Daniel Ali & Fr. Mitch Pacwa: A Former Muslim and a Life-one Catholic - The Journey Home (5-5-2003)

you good evening and welcome to the journey home this is the first week of the month we used to call it first open line first Monday but I was reminded by so many that there are folk around the world that are watching us live right now and there's no longer Monday it's Tuesday and so this is the first part of the month when we use this episode of the journey home to open the lines more to your input so tonight particularly your phone calls and emails run this program and so we're right now that we give you the phone number 1-800 two two one nine four six oh one eight hundred two two one nine four six oh because I know tonight you're going to want to call us there's a very very key part in our history that connects with our guests tonight our guest is Daniel Ali he's been on the journey home before he's an Islamic convert that right a Muslim convert I always get it wrong almost of conv was look I'll make sure he'd say it right because one is the said one is the person one is the thing Daniels been on the journey home before he shared his his journey and with him the last time he was on the program was father Pacwa what are you doing here is this Tuesday I'll just listen steadily was a night that Monday's no it's over mind first Monday oh sorry well let's say anyway why are you here brother father joined us last time to help just bring it all about in terms of explaining the issue and don't but why here tonight well last time Daniel and I had so much fun plus in the Middle East I know how to make the good bribes the next morning I gave him Turkish coffee I gave him love in net I gave him hobus I gave him was uptown and he was he was putting my hands so we started working together Daniel and I have been working together since then this meta fact more directly since January on making a series of video taped lectures on how to explain Christianity to Muslims and to do so from within the mindset of Islam and so that we're not coming just as outside we're trying to understand from the inside and so that's what we've been doing together we've been letting together now for a number since January that verse that opens the second letter of the Corinthians that talks about we are comforted that we might comfort others and to me it always reminds that God chooses people for certain tasks with certain backgrounds certain experiences and I right now when you think about it with all that we've experienced in this world over the last 2 3 4 5 years particularly in America with more people are thinking about Islam in its connection with our Christian faith and probably in a long time because of the media and as you both know we don't always see the full picture on the media so America has a strange view of what it's really like in Iraq and so I'm going to talk about tonight but but I will remind the audience that because Daniels been on the program before that you gave your whole story last time and we want to have more time for phone calls and emails tonight in fact I didn't get the email address journey home at ewtn.com if you have a message and what we'll do tonight is I'm going to ask Daniel and father a few questions but as soon as we have phone calls and emails that are of interest we'll go right to them so again let's start calling in but Daniel is I always begin this program how about giving them a short summary remind us about your journey from Islam to the Christian faith as as every human being used to serve God seek and find him to embrace him Muslims are also had the same in crafted and printed and their heart love of God and search for her being a person growing up in Iraq from the Islamic background I had interest to to know more about God and that's that journey led me throughout years 30-plus years to come to this point what I am Christian of course it goes through periods where you pay attention to the grace of God yielding to it some other times you do not but God never ceases to draw a cross after hand and never ceases to reveal himself to you in your environment and people you encounter in your daily life in your environment all in your activities and having Christian neighbors in Iraq being exposed via education to search an aspect of Christianity self-esteem Christianity all this brought me up to a point where I I knew Christ by early 80s as the son of eternal God and God himself incarnate the second person in the Holy Trinity yet that did not come about via missionaries North came via people who spoke Jesus to me but it came from my own steady in the Koran so in another world I came to know Jesus through the Koran more than from the Bible because I did not pick up the Bible a little later on in my journey in life and that journey led me eventually to meet my precious wife back in my country we married over there and we moved then back to this blessed country and until God sees into it that freedom will prevail in Iraq and as everyone knows thanks be to God and to the gi's and to this government government of this country and to the American people who shed their blood in that country for my freedom of the freedom of my people of which only God knows how much I do appreciate just thinking that you know so many of us watched what was happening in Iraq through our televisions but you