Raymond Ibrahim: 'Why Pope Francis’s Claim that the Virgin Mary ‘Unites’ Christians and Muslims Is Wrong'

 More false teaching from the Heresiarch of Rome.

Weeping Icon of the Theotokos, the 'Mother of God',
Our Lady of Cicero

Why Pope Francis’s Claim that the Virgin Mary ‘Unites’ Christians and Muslims Is Wrong

by Raymond Ibrahim, June 12, 2024

Originally published at LifeSiteNews on May 31, 2024

Catholics may be surprised to learn that the Vatican is exaggerating the similarities between the Virgin Mary and the figure of Mary, Mother of Jesus, as she appears in the Koran and Muslim hadiths (traditions about Muhammad, the founder of Islam).

On May 18 this year, Pope Francis paid a visit to detainees at Verona’s Montorio Prison, and upon bestowing an icon of the Madonna and Child upon the apparently multi-faith jail, he stated to applause that “the figure of Mary is a figure common to both Christianity and Islam. She is a common figure; she unites us all.”

If this seems innocuous, it also falls in line with the Vatican’s many attempts to convince Catholics that Islam is somehow a “sister faith,” when, in fact, Islam appropriates the names and sacred auras of biblical figures, but then recasts them with completely different, anti-biblical attributes.

In early 2021, for example, the Marian academy in Rome launched a 10-week webinar series titled “Mary, a model for faith and life for Christianity and Islam” in collaboration with the Grand Mosque of Rome and the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy.

Announcing a New Book on Islam from an Orthodox Christian Perspective

Respected writer and Orthodox Christian priest, Fr. Lawrence Farley, has announced his new book on Islam: Exploring Islam: A Christian Perspective on the Life of Muhammad and the Qur'an, available now from Sebastian Press.

Regular readers of this blog may remember Fr Lawrence from previous posts:

• Worshipping with Muslims? - "Our ultimate goal and divine mandate is not co-existence with Muslims but their conversion—as it is for all the children of men." 
• Saying 'AMEN' to the Canonization of the 21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya

In the article below, Fr Lawrence presents an introduction to his book, at one point stating his purpose: 

Scholarly research and impartial detailed examination of the history of Muhammad and his movement, and of the sayings he transmitted (eventually collected and published as “the Qur’an”) prove that the claims Islam makes for itself cannot be sustained. Wherever the truth about God lies, it is not here.

I have ordered a copy, and plan to provide a review after reading it. Given Fr Lawrence's previous articles, and his stated purpose in the below article, I look forward to what may be a helpful resource for Christians in presenting the Saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to our Muslim neighbors. 

Exploring Islam

February 16, 2023 | Fr. Lawrence Farley | No Other Foundation

I would like you all to meet a young woman, raised a devout Roman Catholic, who converted to Islam. Her online story reads in part as follows:

“I’m one of the many western converts out there… I grew up in a very traditional orthodox Christian household. My family was going to church and respecting all traditions, but it was mostly something they did out of habit, not something they actually felt… I could never agree with many concepts Christianity supports. I did try to accept it, I did want to be firm in my convictions, but it never happened…I had the best intentions in the world for any religion that came to me, but the one and only that stuck in my heart was Islam…The moment I started reading the Qur’an, I felt this incredible wave of love surrounding me and all the weight from my shoulders was lifted off. I will never be able to put it in words…Here I am after years, still a Muslim, and an incredibly grateful one. I was 18 when I converted.”

One can only feel for this young woman who by her own testimony never managed to find Christ. And one does wonder about the paths she trod as a Roman Catholic, especially since she also said that when she converted to Islam it was her priest who gave her a copy of the Qur’an. But I share her story in order to focus upon the need for the Church to deal with Islam here in the West. Though perhaps not typical, her story is hardly unique, and includes some big name converts such as Cat Stevens, who converted to Islam in 1976.

Islam is, to say the least, a very controversial religion. For some people, especially since the tragedy of 9-11, all Muslims are either terrorists or potential terrorists. For others, Islam is a religion of peace, and is unjustly slandered by Neanderthal “Islamophobes”. Obviously Islam, like any large religion, contains of number of very diverse people, and sweeping generalizations make things difficult. Where does the truth lie?

Raymond Ibrahim: 'The Muslim Appropriation of Mary'

In this second in our series for the Nativity Season, Raymond Ibrahim shows how contemporary Islam perpetuates the blasphemous appropriation of the Ever-Virgin Mary, the Mother of God (Greek: Theotokos), first initiated by the depraved false prophet Muhammad fourteen-hundred years ago, and why it is essential for Christians to be aware of the truth behind Islam's "veneration" of Mary. 

