Last Sunday I went to a symposium on Islam at the invite of my neighbor, an Ahmadi Muslim. This gathering was sponsored by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which is a sect of Islam outside the mainstream. The topic for discussion was, “Islam: A Religion of violence or peace?” At this symposium I learned a great deal about this brand of Islam:
- God used one last prophet (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani 1835-19080) to restore the message of Mohammad, which has been corrupted through out time.
- Their motto is, "Love for All, Hatred for None."
- Jihad (lit.: to strive) has 3 meanings: 1) Akbar- to strive against one's evil tendencies and improve. This is the greatest jihad 2) Kabeer- to strive against evil teachings, evil designs and evil plans 3) Ashgar- to wage war against the enemies of the freedom of religion.
- In there view all people of the word are equal.
- There is no compulsion in religion; believe do don't.
- Pictures of Mohammad with a sword in one hand and the Koran in the other are caricatures created by others outside Islam and not truthful representations of the prophet.
- Jesus was a prophet and a reformer come to reestablish the Law of Moses.
It is this last point that had me squirming in my sit. I said to myself, "that is not who Jesus is. You have totally misunderstood the gospels and the rest of the New Testament." Then, as I was running down a list of who Jesus is according to his presentation of himself, it dawned on me and I thought, "of course they have misunderstood Jesus! It is clear and reasonable to see that their view of Jesus is different then the Bible's. If they did have a biblical view of Jesus and grasped him as God's Messiah sent to restore and rescue all of creation on our behalf, they would not be Muslims. They would be Christians!"
Nonetheless, I enjoyed my time at the symposium and enjoy my time talking with my neighbor. I will have to spend more time with him.
1 comment:
Sounds like an interesting experience. I went to the website and read some fascinating stuff about Jesus. It's enlightening to see how other religions interpret the Bible. I didn't know they thought Jesus survived the Crucifixion. I knew they thought he was a prophet, but I didn't know how they taught it or what that looks like. I would like to know more about that as well.
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