were seeing all that from a whole different perspective it'd be like us being over there watching it happening in our backyards I'm sure to you it was a much deeper it was deeper I I thought on my life from 1976 until 1991 I guess Saddam and his regime I was jailed eight times I was tortured not I'm no exception I'm not no hero make no mistake about it because that is the fate of everybody who opposed Saddam so I'm no exception I didn't do any heroic things but that was the natural consequences for anybody who opposes Allah with the regret I had is when I saw that statues coming down I was crying but I was not there because all my life was heading to that point and yet I could not be there but nevertheless in my heart and my prayer I was there you know we in America get such a the only one side and a very slim view of Iraqi culture and one thing I asked you at dinner I mean the funny question would have been you know how many camels did you really grow up with you might answer that but also as I mentioned it you know we we in America we will watch the newsreels and will see the streets and full of people Druid very very passionate it's so different than our culture talk above it's such a different world let's talk about the camels okay good how many times did you ride camels none okay this is one of the ironies I really tell with a lot I will teach you well did you know in Chicago they grow up with camel actually I have not seen Campbell until I was in my teenager life one time in my life and that was people think they think Iraq is a desert the Western south part of Iraq is has it the inhabitable area at the rest of the country margins green that's what they called fertile ground a fertile land it's between the Tigris and the rivers this is Greenland it's beautiful land and you have to think why God called the person from Iraq to be the father of the faith of all three religions Abraham from Oh Iraq is composed of many nations there are the majority are the Arabs the second in numbers are the curves my people the meat of the Old Testament and the Magi of the New Testament and also there are called in there are Assyrian in Armenian so there is a lot of nationalities and ethnic diversity in Iraq and also faith what you saw as in the media which I call them certified stupid journalists they pick selectively what serve their own agenda I've been an egg revision radio station and he asked me how could you reconcile this all this massive demonstration against us my question was to him how many thousands were there he said many thousands let us say 100,000 he said that's fear Adam Iraq is composed of fear 23 million have you thought to entertain what they think do you really think that Iraqi people are against us as a person from Iraq we have no reason to be we have no reason are there people who mistrust this government yes but are there people who will look for any excuse to enhance the feeling towards us yes Iranian influence among the Shiites and the South suit your area and Syria among the western borders the people who carries this kind of demonstration in Baghdad the amount of that mask was in the united arab emirate he was working with saddam against the Iraqi opposition why the media do not say that what I'm trying to say in another word and keeping in mind also this is the first time the Iraqi people had the chance and the opportunity to voice their god-given rights without being fear of persecution or being killed or being tortured you have to understand all Iraqi people were victim of a satanic regime and those who support that government directly or indirectly they were prolonging the suffering of the Iraqi people those son same people opposed the liberation of Iraq the Iraqi people had a say in it and they will hear it loud and clear and hopefully we'll get balanced coverage of that as we watch the news like that now your YouTube you embarked on a 30 30 plus video series and Christianity and Islam and what a project you're getting involved with yeah we've been working together we've worked out 30 topics but as we've been going through them and giving the lectures on specific issues we find that sometimes it takes more than one hour to go through certain issues like what is the meaning of sin and atonement so we may end up doing 30 more than 30 hours of video because in our approach we both know and that Daniel himself has come to Christianity by investigating the Quran and that helps us to have a distinctive perspective we're going to approach the Quran and the Muslim people with respect for their desire for God these are people who have a god-given dignity and as such they really seek God and part of it is LOM is to be very much at God's service what do I do to obey God is a burning issue for Muslims you know that's interesting because you would almost say that in every different world religion that's a kernel that everyone has in their heart as a part of the Michel de the image of God to find discover what that is they were created to be unless their particular psychology or philosophy has as Drowned is driven that out of their consciousness so you see it and then that's why we need to give them the right information so they answer that question they answer it in the right way of a different face and I was thinking of 30 tapes obviously we can't answer every question tonight about