Using the Virgin Mary "as a model of 'open borders' between religious and multicultural worlds" in an effort to reconcile Islam and Catholicism is to deny Christ and His Most Pure Mother, and reveals those behind such initiatives as full-blown apostates from the Christian Faith and self-condemned.

The Muslim Appropriation of Mary

by Raymond Ibrahim, February 21, 2021

In “Vatican: Mary is Catholic-Muslim Bridge,” Jules Gomes of Church Militant interviews me:

VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) – The Pontifical International Marian Academy (PAMI) is promoting the Blessed Virgin as a bridge reconciling Islam and Catholicism following the Abu Dhabi pact between Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayyeb.

On Thursday, the Marian academy in Rome launched a 10-week webinar series titled “Mary, a model for faith and life for Christianity and Islam” in collaboration with the Grand Mosque of Rome and the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy.

Based on his belief that Mary is “a Jewish, Christian and Muslim woman,” Fr. Gian Matteo Roggio, organizer of the Muslim-Catholic dialogue series on Our Lady, is seeking to mobilize Mary as a model of “open borders” between religious and multicultural worlds.

Mary responds “to the genetic codes of Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” affirms Roggio, a member of the religious order of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, writing in the Italian liberal Catholic periodical Famiglia Cristiana.

Islamic historian Raymond Ibrahim told Church Militant that “this series is yet another attempt to try to convince Catholics that Islam is somehow similar to their Faith when, in fact, Islam appropriates the names and sacred auras of biblical figures but then recasts them with completely different attributes — ones that reaffirm Islam as the ‘true’ faith.”

Ibrahim, a prolific writer, and the author of recent bestseller Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War Between Islam and the West, explained:

For example, the series’ organizers insist that Mary was a “Jewish, Christian and Muslim woman,” which is only two-thirds true: Yes, she was a Jew by race and background, and yes, she was a Christian in that she literally birthed Christ(ianity), but she was most certainly not a Muslim — a term and religion that did not exist until 600 years after the end of her earthly life.

“Worse, far from being the Eternal Virgin, as she is for 1.5 billion Christians — Catholics and Orthodox — Islam presents Mary, the Mother of Christ, as ‘married’ to and ‘copulating’ with Muhammad in paradise,” Ibrahim revealed.

In an article for Frontpage Magazine titled “Muhammad and the Virgin Mary: A Match Made in Heaven?” Ibrahim cited a hadith (Islamic canonical tradition) wherein Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, declares: “Allah will wed me in paradise to Mary, daughter of Imran.”

Far from being the Perpetual Virgin — Islam presents Mary, the Mother of Christ, as ‘married’ to and ‘copulating’ with Muhammad in paradise.Tweet

Few Christians know about this claim, but medieval Christians living under Islamic occupation were familiar with it because their Muslim conquerors regularly humiliated them with this text to refute the Church’s claim of Mary’s perpetual virginity, writes Ibrahim.

In fact, Egypt’s former deputy minister of religious endowments, Dr. Salem Abdul Galil, openly declared that among other biblical women like Moses’ sister and Pharaoh’s wife, “Our prophet Muhammad — prayers and peace be upon him — will be married to (the Virgin) Mary in paradise.”

Ibrahim obtained the Arabic video of Galil stating this on the Mahwar television network.

“Far from creating ‘commonalities,’ it should be clear that such appropriation creates conflict,” Ibrahim told Church Militant.

Mary is a Jewish, Christian and Muslim woman.  The prolific writer elaborated:

By way of analogy, imagine you have a grandfather whom you are particularly fond of, and out of the blue, a stranger says: “Hey, that’s my grandfather!” Then — lest you think this stranger is somehow trying to become your friend — he adds: “And everything you thought you knew about grandpa is wrong!” Would that endear this stranger to you?

The webinars will end during the month of Ramadan in the conference room of the Great Mosque of Rome with “Mary’s dates” — a reference to the fruit of the date palm and a verse from the Koran (Sura 19.22–26).

Raymond Ibrahim: 'How Islam Mutilates Christ'

 "While relying on the figures of the Old and New Testaments—for the weight of antiquity and authority attached to their names—Islam completely recasts them in a manner that validates itself and invalidates Judaism and Christianity.  This would seem to burn rather than build bridges." 

— Raymond Ibrahim

As we enter into the Nativity Fast and the Advent/Christmas season, it seems an especially proper time to post some recent articles of a theological nature. This new piece by Raymond Ibrahim surveys numerous examples of how Islam strives to appropriate Jesus Christ, Abraham, and a whole range of Old and New Testament figures, and even some Christian saints, but as Muslim heroes, distorting historical fact and mutilating their actual theological and spiritual message and import. 

