Nothing to fear from Islam?

Jay Smith is an American missionary who holds weekly discussions at the historical Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, London, which provides an open forum for the confrontation between the gospel and Islam.

He serves in Britain under the auspices of Brethren in Christ World Missions, and in October had a weekend conference in Dublin where he debated with Sunni and Shiite Muslims, 'encouraged by the realisation that, as Christians, we have little to fear when faced by the edifice of Islam in its many guises'. Smith and Dr. Elsie Maxwell were flown over by 'Dialogue Ireland', an ecumenical (Catholic/Protestant) group interested in 'dialoguing' with peoples of other faiths.

What authority?

'One of the more difficult aspects of dialogue with Muslims concerns the problem of finding a unifying authority behind the precepts to which they hold,' said Smith.

'A common observance in missiological circles is the problem of asking seven Muslims a question yet receiving eight conflicting opinions, with little recourse to scriptural authority. This was in particular evidence throughout the weekend, which began at the Trinity University debate on Thursday night. There the theme, whether Islamic Law should be opposed, was argued purely on current anecdotal evidence', Smith said.

Representing Islam at the conference were Dr. Ali Alsaleh, the Saudi Shiite Imam of Dublin, Saheb Mustakim Bleher, the secretary for the Islamic Party of Great Britain, Ishmael Muhammad, the celebrity speaker for the evening, and son of the spiritual leader of the Nation of Islam, the 'honorable' Elijah Muhammad.

Representing Trinity University were Dr. Ivane Bacik, the Law professor and feminist, Mary Henry, the outspoken Irish Senator, Dr. Azam Kamguian, the leader of the secular Islamic movement, and Smith.

Four-hour debate

'It was evident early on that the debate, which lasted almost four hours, would rally back and forth around tit-for-tat claims for and against the institution of Islamic Law in modern society', Smith said.

'The Muslim speakers, on cue, simply dismissed any embarrassing examples of current Islamic practices as "un-Islamic", and proceeded to paint a picture of a peaceful, benevolent and tolerant religion, yet never once sourcing what they said in their scriptures.

'I was scheduled as the last speaker, to follow the Nation of Islam's Ishmael Muhammad, and so took the opportunity to nail down or dismiss the anecdotal evidence by presenting scriptural references (researched by my friend and colleague, Dr. Anthony McRoy), quoting chapter and verse not only from the Qur'an, but from the four schools of Fiqh (Islamic Law: Hanafi, Maliki, Shaafi, and Hanbali). I then applied the scriptural evidence to the example of the prophet's life, as a means of exegesis', said Smith.

'It didn't take long before the Muslim side, which had up to that point remained calm and collected, jumped to their feet, denouncing my usage of their authority in public, creating the histrionics the Trinity debating club had envisioned and hoped for. From the comments made during and after the proceedings, by the students assembled, it was clear that the Muslims, when forced back to their authority, and their paradigm, the scriptures and their prophet, were ill-prepared to defend the relevancy of 7th-9th century Islamic law in a 21st-century environment.

'It did not come as a surprise, therefore, from the resounding "ayes" at the conclusion of the debate that our side had carried the vote for the proposition overwhelmingly', said Smith.

Mosque and seminar

'Over the course of the weekend, we had several other opportunities to en-gage with Muslims, both at the local mosques, and in seminar sessions. We repeatedly came across the same problem: a refusal of Muslims to engage with their own scriptures!'

Smith added: 'I came away from this weekend encouraged by the realisation that, as Christians, we have little to fear when faced by the edifice of Islam in its many guises. As Muslims, both moderate and radical, seek to portray themselves since September 11 as relevant to the West, they will be held accountable, if we do our job right, by recourse to scriptural authority for what they believe. This is not a dilemma we face, however, for we truly do have a marvellous authority in the gospel, as well as a perfect paradigm in the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, both of which are as relevant today as the day they were written down, and modelled, so many centuries ago - now that's a platform worth dialoguing.'

Religion Today

Jay Smith's website is a mine of information: www.answering-islam.org

Nothing to fear from Islam?

What authority?

Four-hour debate

Mosque and seminar

Religion Today

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