differences between Christianity and Islam but for example once you grab an issue that you would say is indicative of a unique perspective between Islam and Christianity I personally think I personally think it goes back to original sin Muslims do not believe that I Daniel Ali father Mitch Pacwa the humanity at large had any relation with the sin of Adam that is to say my own send my own shortcoming it's my own had no effect had no relation with others now one of the things judo and this is an assumption Daniel helps to point out Muslims do believe Adam sinned indeed right and so that's something we share in common but as he says this were the different how it connects to the rest all right although although Muslim admit because the Quran in chapter 2 and chapter 7 and chapter 20 were the narratives of the Adam and Eve and the fall although they admit and it is clear direct quotations from the Quran that and then when he sinned he fall from the grace of God God cast him out of the Garden of Eden which is understood in Islamic theology as paradise he cast him out of the Garden of Eden - to the earth and the turmoil and the animosity between as and Satan is present we explain that to the Muslim but we also explain to the Muslim if I have no relation with Adam's sin and I am NOT responsible and I have nothing to do with it how come I am not in paradise we also explore Muhammad's tradition in that regard let's give an example Muhammad in his tradition says that every drop of blood every murder committed on the face of the earth the guilt of which Cain's has killed his brother Abel right that is every crime committed on the face of the earth Cain is responsible for it now obviously there is a relation another hadith of Muhammad Muhammad hadith is his tradition it's his words and deeds in a quotation and a dialogue between Moses and Adam on the gates of heaven as it goes in Muhammad's tradition mamas hadith Moses blaming Adam that because of your sin our Father because of your sin we are out of heaven now if I am not related with his sin obviously Cain with that be responsible for every drop of blood and Adam would not be responsible for me to be in earth but obviously because of these two cents specially because of the sin of Adam obviously we paying the price so the relation do exist and also Muhammad says every human being is a sinner by his nature and the best among and the best among them are dependent those who repent clean so by their nature means the nature is falling weeks--i blame these things to Muslim from within their own you find out they hear what you're saying when you we do we do receive a lot I mean the lies that I say that is most of us Christians just envision that converting a Muslim is almost nearly impossible and from your experiences have you seen that as a matter of fact from when we did the show with you before there are two people who made contact with us about the things that we said and they both check they said they appreciated the respect and then they checked the facts and they saw that what we said was true and they both became Christian and in some of our other lectures we've had other people we don't want to say cities and things because one of it we don't want other people who convert will make their own statement we won't but we will say that all of it just in given the few lectures we've done so far there have been a number of people who have listened to what we had to say and when we post proposed questions are telling rhotic just the conversation regarding Abraham and his children in a place in this state I had a lecture a seminar and a gentleman was present a Muslim brother was present and afterward he came out and after the samurai said mr. Ali I really appreciate you respect our faith you have not stated something we do not believe in everything is there but I'm very sad that you are you know this much about Islam you p.m. Christian I told them later on I share the same feeling towards them because obviously he knew Islam but state Muslim obviously we had differences strong differences but we are not disrespectful to each other we could voice our differences we could strongly voice our differences but in civilized way civilized manner nevertheless he said when could you give me an reason one of the reasons Adam well in Islam there's the belief that Ishmael was the son to be sacrificed he said yes Adam okay and you believe that he is the miraculous son he said yes Adam show me the word the how this miracle could come about if Abraham was in the late 70s Hagar was in 24 Sarah was in the early 70s she was barren don't you know that a man could impregnate women regardless of how old is he based on the woman's age he said that's a fact item then there is where is the miracle there but what yeah because and the the problem is that Sarah barren at 90 has a son Isaac Hagar 24 has a son Ishmael both are the same man now which one is the miracle the woman who's born from the the child is born from the 24 year old or the child born from the 9 year old woman and why is it that the son from the 24 woman is the chosen son but the one from the 90 year old woman Isaac is not so points points like that add to it the promise of this child was given to Abraham according to Islamic tradition Muslim theology was given to Abraham while he was in or in Iraq that was before