This is a well known tactic of Muslim 'dawah' which dates back to Muhammad himself, and must be exposed as one of the primary lies of the Same God Heresy which Islamic apologists and well intentioned but gullible Christians so often promote.

How Islam Mutilates Christ

by Raymond Ibrahim, 11/2/2021

Not only does Islam claim Abraham, Moses, and Jesus; it apparently claims post biblical figures, such as Saint George, as well.  So states a recent article on My London, the real point of which is apparently to assert Christian and Muslim “commonalities.”  Thus, we learn that “on St George’s Day, which in Eastern Christianity is marked on May 6, Muslims in the area [of Nazareth] join Christians in their venerations of the saint.”

Judaism also finds its way into this article on religious syncretism: “According to some Sufi traditions, the [Hebrew] Prophet Elias, Al-Khidr [a character in the Koran], and Saint George are all the same person. They believe Elias reappears at different times in human history under different names to help stricken believers in times of crisis.”

The entire article is a testimony to the widely entrenched conviction that, because Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share many of the same characters, creating rapprochement between the three faiths is not just easy; it’s the most natural thing to do.

Left out of this calculus is the all-important fact that Islam does not treat biblical characters the way Christianity does.  Christians accept the Hebrew Bible, or “Old Testament,” as it is. They do not add, take away, or distort the accounts of the patriarchs that Jews also rely on.

Conversely, while also relying on the figures of the Old and New Testaments—for the weight of antiquity and authority attached to their names—Islam completely recasts them in a manner that validates itself and invalidates Judaism and Christianity.  This would seem to burn rather than build bridges.

Consider, for example, Islam’s treatment of Jesus (‘Isa in the Koran).  Not only does Islam vehemently deny Christ’s sonship to God, a new book on Islamic sources inadvertently underscores the fact that ‘Isa is the antithesis of Jesus—his doppelganger.

Can there have been Two Annunciations?

 

Today is March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. 

As the hymn for the Feast says, 

Today is the beginning of our salvation,

The revelation of the eternal mystery!

The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin

As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace...

Islam also begins with an annunciation of sorts, to Muhammad, coincidentally by a spirit being also identified as the angel Jibril (Gabriel). Only the nature and outcome of that annunciation is quite different from the one to the Virgin Mary six centuries earlier.

This article contrasts the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary — filled with light and grace — with that 'second annunciation' — a dark annunciation — to Muhammad. This is one of the most significant and revealing facts about Islam, one which we should always keep in the forefront of our considerations.

If Muslims worship the Same God as Christians, how could that Same God possibly send two such radically opposed revelations and messages? And could it be the Same God if He chose to send His revelation to Muhammad through such a dark and blatantly evil "annunciation"?

My Ancient Faith Today Interview now available as a podcast

On Tuesday, August 4 at 9pm ET I joined Fr Tom Soroka on Ancient Faith Today for a Live Interview and Call-In Discussion on Reaching Muslims with the Gospel.

The hour flew by, and we enjoyed a wide ranging conversation with some very thoughtful questions from listeners which helped lead us into further deep reflections on this important topic.

LISTEN:
Ancient Faith Today Live - Reaching Muslims with the Gospel

Fr Tom and I have been friends for over thirty years, and it was a joy and an honor to join him on one AFR's flagship internet radio shows to discuss our hope "that none would perish, but that all might be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth" which is in Christ Jesus.

This was the third of a three-part series on Islam-related topics on Ancient Faith Today Live. Listen to the other two podcasts here:

• Hagia Sophia - An Uncertain Future

• Islam: Historical Encounters and Contemporary Realities

(VIDEO) Mark Durie - The Hidden History of the Qur’an

How the text of the Qur’an tells a ‘hidden’ story about its own origins.

In his recent book, The Qur’an and its Biblical Reflexes, and in this video (from the June 11, 2020 live webinar), Mark Durie explores how the text of the Qur’an tells a ‘hidden’ story about its own origins, one which is different from the conventional account.

The Qur’an is a difficult book to read and understand. Within the religion of Islam, its text has always been read, explained and understood through the lens of the biography of Muhammad, which was itself based on later, sources committed to writing more than a century after the Qur’an came into existence.

This is a story about a small religious community, not located in Mecca, but somewhere else, enjoying a more moderate climate suited to agriculture but vulnerable to earthquakes, which found itself facing an existential theological crisis. Tune into this webinar to hear Mark Durie tell the story of how this crisis was resolved, and the momentous consequences which continue to influence the lives of billions, right down to the present day.

Dr. Timothy R. Furnish: 'The Prince of Peace vs. the False Prophets of Islam'

"As certain Muslims honor the birthday of their main messianic figure, consider the superiority of Jesus."

