The changing face of Christian engagement with Muslims

The withdrawal of Western powers from former colonies after World War II was accompanied by a developing sense of guilt at Europe's colonial past.

Hand in hand went a progressive disengagement by post-colonial Western societies from Christian mission activities. Within Western societies in general, and even within some parts of the church, mission came to be regarded as controversial at best, and with downright hostility in certain quarters. It came to be seen by many as just another form of colonialism.

Christian outreach to Muslims was increasingly affected by this Western guilt burden. Lamin Sanneh, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, explains how he came to be seen as a source of discomfort by Western Christians:

I have found Western Christians to be very embarrassed about meeting converts from Asia or Africa... Furthermore, when I have pointed out that missionaries actually made comparatively few converts, my Western friends have reacted with obvious relief, though with another part of their minds they insist that missionaries have regularly used their superior cultural advantage to instil a sense of inferiority in natives.

Mission agencies have struggled to recruit field missionaries to work in Muslim societies in recent decades. Not only did such workers inevitably face the usual difficulties which were peculiar to closed Muslim societies overseas, but they also encountered increasing opposition within their home communities, both within the churches and in society at large. Simply put, being a missionary was no longer seen as fashionable.

The changing nature of Western societies

Meanwhile, Western societies themselves were changing with the in-flow of large numbers of immigrants from former colonies of various ethnicities, cultures and creeds. Today, Britain is home to over one and a half million Muslims, with large numbers British born and bred. This number is growing steadily with the increasing influx of asylum seekers. In 2002 new asylum applications reached 110,700, with a majority being Muslim.

This process of immigration, both legal and asylum-based, means that there are ready-made mission fields located on the very doorstep of those churches which still regard mission in a favour-able light. Outreach among Muslims in Britain has flourished in recent years, with innovative, often high-tech methods used in diverse contexts. This has been a two-way process, with many Muslim missionary groups working hard to win converts for Islam from among the Christian majority community.

Challenges in the post-9/11 era

The terrorist attacks of September 11 2001, with the ensuing war in Afghanistan and crisis over Iraq, have brought matters to a head. The trickle of would-be mission candidates to Muslim countries is drying up, given the increased level of insecurity faced by Westerners in many Muslim communities overseas. The assassination of an American missionary nurse in Lebanon in November 2002 illustrates the dangers faced.

Furthermore, the communal situation in Britain has entered a period of crisis. Surveys among society at large and within the Muslim minority have revealed a dramatic dysfunction between the two communities. Within the broad British community there was widespread sympathy for the United States after the 9/11 attacks, and broad support for the American and British intervention in Afghanistan. In contrast, the British Muslim community expressed widespread opposition to the Afghanistan war, and vast numbers of Muslims surveyed refused to even believe that Muslims had carried out the 9/11 attacks.

There has been much talk of public Islamophobia in this context, with tabloid newspapers feeding increasing anti-Muslim sentiment among the public at large. In contrast, there has been virtually no mention made of Westophobia, a parallel anti-Western, irrational sentiment which is widespread among Muslims in Britain.

Christian responses

In recognition of heightened tension between the Islamic and Western worlds, the church has moved to stimulate Christian-Muslim contact through a number of initiatives. A dialogue meeting of 40 leading Christian and Muslims scholars was held at Lambeth Palace in January 2002. Around the same time the Archbishop of Canterbury signed a dialogue agreement with the Shaykh of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, one of the Islamic world's most influential spiritual leaders. The Catholic Church has launched a number of similar initiatives.

Traditional Christian mission, however, has been one of the chief casualties in the post-9/11 world. It struggles to recruit workers for overseas field assignment, while mission among Muslims in the West, which had flourished prior to 9/11, is now approached with great caution, given sensitivities and the volatile nature of Christian-Muslim relations.

Now is not the time for Christians to be disengaging with Muslims. Church initiatives to promote dialogue with Islamic organisations and individuals are encouraging. Activities like those organised by the Faith and Society Christian-Muslim dialogue group, which aim at addressing themes of mutual concern such as citizenship, education and media, deserve the full support of Christians at all levels of the church, and across denominations.

At the same time, Christians should increasingly reach out to Muslims in other contexts and ways. Britain offers a unique environment of freedom in sharing of faith. In these troubled times, Christians should devote increased attention to sharing the gospel message with their Muslim friends and neighbours. In spite of the radical face of Islam which is so prominent these days, more irenic Muslim voices are open to bridge-building around the twin themes of peace and reconciliation, so central to the message of the gospels.

Dr. Peter G. Riddell is Director of the London Bible College Centre for Islamic Studies.