he came to know Hagar when he had Sarah so the promise given to him in relation to Sarah not to her God so that point made that gentleman too later on to convert to Christianity he thought about it and that's what we that's we expect we these are things for people to think about and consider know that the different claims and we don't both of us have a very clear sense we don't convert anybody what we do is we present these are some reasons why we are Christian we are not Muslim like often evangelization is getting the right information right making it to people means really what that's what's sad when we don't evangelize is we're afraid that all we're going to be a very or whatever it is so we don't give the information when often they just need the information from a caring loving soul we have an email let's jump with email because it connects with things that you're saying comes from Mary Ann from Pennsylvania dear Daniel and father Pacwa do Muslims believe that man is created in the image and likeness of God god bless you Mary Islamic theology theologian Quran and Muhammad's tradition specifically and explicitly they deny that man is created in the image of God why because they believe - for God to create an man in His image means God's might God's Majesty God's omnipotence E is belittled by putting himself to this finite level and that the resemblance of man cannot be the resemblance of God there's a point in it but it is not solid because Quran also mentioned that that the would image in arabic surah it is obvious in the Quran that wahala convey a pasinetta winged source or not the accent of wind means we created in the best picture which is another word for image so but nevertheless they don't pick on that they say overall form of Adam was perfected they don't see it as being created in the image of God nevertheless that is not I mean if you deny that you've been created in the image of God or you admit that will not that will not it's not big big in Islamic theology is not big for for the purposes of converting a Muslim with these would with Muslims basically put the Quran before the Bible I mean in interpretation that be the normal flow absolutely okay absolutely words if there's something in the scriptures like the image of God that doesn't quite fit with the way they understand things they go to the Quran as the interpreter yeah that the basic sense on one hand is that the Bible the Torah the Psalms and gospel D and Jew that we have have been corrupted that that would be the basic sense now there's the couple things that go back when we try to bring up to because on one hand they'll say that it's corrupted and we don't have the real gospel but they will sometimes quote the gospel selectively when it supports them on saying that the Gospel of st. John predicts the coming of Muhammad and they say that Jesus said that Jesus is the Mohammed will is the Paraclete according to Muslim interpretation so then we have to have a question for them and Daniel what do you say to such a person well if first this is a new pattern in islamic apologetic it did not exist prior to that now if you claim that my book is correct that it is not the same divine book anymore which is the Islamic understanding that the Bible is not anymore the Word of God now having said that how you allow yourself to pick from its certain text which fit a certain criteria proves your case my question to you is this do you have a divine knowledge that that text you pick is of a divine source if that is the case why don't look at the rest of the text add into it the Quran stands both it supports both claims it's supposed that they claim it is corrupted that is the Bible is corrupted and it's also supports the claim that the Bible is not corrupted why should I leave this and pick this one I have to have both in perspective I said thanks to pick and choose two who will go there let's take this next email comes from Donna in Massachusetts thank you for bringing me home I would like to know what makes the Prophet Muhammad the leader of Islam when they believe that Jesus was a prophet also thank you Tom I am afraid that I didn't understand you you know what makes the Prophet Muhammad the leader of Islam when they believe that Jesus was a prophet also so so in other words that the senses that muhammad is is this this prophet who metric in Islam it is the seal of prophecy and he's that the last prophet and of any superior to Jesus that would be now and the question is why they believe that he received this revelation from the angel Gabriel and that this revelation of the Quran is what would he be Elena first the reason behind that is this the reason why Muslims follow Muhammad who was a prophet and not Jesus Christ who was also a prophet is this first Muslims believe that the previous scripture the previous revelations all were corrupted altered and changed from its content but in addition to that the Quran came to perfect all previous revelation and thus the Kulin innocence supersedes the previous revelation and Muhammad being the person who God's message was revealed to him via Gabrielle gave him this final the most perfect of all revelation thus human being as one of the powers of Islamic faith and also one of the articles of Islamic faith are obligated and humanity also are obligated to follow only the example of Muhammad