Islam 101

For the past two months or so, I've been leading a "study" on Islam during our bi-weekly bible studies at CEC. Though our bible study (which is probably more accurately defined simply as a group of friends who meet regularly to discuss our faith and religion) is accustomed to studying unconventional "bible study topics", this has been quite a unique experience for me.

I put the word "study" in quotes because I don't really know what to call it. Given my roots and background, I know very little about Islam besides what is emphatically portrayed by the media. I also have very few, if any, Muslim friends. In fact, as lame as it sounds, my first spark of interest came this past summer after reading a book -- Sam Harris' book, The End of Faith. Now, that book in itself is a post for another day. But the short version is simply that Harris' arguments against a violence-riddled/insane-asylum-worthy Islam were so blatantly simplistic, obvious, and biased, that they practically begged for further inquiry/corroboration.

So, I sought out a couple of more books. I started off with an English translation of the Quran, and Mateen Elass' A Quick Christian Guide to the Muslim Holy Book. Some may argue that learning about another religion from the perspective of one's own religion is a terrible method by which to begin, given that objectivity will probably not be one of its greatest merits. But in hindsight, I'd argue otherwise. I'd argue that for the beginner, the selection of information presented (as to draw curiosity) is more important than comprehensiveness and objectivity. After all, it was Harris' athiest rant that drew me into Islam in the first place.

Elass' book functioned in a similar way -- but with more substance and less attitude. It provided me with exactly the information needed to further provoke my curiosity for Islam. Most of these issues addressed were theological in nature: The book compared and contrasted the personalities of God and Allah, the roles of Muhammad and Jesus, the origins of The Bible and The Quran. It explored the differing frameworks for good/evil, purpose of mankind, and sin/redemption in the two faiths. It also told a fascinating story of two bodies of people with an immense amount of historical overlap, yet wildly different ideologies and expressions for worship.

Granted, Elass's book did absolutely no justice to Islam as a faith, nor as a culture. It did not acknowledge Islam's diversity, history, or struggles. But in all fairness, it wasn't meant to; it was enough that I was not only more apt to reading about Islam more generally and comprehensively* after that, but also had formed a very specific set of questions in mind -- about Islam, about Christianity, and perhaps most interestingly, questions about my own faith in places that I would've never thought to look.

This whole process naturally led to the formation of a study within my bible study group, a place where I have always been able to bring my struggles, my interests, and my questions to an open table.

I don't do much more than facilitate discussion at these meetings. Everybody reads assigned material and I prepare questions for discussion. The quality of discussion seems to always be at the mercy of the groups' preparedness/energy level and completely independent of the quality of questions and agenda I have prepared -- that is one thing I have learned :)

Most exciting, of course, is when people contribute novel or substantial ideas during the brainstorming process. Two broad questions that seem to keep resurfacing are: 1) How do we reconcile the New Testament God with the Old Testament God, and 2) How does culture, the century we are living in, and national ideology/values influence and shape our view of scripture and God, if at all? These are loaded questions, and we continue to ponder.

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*Some pretty good books that I've read in whole or in part: The Vision of Islam, What Muslims Believe, No god but God, Islamic Interpretations of Christianity.