A timely article from one of the most perceptive and knowledgeable Christian writers on Islam today, Timothy Furnish. In addition to being a regular contributor to The Stream, Tim posts on his blog, The Occidental Jihadist.



The Prince of Peace vs. the False Prophets of Islam

by Timothy R. Furnish, The Stream, April 10, 2020

Islam denies this, and what happened three days later (plus a whole lot more).

Yesterday was Maundy Thursday — the day on which Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. That evening, some 1990 years ago, Christ was arrested. Eventually He was crucified on Good Friday, which we remember today.

Yesterday was also, according to Twelver Shi`i Muslims, the birthday of their main messianic figure: Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi.

Piety Not Politics, For a Change

I am a Christian who’s been studying Islam for almost three decades. Often I write as an analyst of the Islamic world. That usually means focusing on the geopolitics of the Middle East, Islamic Africa and South Asia. But not today.

Considering the juxtaposition of Holy Week and Mahdist celebration, I want to look at the world’s second-largest religion primarily from a believer’s perspective.

Christian Views of Salvation in Other Religions

There have been three broad Christian approaches to whether salvation can be achieved in other religions. The oldest, exclusivism, said “no.” Pluralism, more recently, has said “yes.” Inclusivism, also modern, says “maybe/probably.”

Raymond Ibrahim: 'Islamic reform? Top Muslim university says no'

"Renewal is in no way possible concerning those texts which are irrefutable in their certainty and stability." 

- Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb 

"The problem is that many of the worst teachings plaguing the Islamic and non-Islamic worlds are derived directly from those texts deemed entirely reliable." 

- Raymond Ibrahim

Islamic reform? Top Muslim university says no

by Raymond Ibrahim, American Thinker, February 16, 2020

Pope Francis greets Egypt's Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb at Abu Dhabi Conference in 2019

Largely unknown to and unreported in the West, a large, two-day conference was recently hosted (Jan. 27–28) by Al Azhar University in Egypt and attended by the leading clerics and politicians from 46 nations. Titled "Renewal in Islamic Thought," it is currently the most significant response to Egyptian president Sisi's calls for reform, which he forcibly made on January 1, 2015.

The conference focused on the most pressing topics affecting the Islamic — and in some cases non-Islamic — world, including women's rights, government and society, and the question of "radicalization" and the emergence of jihadi terror groups such as the Islamic State.

I've watched many of the panels with great interest, and in the coming weeks, I hope to remark on some of these, but for now I wish to discuss what can be learned from the closing remarks of the grand imam of Al Azhar (and Pope Francis's good friend), Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb.

First, he — in agreement with the other clerics present — closed the door on the possibility for reform on a great number of issues: "Renewal," he announced, "is in no way possible concerning those texts which are irrefutable in their certainty and stability; as for those texts that are not entirely credible, they are subject to ijtihad [reinterpretation, especially based on changing circumstances]."

'The problem is that many of the worst teachings plaguing the Islamic and non-Islamic worlds are derived directly from those texts deemed entirely reliable.'

In plain language, the teachings of those Islamic texts that are deemed entirely reliable — chief among them, the Koran as well as certain hadith, including, according to mainstream Sunnism, all nine volumes of Sahih Bukhari — are not subject to any change; only those secondary Islamic texts, including many other volumes of hadith, the sira (biography of Muhammad), and other works of history, are open to debate.

The problem is that some — many — of the worst teachings plaguing the Islamic and non-Islamic worlds are derived directly from those texts deemed entirely reliable. The Koran, for example, very clearly permits the sexual enslavement of non-Muslim women, the beating of one's wife, and polygamy. The Koran calls on Muslims to have hate for and when convenient to war on non-Muslims just because they are non-Muslims. 

VIDEO: Islam, Holy Icons & St. John of Damascus

A superbly produced video documentary of St John of Damascus, with in-depth presentations of his denunciation of the heresy of Islam, his systematic exposition of the Orthodox Christian Faith, and his defense of the holy icons against the ruthless persecution of the iconooclasts (literally, "icon smashers").

This is yet another excellent video from Trisagion Films, which has rapidly established itself as one of the premier Orthodox Christian platforms on the internet.

The writers frame the narration using the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times," noting at the conclusion that John not only lived through such "interesting times," but himself made major contributions to the defense and advancement of the Orthodox Christian Gospel during a time when the Church faced grave challenges from within and without.

Holy St John, pray to God for us!




Source: Trisagion Films.

Robert Spencer: 'Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? Absolutely Not.'

A fresh look at the Same God question, considering three striking and essential differences between Allah and the True God worshiped by Christians.

