by Moslem parents for their children because they say frankly they prefer the sort of atmosphere which pervades the school, and the type of character it develops. In the country of Algeria in North Africa the Christian missions conduct homes or hostels in connection with the schools run by the French government, and it is a common practice for the Moslem Kabyle tribes to send their children to these Christian homes because of the excellent care and training they get there. In India there is in operation a "conscience clause" which, in those Christian schools receiving government grants-in-aid, makes Bible study voluntary and forbids the school to make it compulsory. Parents may, if they so desire, have their sons and daughters excused from attendance at the Bible class. But it is a well known fact that of the thousands of
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Moslem children who attend Christian schools in India, only a very small number have ever yet taken advantage of this privilege of exemption from the study of the Bible.
And who can ever measure the gratitude of Moslems of the Near East, the education of whose sons in Robert College, Constantinople, in the American University of Beirut, Alborz College of Teheran, and in other institutions founded under Christian auspices has been a potent factor in bringing about the blessings of the new day in those Moslem lands? In these colleges young men and young women have been trained in all the branches of modern learning, including science and medicine, and they have gone out to serve their people with the spirit of him who said, "I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister."
But more interesting even than this, perhaps, is the appreciation of medical missions by the Wahhabi king of Saoudi Arabia, Ibn Saoud. Not only once has he called upon the doctors of the mission of the Reformed Church in America to come from Bahrein to attend him and his family; but he has done it so often that now these Christian doctors may be called his family physicians the royal physicians of the Kingdom of the Hejaz! And if this sense of appreciation is true of His Highness, Ibn Saoud, how much more true is it of the tens of thousands of humble Moslems who owe their lives to the devoted skill and service of the Christian doctors who serve the Moslem world at such strategic points as Old Cairo, Egypt; Kuweit, Arabia; Teheran, Iran; Srinagar, Kashmir; Delhi, India; or Bannu on the borders of Afghanistan.
In the hospital at Bannu, Dr. Theodore Leighton Pennell, an Englishman, literally gave his life for those wild Moslem tribes of the frontier. A very sick man, a Moslem, was rushed into the hospital one day, and had to be operated on at once. The operation was exceedingly dangerous because of the serious nature of the infection. Dr. Pennell knew that in performing the operation he took his life in his hands, for if he should get infected himself he would be almost sure to die. Still he took the chance to try to save the man's life. He operated. Through a small scratch on his finger, at first unnoticed, he got the dreaded infection. He died. The other man lived. "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend." So impressed were the wild Afghans of those mountains that they vied with each other for the privilege of carrying the body of Dr. Pennell to its last resting place, for they said, "He was one of us. He loved us, and did more for us than one of our own people would do."
HEROIC CONVERTS TO CHRISTIANITY
But the best testimony of all concerning the appreciation of Christianity by Moslems is to be found in the lives of those rare souls among Moslems themselves who from time to time have braved all sorts of dangers and perils to become followers of Jesus Christ. The sacrifice and devotion of many of these YOUNG MOSLEM AND CHRISTIANITY 143
true followers of our Lord might well cause some of us lukewarm Western Christians to blush with shame. In Iran they tell the story of Dr. Saeed Khan, known as the beloved physician of Teheran. He belonged to the fanatical Kurds. When he had made up his mind to become a Christian his Moslem relatives seriously objected. He was watched as closely as a prisoner in his own house. "He was beaten savagely and branded with red-hot irons. Saeed suffered intensely, yet he remained calm and prayerful. He prayed, 'Blessed Jesus, open their eyes to see. Give them wisdom to understand, and faith to believe.' " 1 Today, in spite of the fact that he is a convert from Islam, he has risen as a Christian physican and surgeon until Moslem rulers beg for his aid. Standing before kings, or serving the common people, Dr. Saeed as an ambassador of Christ adds new chapters of glory to the continuing Book of Acts.
Or consider the following inspiring cases of young men who because of the power of the new life that was imparted to them were not afraid or ashamed to be known as Christians. Rather they counted all their former social position and ease and wealth as so much rubbish compared with the great joy and peace that had come to them through the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Mirza Mohammed belonged to a well to do family in L . When a mere youth he joined one of the
1 The Beloved Physician of Teheran, by Isaac M. Yonan, p. 60. Nashville, Cokesbury Press, copyright 1934. Used by permission. mystic orders of Islam and tried to learn the art of meditation to satisfy the spiritual hunger in his heart. Finally despairing of finding satisfaction in this way, he turned after some years to a study of the Bible, and made a more careful examination of the Koran in order to compare the two hooks. The more he studied both, the more he says he was impressed with the sinless character of Christ, as compared with the Prophet Mohammed's own confession in the Koran that he was a sinner and that he prayed for God's forgiveness. He continued this examination of Christianity until, he says, he was firmly convinced that Christ's teachings were the only ones for him to follow. His life has been a splendid testimony for many years of the genuineness of his faith. His Moslem friends and relatives, who repudiated him at first, are proud to own him now, and he has nobly served as a member of the staff of a well known Christian college for a long period.