but no other prophet they honor the other prophets but honor and respect is something and following up is another I admit that I've never read the Quran as probably most Christians but it does amaze me when a book produced by a single person has such amazing influence on so many millions of people is it an inspired a powerful consistent coherent book first Muslim do not believe it is a production of Muhammad oh they believe that it is the Word of God dictated as I said by the Archangel by by the angel Gabriel to Muhammad via 23 years from 16 to 632 am sorry 22 years from 16 to 632 ad it didn't come or didn't come all at once gradually now the sickle and hold the coherency which we see in the biblical scripture obviously I personally do not believe that otherwise I would have not been here the Quran we believe that it contains many discrepancies the reconciliation between these self contradictory notions cannot speak of the allergy claimed divine source that is my perspective provable by the Quran which of course the Muslim will not agree in the way I look at it but that is a way we could sit down and dialogue about it but it is not outright I cut you off you're wrong I'm right that's all that way well karma confirm no I think that it's something that in terms of the other question about Jesus and Muhammad - right um I think it's important to realize that the Quran says that Muhammad had to ask for forgiveness from God it also says that Jesus is sinless only Jesus and the busted Virgin Mary are sinless and so this is something else that we bring up as a question as a matter of fact they believe that Jesus was assumed into heaven alive he did not die on a cross he was assumed into heaven alive another man who looked like Jesus was crucified Jesus that's the Quran say yes the crying under any of Muhammad's tradition and that um in the Quran is in Chapter in surah 4th chapter 4 verse 157 it says that he did not die ok they thought crucified he was fight and that he's in heaven he'll come back at the end of time and he's going to fight the Antichrist and then he'll also be married and then he'll die and then be raised up from the dead now what's interesting to me and Daniel also questions is why is it that Jesus Christ to his sinless like his mother Mary is sinless why is he coming to fight the Antichrist and not the Anti Muhammad you know this is a this is a question that we have why is why is it Christ and an antichrist that are the central figures of good and evil well not Mohammed fighting Nancy Muhammad see this is this is a question we saw yes we want to ask these questions and and engage seriously on that ok excellent let's take a break we've got a couple emails wait and if we have a call back just a bit with your questions for father Pacwa and Daniel Ali welcome back our guests this evening are Daniel Ali and father Mitch Pacwa he just need that one more night on television here he sleep slipped over into my home that's great you had a comment to continue on that question that we just ended with the issue had to do deal with the Christ in the prophets and the perfection of Jesus versus Muhammad yep yeah it's on that line it's in the line father Pacwa mentioned that in Muhammad's tradition only two souls have never sinned Jesus and the velocity Arjun marry and then he said father Pacwa said about the second coming of Jesus Christ and judgment ethical and that class and then he raised that question Muslim theologian by after the 17th century they come up with this notion that all the prophets are sinless to combat that point now the problem with that is one it had no Quranic support it had no tradition of Mohammed support and it the sins of the prophets are one-by-one mentioned I don't mean by every sin what I mean is sin of Adam is there if Noah's there of Abraham is there of Mohammed is there the only one who is not sinning in the Koran never sent is Jesus what I'm trying to say in another word that theory which they come about which is the among really among the most fundamentalist Muslims it came about from Mohammad Abdu to have the founder of Wahhabism later after that this notion came about about the selflessness of the Quran yet it had no scriptural support period you know the Quran simply says very clearly each one of those proud men shion's each one by name in different places Moses had to ask God's forgiveness Abraham had to ask God's forgiveness no one had to ask God's forgiveness prophet Adam had to ask God's forgiveness and so did Mohammed so those are the explicit texts you know we got we have a collar here but before we go there one quick question you know in Christianity we've had a number of schisms throughout the 2000 years and but often in America we think of Islam we think of one unified faith is that true that's anything but true first the division from the Christianity started because the letter side of the Bible per se did not exist there and you had massive geographical distribution with the Christian all around and there were a lot of heresies around here and there and the subject of and the nature of the dispute in Christianity is absolutely different than of Islam but nevertheless we're not talking about Christianity here when Mohammed died at 6:32 he did not say explicitly and clearly that such and such should be prophet should be the Caliph or the agent or