Robert Spencer is perhaps best known for his blog Jihad Watch, and for his numerous bestselling books tracking the malevolent history and muscular rise of Islam around the globe. But he is equally adept at looking beyond the existential threat of Islam to its subversive theological claims, as evidenced in his 2013 book, Not Peace But a Sword.

In this new article, Mr. Spencer goes beyond the obvious dogmatic differences between Christianity and Islam, and provides us with yet more clear and direct refutation of what I call the Same God Heresy.

Read and share widely.


Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? Absolutely Not. Here’s Why.


by Robert Spencer, PJ Media, August 15, 2019

The Qur’an says that Christians and Muslims worship the same God (29:46), and so does the Catholic Church. The Irish Catholic newspaper recently considered this question and offered an argument from authority, which is the weakest of all arguments: Christians and Muslims worship the same God because the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council says so in the documents Lumen Gentium and Nostra Aetate. But a closer examination of the evidence shows this to be false.

Besides the obvious differences regarding the Trinity, the crucifixion, and the divinity of Christ, there are deeper differences that are often overlooked.

Free will

There are numerous passages of the Qur’an, as well as indications from Islamic tradition, to the effect that not only can no one believe in Allah except by his will, so also no one can disbelieve in him except by his active will. “And to whoever God assigns no light, no light has he” (24:40).

The issue of free will versus predestination has, of course, vexed Christians of various sects for centuries, as different biblical passages are given different weight in various traditions. Calvinism, of course, in its pure form is notorious for its doctrine of double predestination, the idea that God has destined people for hell as well as for salvation. But this position is largely unique to them in the Christian tradition, which generally holds that God desires all men and women to be saved, and gives them the means to attain this salvation. The idea that God would create men for hell is in total conflict with the proposition that God “desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), and that he “takes no pleasure in the death of anyone” (Ezekiel 18:32).

The situation in Islam is, on first glance, even worse, with the Qur’an’s testimony on this, as on other matters, appearing to be hopelessly contradictory. The Qur’an, says the Qur’an, is “nothing but a reminder to all beings, for whoever of you who would go straight; but you will not do so unless Allah wills, the Lord of all Being” (81:27-29). Those who would “go straight” — follow Allah’s straight path — cannot do so “unless Allah wills.”

"If Abraham were your father..."

 Refuting the Lie of the 'Abrahamic Religions' Fallacy

by Ralph H. Sidway

1. Introduction

Muslim apologists — and their Christian enablers — claim that Abraham is the father of Islam just as he is of Judaism and Christianity, that all three religions worship the God of Abraham. The well-intentioned embrace this line of thought without exploring precisely what it means.

However, it is clear from the New Testament that neither biological lineage, nor simply saying “Abraham is our father” necessarily makes it so. Indeed, in John’s Gospel, Christ explicitly warned the Jews that they were not sons of Abraham, because they did not do the works that Abraham did. Rather they were sons of the devil, because they did as he showed them (cf. Jn 8:31-47). The Jewish leaders — biological sons of Abraham — rejected Christ, and eventually had him condemned by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, and executed by crucifixion.

The same can even more easily be said of followers of Muhammad who reject the Divine Lordship of Jesus Christ, persecute and kill His followers, and follow a false prophet. Indeed, some have seen the violent, barbaric nature of Islam prophesied in the Old Testament, where Ishmael (and therefore symbolically, Islam) is foretold by the LORD to be violent and opposed to Isaac and all others: “He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Gen 16:12).

After 1 Million Views, What's Next?

This landmark on the Facing Islam Blog calls for a little reflection, and looking towards what lies ahead.

First of all, my sincere thanks to all my readers and visitors, who have helped put this blog over 1,000,000 views, and to be ranked #35 in the 2019 list of Islam blogs.

That number includes at least one DOS attack, when malicious bots tried to overwhelm the servers and shut down my blog, but that merely resulted in a spike in my numbers, and no loss of service. I am proud to have been attacked on the internet. It is a badge of honor and a sign of the integrity of this site, which speaks Truth to the Enemy, and warns about the threats from Islam.

What now?

Having passed 1 Million page views, and having been posting only sporadically over the past year or so (while working on an unrelated project), I am striving to ramp things back up here, emphasizing more consistent output and focus.

Here are my goals, which I hope to diligently work towards, if the Lord doesn't return first, and if He grants me time, health and energy:

Mark Durie: 'The Qur’an’s Turn To Violence'

"A careful reading of the Qur’an’s text reveals a movement which was faltering under the weight of the non-arrival of a prophesied doomsday scenario. This movement was then saved – and transformed – by a shocking and epoch-making announcement that the swords of believers were to be considered an act of God."


