Christian book about Islam and Muslims?

[onecalled]

Hello, I usually post on bible chat but I have a question? I want to learn more about Muslims and Islam. This is because it seems to be gaining a lot of followers. Where I work there may even be a Muslim but I don't know nothing about the Koran and Islam. What is a good Christian based view book about Muslims, Islam, and the Koran. I have to tell you that I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder so my reading level is not great. Could some please suggest a book that is easy to understand and read but still goes in depth about the culture. Thank You, and you can post more than one book; please list the name of the book and the author or just one if that is all you know.

[amazzin]

Here's a few in my collection:

http://www.amazon.com/Nomad-America-...SIN=1439157316

http://www.christianbook.com/between...7465?p=1006323

http://www.christianbook.com/crescen...1950?p=1006327

http://www.christianbook.com/muslims...5675?p=1006327

http://www.christianbook.com/glad-ne...391X?p=1006327

[Athanasius]

I'll second Kreeft's Between Allah and Jesus. It's an offshoot dialogue from Kreefts novel, An Ocean Full of Angels, so it isn't extremely informative, but it'll get you thinking (there are a few weird Catholic ideas present).

[gringo300]

It often isn't emphasized remotely near enough that there are different sects of Islam.

To study Islam, it would help to do research on Koran Alone Islam.

[decrumpit]

Amazzin has suggested the best as far as books go.

I recommend them 100%, having done some mission work with Muslims, I suggest you get a general idea of Islam but really know the Bible well so you can share it.

[David Taylor]

You can pickup a Koran in paperback at any bookstore for around $5-6 bucks.

It is a very small read; nothing like the Bible, much, much smaller.

For comparison, the Koran has only 114 total chapters (the Bible has nearly 1,200); and the Koran has roughly 150,000 words (the Bible has nearly a million).

In fact, the Koran is smaller than the first 5 books of the Bible (Gen, Exo, Lev, Numb, & Deut)...or from a New Testament pespective, about the same size as the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation.

I would suggest you getting one, sitting down when you have a day or two of free time, and read it, and highlight and take notes of things you come across that jump out as being in conflict and contradiction with Christianity.

Doing it this way, gives you direct feedback, without any positive or negative "spin" put on it by a secondary author. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you as you read it, to show you the differences, and to bring the parts to you that are important. It is a very negative book, so it is a difficult read in that aspect...it makes you feel sad and disappointed that so many people place their allegience in it's writings. It shows a god that is very hateful and vindictive. Love, mercy, peace, and hope are rarely found within it...mostly rather, condemnation and subgegation.

[gringo300]

The way I look at it, it's very important to studying the differences in doctrine between Sunni Islam and Shia Islam.

[The Mighty Sword]

I'll second Kreeft's Between Allah and Jesus. It's an offshoot dialogue from Kreefts novel, An Ocean Full of Angels, so it isn't extremely informative, but it'll get you thinking (there are a few weird Catholic ideas present).

weird ??? Catholic ??? in the same sentence??? Blasphemy......................

[gringo300]

weird ??? Catholic ??? in the same sentence??? Blasphemy......................

I know some people who would undoubtably call Einstein's theories of relativity "weird".

Maybe, what was meant was UNBIBLICAL Catholic ideas?

[David Taylor]

The foundational core of Islam is this.

"There is no God but Allah, and Muhommad is his prophet"

Islam is framed by three writings. The Koran, the Haddith(teachings of Muhammed), and the Sirat(the biography of the life of Muhammed).

Religion compromises about 14% of the writings. Therefore Islam fundamentally isn't a religion, but a political system framed to accomplish the teachings of the aforementioned books.

70% of those books discuss how Muslims are to deal with the Kafir. (non-Muslims). So most of Islamic teachings, focus on interaction with non-Muslims and what Muhammed taught concerning how that should be.

That pretty much boils down to this....All Kafirs (and by extension) all non-Muslims should eventually submit (Islam = one who submits) to Islam.

Muhammed's writing does not allow for non-Muslims to be 'left alone', or for other non-Muslim religions or political systems to exist in peace and in cohabitation along with and beside Muhammad.