my successor the division in the Islamic Courts started right there what we know as the Sunnis who are the majority in the Islamic world and the Shiites who are the minority of the Islamic world came about from that point to the Sunni to the Shiites the first the first to I'm sorry the second and the third caliph are not legitimate and are not considered caliph which is one of the pillars and the Sunnis there was a lot of doctrinal differences in Shiites there's temporary marriage and Sunnis there is no temporary marriage the ritual on purple performing the the priors are different dramatically and she is then that of the Sunnis add into it and the Shiites their central authority and Sunnis do not and these Shiites have the infallibility of the twelve Imam which are the successor the descendant of Ali the fourth caliph Sunnis do not believe in that so doctrinally there is huge differences nevertheless they do not unlike us they do not scandalize each other as we do in the Christian body but is their systems and the Islam yes why we don't hear about it because they literally were butchered but anybody who studies Islam academically or want to know about the history of Islam you will find many of them every year the the the ruling house of Syrian government are called Muslim but they are not considered Muslim lobbyism are not considered authentically Islam Nation of Islam is not considered Muslims a Baha'i ism of shut of Islam not considered Muslims Druze ISM Jerusalem there is many schools anyways we do not have we do not hear heard about it because we have not shown the interest in Islam dude the interest due to it but now we started to change some of the like some of the Eastern religions in America we end up recover an American version of Muslim faith you know that's uniquely American right maybe even uniquely ethnic in a sense but but maybe no connection you know okay all right we got caught let's take this first caller from Berkeley in Florida hello Berkeley what's your question for us tonight good evening Marcus thank you it's two part the first part very quickly you mentioned the Blessed Mother and they recognized that she was born sinless but do they honor her in any way is she really any part other than being a historical figure and the second part my I've read a little the Quran and my understanding is that when you have conflicting verses say a more peaceful verse in the early part of the Quran and maybe one more towards jihad in the later part that the later verse nullifies the earlier verse and thank you thank you for your questions so first of all the Blessed Virgin first the Blessed Virgin Mary herself listeners had nothing to do with her birth if we gave the impression that's what that's what it was that's not what it is she was sinless but that's simplicity in Muhammad's tradition but it is implicit in the Quran that she was born immaculately is as we in Catholicism have the Immaculate Conception that's present in the Quran implicitly it's not agreed upon interpretation but nevertheless the interpretation as far as we are concerned it is there second part of the question what to do with the earliest chapters or sewers of the Quran nullifies the letters if we speaking chronologically that had I mean if we if we agree on the premises the caller stated that have no theological ground on the Koran there is something in the Quran called nullification theory nullification theory the essence of is that God abrogates whatever he desires but those fall into two categories falls in the category of dogma but not of events so we have to be clear about that let's having said that do the earliest sewers and the Quran nullifies the latter ones the answer is not always in fact she had mentioned the other way around the later nullifies earlier not that is not the case or that's not the we have to stay that Quran is not chronologically arranged what you know as surah or chapter 1 was not the revealed the first one chapter 96 was revealed the first one chronologically so for you to look at the development of the doctrine or the shift in theology you have to rearrange the Quran chronologically for you to get to that point but to abrogation basis or promises in Islamic theology is not based only which one is earlier than the other it had many other grounds it's interesting father that that's not a problem or an issue that's solely related to the Quran in Scripture in terms of theology different opinions what about Exodus I for an eye tooth for tooth what about now and Christianity and I to me the bottom line is that's why we need an authority that's why I need Church to help us understand how to take an Old Testament a New Testament and that's part of the problem I would say in in Islam is that there is no Holy Father there is no Magisterium that guides the interpretation of scripture that would especially be true in Sunni Islam there's not a central authority to make that interpretation in Shiite Islam there's more of an authority for making interpretations that's what the role of the Imam comes in and the succession of the 12 Imams they have more authority but the authority of Muhammad's tradition and of the Koran these are what the person has to interpret and this is something again as you as you say in Christianity we not only have the text of the Scriptures we have Jesus teaching and and