John Abdullah is another interesting illustration of
a transformed life. Born in the large city of C,
he says he grew up with a peculiar aversion to Christianity, and especially to the teaching about the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. Since the Koran teaches that Christ was not crucified and that he did not give his life upon the cross, the very idea that Christians should make this claim was repulsive. It was the greatest heresy. He used to tear up every gospel portion or leaflet that he could get hold of.
One day, however, he heard an interpretation of
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the cross which gripped him, and which ultimately resulted in his conversion. It was the story of a mother whose little girl's clothes caught fire and who, tearing the clothes from her own body, used them to heat out the flames. She saved the little one's life, but sustained deep and ugly wounds on her own hands which made them crooked and unsightly. When the child grew old enough to observe carefully her mother's scarred hands, she said to her mother one day, "Mother, I don't like your hands. They are so crooked and scarred and ugly. They are not like other people's hands." Then the mother explained how these scars had come. The little girl understood, and kissing her mother's hands she replied, "Now, mother, I understand, and I think yours are the most beautiful hands in the world, because they saved my life."
Abdullah says that this touching story unlocked for him the meaning of the crucifixion, and forever changed the course of his life. The assurance that Christ had through his own sacrifice upon the cross somehow saved the lives of even unbelievers like himself gave him courage, and sustained him through the fierce and bitter persecution which his relatives visited upon him when he became a Christian. They would hide his Bible, and even burned one copy after another. Finally they forced him to leave home, and he became a wanderer in distant parts of the country. But through it all he remained faithful to his Lord, and today he is one of the most devoted followers of Christ, and one of the most beloved evangelists and teachers in the whole of southern Asia, admired and respected by Moslems as well as by Christians.
Sultan Mohammed was a young Moslem who belonged to one of the royal families of Afghanistan. He went to Bombay when in his teens, and while there became interested in Christianity. At first his chief interest was in arguing against it. He was a fiery opponent, but ultimately his passionate criticism changed to admiration, and today there is no more fearless apologist for Christ in India than this exiled princely follower of Jesus Christ. For many years he has not been able to return to his native land, for to do so would mean death.
How little are the sacrifices of the disciples of Christ in distant lands appreciated! The Christianity that these men know has been purchased at a great price. Such examples as these can be explained only in terms of a deep religious conviction and the working of a powerful transforming faith in Jesus Christ. No other explanation is possible.
These few illustrations stand out among the increasingly large number of those who are turning from Islam to Christ. There are thousands of such followers of Christ, especially in India, Iran, Sumatra, and Java. These are people who have openly identified themselves with the Christian church. In addition, there are unknown numbers of secret believers, both men and women, who are found in nearly all Moslem lands. More than at any previous time the young Moslem of today looks at Christianity, and in
THE many countries he is seriously interested. In spite of his prejudices for some of which his own religion is responsible, for others, the Christians themselves—Christianity is the one religion of the world besides his own that challenges his attention and interest.
Generally speaking, however, the young Moslem is frankly hostile to the missionary enterprise. Perhaps this attitude is due as much to the fear of interference and domination by the Western nations from which the missionaries come as to an innate hostility to Christianity as a religion. While there is a desire to take over just as much of Western civilization as possible and still remain Moslem, most countries do all in their power to limit missionary influence. In Turkey, for instance, mission schools may be operated, but the Bible may not be taught, nor any religious services held. Christians may hold services for themselves, but preaching in the marketplace or on the streets or any effort at proselyting is forbidden by law. Perhaps this, however, is only a passing phase, and the time will come when these lands will enjoy a larger measure of religious freedom. The present policy is based on the assumption that it is not good for society for a man to change his religion, especially if it means changing from Islam to something else!
- ↑ "The Moslem Point of View," by "Orientalist," in The Moslem World, January, 1936, p. 26.
- ↑ "The Moslem Point of View," by "Orientalist," in The Moslem World, January, 1936, p. 28.