This landmark article by Dr. Mark Durie, based on his groundbreaking new book on the Qur'an, upends the standard approach to understanding the shift of Islam from a relatively benign religious movement (in its so-called "Meccan Period") to an aggressive and militaristic religio-political ideology (typically identified as beginning with the "Medinan Period"), which expanded rapidly through the sword and bloodshed to conquer and subjugate huge swaths of the ancient Christian World lasting over a millennium — vast areas of North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Europe — and which is directly responsible today for the new era of global martyrdom of Christians in the 21st century, the relaunch of Islam's 1400-year-old jihad against the followers of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Durie's enormous contribution to Quranic studies reveals the desperate and opportunistic theological motives behind Muhammad's — and Islam's — embrace of outright hatred and bloody jihad against non-Muslims. The false prophet and forerunner of Antichrist now stands clearly revealed as the maniacal tool of a bloodthirsty "god," justifying the waging of divine wrath on those who reject Allah and his messenger.


The Qur’an’s Turn to Violence

by Mark Durie, June 7, 2019

The Problem Of Peace Vs. Violence

It is widely recognized that, on the topic of violence, the Qur’an speaks with more than one voice. Some verses speak for peace, and others for war. The conventional explanation is that the difference hinges on the migration of the early Muslim community from Mecca to Medina: in Mecca Muslims were persecuted while Muhammad and the Qur’an preached non-violence and tolerance, but in Medina an Islamic state was established, and Muhammad gathered an army, leading it to triumph in battle against non-believers.

A Conventional Explanation

A conventional Islamic theological interpretation is that in Mecca Muhammad and his community were weak, vulnerable and persecuted, so Allah wisely commended patience and forbearance. However when their power was established in Medina the Muslims were commanded to fight for the cause of Allah, ushering in the triumphant advance of the religion.

It is indisputable that there is a progression from peace to violence in the Qur’an. But is the conventional explanation for that shift supported by the text of the Qur’an itself? Does this explanation make the best sense of the Qur’an?

"If we read the Qur’an with an ear for changes in its theology around the transition between the (so-called) ‘Meccan’ and ‘Medinan’ verses, a different story emerges."

A Different Story To Be Told

In my recently published book, The Qur’an and its Biblical Reflexes, I argue that the traditional explanation is based on a misreading. Setting aside the whole Mecca-Medina narrative (for a whole host of reasons), I argue that if we read the Qur’an with an ear for changes in its theology around the transition between the (so-called) ‘Meccan’ and ‘Medinan’ verses, a different story emerges. This is a story about a crisis of faith and how it was successfully resolved.

SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER - Facing Islam book now 50% off List Price!

The Facing Islam blog recently passed 900,000 views, and it's time to celebrate. And what better way than to offer a blowout special on my book, Facing Islam - What the Ancient Church has to say about the Religion of Muhammad.

• Regular List Price, $10.99

• Now through May 31, 2018, 50% off ($5.50) plus shipping and sales tax (where applicable).

This is basically selling the book below wholesale. This is my way of saying "Thank You" to all you readers...

• See the product page and endorsements

• Proceed to my online store to order now, at 50% off!

Though published in 2010, I feel this book is more important than ever. Facing Islam is unique in providing a robust defense of the Christian Faith against the 'theological jihad' of Islam, which presents "a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel" (cf, 2 COR 11:3-4, also GAL 1:6-8).

Rather than being "ripped from the headlines" of its day and thus outdated, Facing Islam presents timeless theological sources and arguments not usually heard in the ongoing debates about Islam. The teachings and warnings of the saints of the Christian East are not only rarely encountered nowadays, they are often obscured by scholars who are so "nuanced" in their treatment of Islam as to paint a completely opposite and false picture of the Islam encountered by Christians in the 7th, 14th, 15th and subsequent centuries. My main purpose is to decisively repudiate the 'Same God' position and to show it to be a dangerous fallacy and a Christian heresy, as well as being a real and physical threat to Christians everywhere. 

I hope my message is reaching people. We certainly have seen an amazing growth since our humble launch in April 2011: 900,000 views, with the very real possibility of hitting 1 Million by the end of the year.

A couple of years ago Facing Islam was named a 'Top 50 Islam Blog', and I am honored to feature that badge on this site. We started out at about #45, but when I checked just now, we have risen to #37! And this without Facebook and Twitter feeds. The Top 50 Islam Blog category includes not only counter-jihad blogs, but Muslim sites and Islamic dawah blogs seeking to spread their false religion to the unsuspecting. To be in this top tier of Islam blogs means we are having an impact and reaching people.