he's the one who says you have heard the knife and I know tooth per tooth but I say no you love your enemies but then also the church itself is given Authority see in Acts of the Apostles Peter is given a vision that allows the eating of any food in Acts chapter 10 and so this is something that continues on no in the church's life I was thinking my my Calvinist background they often we often put Paul above Jesus in interpreting Scripture you know if Jesus gives the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5 6 7 in Matthew but it doesn't jive with the way we understand Paul explaining Christianity we would say well Jesus is what he was speaking at the time was kind of plan a but now that Jesus was dead and resurrected now we're in Plan B and so Jesus was speaking to kind of an Old Testament people trying to encourage them to earn their way to heaven but since you couldn't do that now Paul gives us Plan B well again that's not what the Church teaches that's not what tradition has taught but that's what one particular tradition has run with the scriptures in which you're saying that even there are different traditions within Islam that will probably take the Koran and make it fit there on every one angry human being have the tendency to justify the way and it means he or she would endure something I mean you will make the water run upward yeah Down Goes Down yeah let's begin of the color Carolyn from Louisiana hello what's your question for us tonight yes thank you so much for the program I was wondering in light of everything that y'all have said what is it that makes Islam so appealing to people Thank You Carolyn simplicity that would makes it appealing it is very simple you have do's you have do not you do not have original sin you do not have redemption of sins you do not have Redeemer you do not have all these theological complexity which is an essence of Christianity and Islam we do not have that in Islam you just say there is no god but God and Muhammad is prophet you are automatically of course not that then simplistically but you have with sincerity you are automatically Muslim the simplicity of the dogma is when main attraction having said that does that mean Islam do not contain complexity the answer is no the attack on complexity for furthermore we have to understand also that not necessarily based on the simplicity or complexity people convert to Islam but sometimes out of dissatisfaction with the Christianity the scandals is one main thematic problem we see it in in our world I as a person who grew up from Middle East we have very strong emphasis on moral and morality that cannot be accepted from religious figures what have you those for certain people it is it causes a difficulty in the faith but the unfortunate thing they turn this difficulty to a doubt and that doubt to conversion and totally because it's dissatisfied with a first performance of certain religious group that generates an anger and that anger is translated by converting to other faiths again but that does not mean everybody like that but this is one of the reasons but what about when when Muslims see their own leaders doing inhumanities towards humanity when they're doing cruelties in their leaders do they not see that as a scam they see the scandal but you have tender Sun also the mindset is that God allowed that tyrant to come about so it is part of God's overall plan also there's another perspective too there are some parts of the Quran in which you are allowed to do harm to somebody who attacks Islam and so if the leader might seem scandalous to outside but from the perspective of some Muslims not all because again there's no such thing as almost some sameness but you know what we we know from bin Laden he he makes a point that this is an insult to Islam to have American troops on Arabian soil which is their holy land and so it's not considered an atrocity it's considered a legitimate way to get the Americans out so this these perspectives vary within Islam as to whether it's even a bad thing there is another point actually we have to make clear of and that is in this country there is free media people speak up their mind you see more reports about crimes than about decencies you hear more more reports about what have raped then how many prevented rapes you hear more about evil than about goodness there is a spiritual battle there that the realm of media do not exist in the most of Islamic world you have to understand also do they know their government is tyrannical yes they do do they know it as in details as we do know they are not and also you have to understand endurance and patience is part one major part and Islamic personality that you have to endure patiently because God this what's going on is part of God's overall plans ministry but absolutely ok let's take our next call are Stacy from Ohio hello Stacy what's your question for us hi um I have a well at work there are a couple of Muslim workers or employees there and I've been hesitant to approach them for fear of offending them I really want to be friends with them and I was wondering if you could offer me any advice about a like an acceptable way to approach them Thank You Stacy freak question we have to we have to understand conversion is administered as father always says we are in sales department God in administration as management