For you sci-fi geeks out there, Islam's teachings closely resemble the same ideology that the Borg manifest in the Star Trek universe. All will be assimilated, resistence is futile.

Muhammed in his writings strongly also condemned Muslims who do not participate in Jihad, and do not take active roles in advancing Islam over the non-Islamic cultures.

If you wonder truly whether the intent of Islam is to co-exist in peace with non-muslim neighbors, or to rather to overtake and extinguish all others, consider this.

At one time, all of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and North Africa was primarily Christian towns, with primarily Christian peoples. Afghanistan and Pakistan were once nearly all Bhuddists. As Islam grew out of Medina, and grow further west and north via Jihad against the Kafirs(non-Muslims), it's reign exstinguished nearly all Christianity and other beliefs and cultures from those once non-Islamic coutries.

I would advise anyone to read the Koran, the Sirat, and the Haddiths; and see what Islam teachings the followers of the prophet Muhammed on how they are to deal with, and interact with the Kafirs (non-Muslims).

That's the only way people are going to become educated on Islam, and what it's intent is, and what it's goals are. TV News and Washington soundbits don't portray and truth or reality in regards to Islam, any moreso than they accurately portray real Christianity and the Bible.

[David Taylor]

Another thing that might be interesting to some.

Why does Islam hold so much vehement hatred for the Jews?

As some of you might not be aware, the Koran is comprised of two subset Korans. The original Meccan Koran related to when Muhammed originated and first lived in Mecca, and the later Madina Koran, after the Meccans threw him out, and he moved to Medina, and began to take up the violent and Jihadist approach of his system.

There is only one verse in the original Meccan Koran that spoke anyway unpositive towards the Jews, but much of which was accepting and nonconfrontational.

The Medinan Koran however, is where the hatred began to be shown.

There was an episode in Medina, where Muhammed was claiming to be the prophet of God, and some Jews called him on it, and pretty much said that what he was saying conflicted with God's word, and showed that he wasn't a true prophet of God. Muhammed flew off in a rage, called the Jews every name in the book for objecting to his ideology and authority, and had 800 jews beheaded as a show of force and retaliation for their not accepting him as a prophet. From that time forward, Islam and the writings of Muhammad and their political system has always revered a deep hatred for Jewish Kafirs, because they outwardly rejected Muhammad as a true prophet of God.

My question to the reader is, do you reject Muhammad as a true prophet of God?

Are you a non-believing Kafir?

Do you realize that saying yes to either of those statements, puts you at complete odds with the entire mandate of Islam and it's political system?

The Roman persecution of Christians in the first centuries A.D. pales in comparison of Islamic persection of Christians in Africa and the middle east. Coptics and other Christians have seen around 360 million deaths at the hands of Islam's growth over the last 1400 centuries.

It cannot itself stop it's growth, because that is against the teachings of Muhammed that espouses.

Educate yourselves. An ostrich head in the sand is not a prepared nor safe approach....rather, a shiny target for the scimitar's strike.

When Joseph saw the coming blight and pestilence coming, he prepared, stored up, reinforced, and got the people ready to withstand the onslaught.

Joseph remained faithful to the Lord, while still acknowledging the worldly situations around him and preparing for them.

There is no golden rule within the political system of Islam, and Islam is not a religion, and cannot exist solely as an independent religious system abiding and coinciding besides other religions....the political aspect of Islam of Muhammed's writings cannot allow it, and have never allowed it to be this way.

How will you prepare? Like Joseph, or like the man who built his house of straw on the sinking sand, knowing the storm was coming?

[Athanasius]

I know some people who would undoubtably call Einstein's theories of relativity "weird".

Maybe, what was meant was UNBIBLICAL Catholic ideas?

No, I meant weird.

[Luke34]

Yeah, you should really just read the Koran. Primary sources are always best. Better than message board posts, anyway.

I got a Koran for free from a book giveaway at a Catholic church, as it happens. I have yet to read it.

[decrumpit]

I got one for free at a Mosque, there are actually online services that will mail you one for free.

[gringo300]

I've tried reading the Koran. I just can't keep myself focused on it. I've yet to get further than a few pages straight.