Longtime followers know I have never monetized this blog. It is truly an independent effort, and has succeeded on the strength of its message, which is the Truth of the Orthodox Christian Gospel of Jesus Christ. Along the way, my original articles have been picked up and republished by outlets in America, England, Europe and Russia. I have also been a regular contributor for Jihad Watch and Raymond Ibrahim. I've been hit with a couple of DDOS attacks, and have seen some posts go viral and reach audiences in the tens of thousands.

But through it all I have refused to seek ad revenue, refused even to be an Amazon affiliate. 

So, if you've ever thought of buying my book, NOW IS THE TIME!  Buy two copies (or more!) and share them with your friends and family. I have one friend who purchased ten copies to give away! 

• Proceed to my online store to order now, at 50% off!

Thanks again so much for your visits, and I hope you profit from and are blessed by my efforts here.

The Church and Islam: 'Dangerous Illusions' can have Eternal Consequences

While preparing to post William Kilpatrick's article,  'The Church and Islam: Dangerous Illusions',  I ended up with quite a long introduction which, I felt, took away from Mr. Kilpatrick's presentation. Therefore, I decided to hold back that introduction and use it to create this follow-up post to further address the 'Dangerous Illusions' which plague those Christians who praise Islam and refuse to see it for what it is.

For an Orthodox Christian to praise and affirm Islam and the Qur'an is akin to spitting on the holy icons of Christ and His Most Pure Mother. When the Muslims invaded Tbilisi, Georgia in 1227, they set icons of Christ and the Theotokos in the middle of the bridge, and promised to spare all those who spit on the icons, denied Christ and converted to Islam. 100,000 Georgian Orthodox Christians chose martyrdom rather than deny Jesus Christ. Let us honor their memory by confessing Jesus Christ to our dying breath! (Source)

William Kilpatrick warned in his article about the threat Islam poses to non-Muslims everywhere, depending on how seriously Muslims take the commands in the Qur'an to wage jihad against the unbelievers. We have seen Islamic jihad attacks climb dramatically in the years since 9/11/2001, with over 33,000 deadly terror attacks since then. This is undeniable evidence that there is something dark and violent at the heart at Islam.

However, in addition to the deadly threat Islam poses in this age, there exists also a grave spiritual danger for Christians who praise and affirm Islam, or who even affirm that Muslims worship the 'Same God' as we do.

Consider:

• the Qur'an explicitly and vehemently denies Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, [1]
• presents Jesus as an apostle and prophet only,
• denies the Holy Trinity, 
• denies that Christ was crucified, 
• curses Christians, 
• and commands Muslims to attack, persecute and kill Christians until they embrace Islam or pay the jizya. [2]

Therefore, whether they realize it or not, a Christian who praises and affirms Islam, Muhammad and/or the Qur'an is praising and affirming a false and militant religion which forcefully denies Jesus Christ and persecutes those who follow Him.

Christ is Risen! In TRUTH He is Risen!

The Incarnation of the Son of God, His crucifixion, death and burial, and His Resurrection on the Third Day, are true and actual historical events in God's plan of salvation for us. 

Islam hates God and Jesus Christ, and so denies the Christian Revelation and fights against Christians. This proves its antichrist spirit.

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection!

We worship Thy Third Day Resurrection!

We confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, and we stand in solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the Islamic world who are being persecuted and killed by Muslims for their faith in Him. As the Lord Jesus teaches us:

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  

"Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  

"But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 

The Resurrection of Christ and the Rise of Christianity

Because the false prophet Muhammad and the false-god Allah in the Koran deny that Jesus Christ was crucified, deny the Resurrection of Christ, and deny that Christ is the Son of God, now is an ideal time, as we in the Orthodox Church celebrate Jesus' Bodily Resurrection from the Tomb, to defend the historical truth of these events. 

In proclaiming the Truth and defending the Orthodox Christian Faith, we note that Islam's bizarre fabrications about Jesus Christ reveal it as an antichrist religion, and are a strong proof against the 'Same God Heresy'.

Below is one of the finest articles on the Resurrection I have ever encountered.

To my Muslim readers, do not be deceived! Learn about the true Jesus and God's love for you, in the Orthodox Christian tradition, and "Come and see" what "Life in Christ" is all about! We are waiting for you with open arms!

Christ is Risen!

Indeed He is Risen!

_______

The Resurrection of Christ and the Rise of Christianity
by Fr. Steven C. Kostoff

The Myrrhbearing Women encounter the angel at the empty tomb: "Why do you seek the Living among the dead?" (MT 28:1-8, MK 16:1-8, LK 24:1-9, JN 20:1-2, 11-13)

Orthodox Christians believe that the New Testament Church and the Christian faith itself appeared at a particular point in history because the crucified Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead. The cause behind the emergence of the Church and the Christian Faith was not a crucified, dead and buried Jesus. Rather, that very crucified, dead and buried Jesus was revealed to be both Lord and Christ following His Resurrection “on the third day.” 

