We recently had someone from Arab World Missions come and teach our Adult Sunday School class about Islam for several weeks. It was interesting for a few reasons, but a point he made in one of the earlier sessions stuck with me. I had never heard it said before and as a concept, it is one that is quite foreign to Christianity.
When trying to explain why Muslims fight so hard and resort to the unthinkable when they attack (suicide bombings, etc.), he told us that one of the chief proofs of the truth of Islam is victory against their enemies. In other words, when Muslims win, it is proof that Allah is the one true God for he has given them the victory. From the 7th century onwards, Islam has spread by the sword and its ability to conquer all those who have crossed its path is proof that it was the religion of the true God. I completely understand why they would think this, but it also highlights how Christianity is different from the various false religions of the world.
That brings us to the present day and the Middle East struggle of the last century or so. The fact that the tiny nation of Israel has been able to dominate the Arab world, which out-numbers it about 50:1, is a real blow to the ego of most Muslims. Yesterday I read an interview with the Editor-In-Chief of Al-Jazeera Television and he admitted that this is indeed how Muslims in general feel about the ongoing conflicts with Israel. Israel appears to be the reason for every failure that happens in Muslim society. The whole interview can be read here and is worth the time. This is the most telling part:
Do you mean to say that if Israel did not exist, there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better?
I think so.
Can you please explain to me what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with these problems?
The Palestinian cause is central for Arab thinking.
In the end, is it a matter of feelings of self-esteem?
Exactly. It’s because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million. That hurts our collective ego. The Palestinian problem is in the genes of every Arab. The West’s problem is that it does not understand this.
I think the West may understand this. However, I don’t think the West in general quite grasps the generational hatred that goes back to the time of Isaac and Ishmael. Christians understand that it will always be like this until Jesus returns. (See Genesis 16:12).
No comments:
Post a Comment