Did you know?
In the 2011 Census, 2.7 million people identified themselves as Muslims; by 2020 there will be an estimated 5.5 million.[i]
No doubt you are aware of the current atmosphere of fear towards Muslims and Islam, particularly in light of ISIS, Paris attacks and unrest in the Middle East. Sadly this is not new and has bound the West for many years now.
Mahabba Network seeks to inspire and equip everyday Christians to reach out to this ever-growing people group by ‘facing the facts and not fuelling the fear’. We are equipping people to sincerely love all Muslims throughout Britain, and are increasingly responding to calls from European cities.
What advice do you have for a student wanting to engage with Muslims at university?
- Find another Christian who has the same heart so that you can pray together
This is the New Testament church in its simplest form: Christians connected, growing together and going together.
- Just go and meet some Muslims!
It really is simpler than we think. Consider this story of an Iranian asylum seeker named Abdul. He told us his story about when he first arrived in England. The day he arrived he went and found a church to ask for help and asylum but was turned away; he went to another but again was turned away. He went on to ask many others but was turned away from them all. That night he had no option but to sleep in a car park. The next morning a man who had just stolen money from the car park's ticket machine stumbled upon him whilst making his escape. Strangely, out of compassion, he decided to give Abdul half the money he had stolen and quickly left. After this series of events, Abdul decided to give up on church and try to make his own way in life.
What a story of our church! Would you have accepted him into your church?
Let’s not be afraid to meet Muslims and love them!
- Act with integrity and be the Love of Jesus
This builds on my previous point. Let Jesus show His love for Muslims through you. A Franciscan monk called Brennan Manning puts it well:
“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
4. Learn more about Muslims
It can be tempting to over-simplify engaging with Muslims, but many come from complicated and sometimes counter-cultural backgrounds. It's important that we don't westernise the Muslims we encounter, but find the line between our cultures so that we can build the strongest relationship whilst retaining the identity of Jesus Christ.
Written by Ruach Mitchell - an intern with the Mahabba network - with advice and inspiration from Sophie Sachak, Mahabba group coordinator at Durham Uni.
If you would like to know more about Mahabba Network and engaging Muslims then check out our website: http://www.mahabbanetwork.com for more information and resources.
[i] Pew Research Center http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/the-future-of-the-global-muslim-population/
Photo credit: Kashfi Halford