God vindicated the messianic claims of Jesus when He raised Jesus from the dead “according to the Scriptures.” Contemporary Orthodox Christians readily agree with the Apostle Paul’s insistence on the absolute centrality of the bodily resurrection of Christ as the foundation of Christian faith in Jesus: "If Christ is not raised, then your faith is in vain and our preaching is in vain” (1 Cor. 15). Among all Christians this has been an overwhelming consensus since the initial witness of the apostles to the Risen Lord.

But since the emergence of critical biblical scholarship within the last two centuries or so, we find Christian scholars and those influenced by them questioning, reinterpreting or openly denying the bodily resurrection of Jesus. This process may be more accelerated today, or simply more prominent and public in its expression. A vivid – if not lurid - expression of this skeptical approach to the resurrection claims of the first Christians can be found in the work of the New Testament scholar Dom Dominic Crossan. In his reconstruction of events, the body of the crucified Jesus was discarded in a shallow grave, there to suffer the further humiliation of becoming the food of ravenous dogs. That is also the kind of counter-claim that will attract a good deal of publicity. 

Can There Have Been Two Annunciations?

Islam claims the archangel Gabriel came to Muhammad commanding him to "Recite" and ushering in his prophetic calling. What are we to make of this "Second Annunciation? 

On March 25, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.  As the hymn for the Feast says,

Today is the beginning of our salvation,
The revelation of the eternal mystery!
The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin
As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace...

Islam also begins with an annunciation of sorts, to Muhammad, (not) coincidentally by a spirit being also identified as the angel Jibril (Gabriel). However, the nature and outcome of that annunciation is quite different from the one to the Virgin Mary six centuries earlier. As St Gregory Palamas noted in the 14th century, Muhammad's actions were "instigated by the devil":

"[Muhammad] came with war, knives, pillaging, forced enslavement, murders, and acts that are not from the good God but instigated by the chief manslayer, the devil."  (Source)

This article contrasts the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, with that 'second annunciation', to Muhammad. This is one of the most significant and revealing facts about Islam, one which forces us to confront at least two very serious questions:

1. If Muslims worship the Same God as Christians, how could that Same God possibly send two such radically opposed revelations and messages? 
2. And, could the sender of those two messages be the Same God if He chose to send His revelation to Muhammad through such a dark, threatening and blatantly evil "annunciation"?

Mark Durie: 'The threat is not extremism, but Islam'

"Mark Durie warns a cognitive dissonance is stopping many of us from understanding Islamist violence. No, we are not facing the threat of 'extremism' but of Islam."


Another in our series, 'Reconnecting with Mark Durie'. 

Thanks to Andrew Bolt in the Herald Sun for the lede above, and for spreading this excellent analysis more widely. This is a good article to share with friends and family members who insist that there is no connection between Islam and terrorism, or that there are as many dangerous Christian extremists as Muslim ones, or that there is no difference between Islam and Christianity (a variant of the 'Same God' heresy), or ... "What about the Crusades?!"

Excuse me, but your cognitive dissonance is showing

by Mark Durie, June 19, 2017

Herald Sun issue on the June 2017 Islamic jihad
terror attack in Brighton, Melbourne, Australia.

On June 5 in Brighton, Melbourne, at a spot I have driven past countless times, there was a terrorist incident. An armed Muslim, Yacqub Khayre, crying out support for the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, took a hostage, killed a hotel worker, and engaged police in a shootout, until he was shot dead. It is hard to imagine a less likely place for jihadist violence than affluent, Anglo Brighton, with its tidily quiet tree-lined streets of multi-million dollar homes. If it could happen in Brighton, it could happen anywhere.

Islamic terrorism has been a shock to the secular soul of the West. We have tried to address the security challenge, but are not across the intellectual challenge. Recently in the Australian, Jonathan Cole exploded three myths that hamper efforts to counter terrorism: the essentialist claim that Islam is a religion of peace; the idea that jihadists are political actors exploiting religion; and the idea that jihadists are deranged psychopaths. In response, Cole argued that the terrorism debate needs to engage with Islamic theology.

There is a fourth myth not canvassed by Cole, the ‘myth of the extremist’. This is the idea that the jihadist’s condition is a case of ‘extremism’, a state which transcends any particular religion, and which therefore has nothing particular to do with Islam. The myth is that the problem is not what jihadists believe, but the way they believe; not the content of their faith, but the blindness with which they pursue it. This was the view of Charles Wooley’s recent article ‘Blind faith breeds barbarity in Islam as it did in Christianity’.