Muslims at Home in America - Christianity Today

George W. Bush was the first political candidate to try to weave U.S. Muslims into America’s religious fabric. At a recent panel discussion, Beliefnet founder Steve Waldman noted that where politicians traditionally speak of our “Judeo-Christian heritage,” candidate Bush made a point of referring to “churches, synagogues, and mosques.” Since becoming president, he has hosted Islamic leaders for a Ramadan dinner at the White House, had a Qur’an photographed on his desk, and courted Muslim countries in his foreign policy. Immediately following September 11, 2001, he assured the American public that Islam is a religion of peace. Clearly, he is inviting immigrant Muslims to become the kind of citizens he wants them to be.

Theologians at Fuller Theological Seminary are also welcoming Muslims by helping Islamic leaders work out what it means to be a “religion of peace.” In the late ’90s, ethicist Glenn Stassen led a team of 23 Christian thinkers (mostly just-war theorists) in creating a set of principles for finding alternatives to war. Now Stassen and his Fuller colleagues are walking Muslim leaders through a similar exercise based on their own scriptures and traditions. This effort “has important implications,” Stassen says, “because it can result in Muslims teaching each other practical practices of peacemaking.”

In December, we talked with American Muslim leaders who are trying to bring together Muslims from a long list of countries to form a truly American Islam. Acceptance of Islam into American culture is very important, they told us, for how Muslims overseas perceive the United States. If Muslims feel truly welcomed, they can help defuse anti-American sentiments.

These Muslim leaders drew an analogy between their situation and the experience of U.S. Catholics at the beginning of the 20th century. Those Catholics came from places like Ireland, Poland, and Italy, and most Americans perceived their religion to be as foreign as their cuisines. But the pathbreaking theologian John Courtney Murray worked out a philosophy that laid the foundation for democratizing Catholicism. Today, many of the same Protestants who resisted the Catholic influence at mid-century look to Catholics like Henry Hyde and William Bennett for cultural leadership.

Can conservative Christians help Islam make a similar transition in a Western democracy? Yes, but not without risk. Fuller’s efforts drew fire when the Los Angeles Times reported that Fuller faculty had agreed not to proselytize Muslims. In fact, the faculty members involved had agreed not to proselytize in the context of these peacemaking discussions, but they had also made it clear that their “evangelical faith would not let [them] renounce evangelism in the rest of life.” Indeed, Fuller faculty involved in the project have evangelized Muslims both in North America and abroad.

We must be up-front about our commitment to share the good news of Jesus with everyone, yet we must also keep clear the purposes of each interaction. A December 8 exchange between Samaritan’s Purse president Franklin Graham and Sudan President Omar al-Bashir provides a good model. After they discussed the importance of religious freedom for ending Sudan’s tragic civil wars, al-Bashir said, drawing laughter, “I want freedom of religion because I would like to convert you. We will try to make you a Muslim.” Graham responded in kind. After a peace agreement is implemented, he said, “I would like to come back to Khartoum and preach, because I would like to convert you.”

Neither the Muslim president nor the Christian evangelist was reticent about sharing their faith, but both were willing to defer that desire while they worked to solve political strife. We face a pivotal moment in history when we can help Muslims redefine their place in a modern world. Seize the day.

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