department a conversion is a management issue that's up to God right but you have to be playfully prayerfully seeking the ways and the means for God and the Holy Spirit to guide you to the appropriate means and methods to approach your colleagues having said that do they like you are ashamed or I'm not saying ashamed or hesitant because you do not want to lose their friendship are they likewise and also we have to understand the other part of the matter in the process of being hesitant to evangelize actually I am directly declining Christ because the scripture clearly says whomsoever deny me before men him will I also deny before my father in heaven whomsoever confesses me before men him will I also confessed before my father in heaven now that does not mean being disrespectful to people that's not part of Christianity theorem period but be firm with respect and earn the right to be heard with love absolutely you build relationships yeah I think it's very important to try to understand what their perspectives are and try to talk to them about what they think of Christianity ask them talk to them without ever being afraid in no way should you just back down like Daniel mentioned is really a story when the man said I'm very sorry he knows so much about Islam and you are not a Muslim and he's responded back I'm sorry do you know so much about Islam and you were not a Christian now you meet them eyeball to eyeball with still liking them and respecting their perspective but willingness to engage and again this is the other thing we're trying to do is give the people of this country concrete tools on how to understand the Muslim perspective the issues in the Quran and how you can respond to each one so know something about the Quran first as well as your Bible yeah I think we have an email here which we run with this and and then this comes from Ron do the Muslims have something like a counterpart to the mass in other words this some kind of ritual because we do see images of Islamic ritual we watch television well the question says call narpath account counterpart on mass so then the question lays the promises as though there is like mass going on in Islam that does not exist ritual these are different as the church is a holy place for us the mask is a holy place for them we have different way of performing our faith and exercising the and regulating the way we communicate and worship to God they have different ways of communicating which ones are different no theological commonality in between you know when I think of Jesus we were going to asked a question earlier about the difference in understanding Jesus between Islam and Christianity and he started to talk about that and I was also thinking maybe as a final thought here understanding Christ in your journey you've come from one category of seeing him a certain way and now you understanding in a different way and I'm wondering if you were talking to a Muslim who might be watching or of Stacey who has a friend who's Muslim tell them now how you understand Jesus in relationship to how you understood him to form in Islam Jesus Christ is a prophet that's clear-cut everybody almost unanimously humanity everybody knows that that Islamic belief but that is not the only thing attached to Jesus the preparation attached to the birth of Jesus is never shared not even by Muhammad's birth the qualities the nature of the mission with which Jesus came about is not shared by Muhammad the importance given to Jesus Christ not just to his person the echoing Matthew I think 1619 who do people say the Son of Man is that's a question of identity not of nature in Islam the dispute is about not just the nature but also the identity but nevertheless and Islam there is enough information it leads you to believe this Jesus Christ had something far more important and prominent than Muhammad you need to read those get in touch with us and we'll be glad to give you the material helps you to understand and share better that Jesus Christ Jesus Christ with the Muslim brothers and sisters Danu thank you so much for joining us and journalist father man ask you to give us a blessing for and sure nobody god bless you and keep you they cause his face to shine upon you may direct you in all your ways by his peace I bless you name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit one God forever and mmm thank you both for joining us and again there be information you'll see on the screen about this project Christianity in Islam from Ignatius Productions yeah and you should find an email address if you go to father Mitch Pacwa org father Mitch Pacwa one word dot org right there well-known in father Mitch Bobby is it if our father spelled out ok father Mitch Pacwa org if you missed that you go to the coming home network.org CH network.org site get information but thank you for joining us in the journey home hope this has been informative to you and give you especially something to pray about for the Islam's and for those of us that work with Islam that we might be ministers and witnesses to them through our words and through our lives god bless see you again you

Channel: EWTN

Views: 18,614

Rating: 4.7902622 out of 5

Keywords: Catholic, EWTN, Christian, television

Id: Uo5HWS0H2Gs

Length: 56min 1sec (3361 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 17 2014