Author: Jay Smith
Company: BICWM

ISLAM/DA’WA IN THE U.K.

[A] ISLAM IN THE U.K.
(1) An open door:
	-Pendulum is swinging with increasing  evidence  that  Islam's  time  may  have  come. 
-	Effective approach to Muslims has already been done by Christian missionaries.
-	Apologetical material already exists in abundance, and is being made available.
-	Historical Criticism on both the authority of  Muhammad and the Qur'an is available.
-Disillusionment: Educated Muslims are losing their faith due to reading this material.
-	Muslims worldwide being converted to Christ through supernatural dreams and visions.
-	Access to Muslims is better than ever before: satellite, Internet, literature, radio
-	and (most importantly) through ethnic minorities living and studying in the West.
-	Muslims have come to us; they are living in our country and speak our language! 
	It is clear that the harvest fields are ready but the labourers are few(Matt. 9:37-38). There is an urgent need to raise up and train British students and graduates to take on the challenge.
(2) The Rise of Islam in the U.K.
-	World-wide: 1.2 billion; yet Indonesia + Pakistan + India + Bangla-Desh = +500 million, more than half the Muslim world, thus our tactics and strategies need to reflect this.
	-U.K., today between 1.4 (Christian sources) - 2 million (Muslim sources) Muslims.  This is more than the communicant members of the Church of England.
	-2.7% of the total world Muslim population in the UK; percentage-wise more than the U.S. and Canada combined, 70% of whom are from the Indian sub-continent (Pakistan = 357,000; E. Africa = 99,000; India = 700,000; Bangla Desh = 200,000).
-	Of the five largest language groups, 4 are from Indian subcontinent:
	1) Pakistani: Urdu = 40%; poor farmers from S. Kashmir
	2) Punjabi = 18% farmers NE Punjab
	2) Gujerati = 16% well educated, trading and professional families.
	3) Arabic = 11%, mostly rich, live in central London
	4) Bengali = 11%, from Bangla-Desh, from Sylhet = NE, and Chittagong, poor.
-	With strong family support, & emphasis in education, the majority are becoming affluent.
-	Most Muslims are young (between 25-44 years), 50% now born in U.K., with 4% birthrate, the highest in U.K., and twice the national average of 1.8%!
(3) Islamic Structures:
	  (A)-Mosques = 1,200   
Center of the Muslim community life.  Where Imams (or Maulvi Sahib) keep a tight control on communities, & regulate social behavior, using the Qur'an as authority.  High attendance during friday afternoon prayers, and for Islamic festivals (particularly during the month of Rammadan).
	  (B)-Qur'anic schools = 5,000 
Qur'anic schools, and 20 regular schools, now recognized but not funded by British govt. (Kilburn Muslim school in Brent is the largest).  The emphasis is on Islamic teachings, & focus on studying the world from a Muslim context.  If schools are funded by the govt. they must allow non-Muslims.  As a result Muslim administrators view them as potential converts to Islam.
	  (C)-Political structures:
"Christianity, which allows pluralism within culture has forced Christian nations to be tolerant.  Ironically, Muslims are benefitting from that tolerance; one which would never be reciprocal to Christians in their countries of origin."
	  -3 groups which are trying to mediate between the Islamic community and the government:
	       	a) The Union of Muslim Organizations of UK (UMO), representing 180 groups.  Not effective, as it doesn't address local issues.
	    	b) The Council of Imams and Mosques, speaks for the majority (headed up by Zaki Badawi from the Muslim college in Ealing), formally backed by Libya.
	    	c) The Council of British Muslims, speaks for fundamentalists (the former Dr. Kalim Siddiqui from the Muslim Institute, who is backed by Iran).
-	In September 1989 The Islamic Party of Britain was launched as an alternative to the Labor and Tory parties-to push Muslim demands.

	-In December 1991 The Muslim Parliament was founded, to contest the British parliament, demanding that anything concerning Muslims must first come through their jurisdiction.
	Their Agenda: (by: UK Action Committee on Islamic Affairs [UKACIA], from: Q-News, April 1997)
	1) Politics: As the 2nd largest religion in the UK they want
-		representation in both the Lower and Upper houses.
-		to expand racial discrimination to include religious discrimination as an offense.
-		protection from vilification, group defamation, and incitement to religious hatred.
-		to prohibit anti-Muslim stereotyping by the press, and prohibit ‘Islamophobia’.
	       (Runnymede Trust agenda: -5 Muslims out of 15 on the commission- Q-News Apr.1997)
		1-Muslim cultures are seen as monolithic and unchanging
		2-Muslim cultures are wholly alien (negative stereotypes abound: misogynous and fundamentalists)
		3-Islam is implacably threatening (“primitive enemy”, “fanatical Muslims winning wars” etc...)
		4-Islam is an excuse for political or military advantage (opportunists using religion to further pol. goals)
		5-Muslim critiques of other cultures are rejected out-of-hand (against liberalism, modernity, secularism)
		6-fear of Islam is mixed with racist antipathy to immigration 
		7-Islamophobia is assumed to be natural and unproblematic.
-		prohibit orientalist views on Bosnia, Cyprus, Palestine, Kashmir, Sudan & Algeria.
-		to increase goodwill towards Muslim countries in its foreign policies.
	2) Education: With children in the 5-9 age group twice national average, they want 
-		state-funding for Islamic schools.
-		separate worship services, led by Muslim clerics in state schools.
-		halal food, separate sex classes,  and separate swimming for girls.
	3) Social:
-		Illegalize the National Lottery.
-		Illegalize the collecting and storing of embryos, euthanasia, and abortion.
-		allow mosques to help provide community health care, funded by the state.
-		provide male circumcision on demand.
-		provide halal food, and separate sex wards in hospitals.
-		Repair Socio-economic deprivation among the young:
-		40% unemployment Paks. & Bangla. (4 times white ave.) (1991 Census, Fig. 4,p.17)
-		Youth unemployment =31%-50% in urban areas (Q-News, Oct.20-26, 1995)
-		Overwhelming concentrated in poor housing (Ibid, p.144)
-		Their schools lag behind most others in league tables (Q-News,Dec.1-14,1995)
	  (D)-Evangelistic structures:  
	New institutions for Evangelism (Da'wah) mostly under the "Jamaat-i-Islami" Movement:
a) Association for Preaching Islam (Jamiyat tabligh ul Islam, founded by Pir Syed Maroof Hussain Shah).  Has 11 properties in Bradford.
b) Ahl-i-Hadith, in Birmingham, distribute literature, audio-video tapes with sermons by Deedat, anti-Christian & anti-British  (IPCI material)
c) UK Islamic Mission (Madinat ul'ulum), a Bradford fundamentalist mission.  Provides Qur'anic school facilities for hundreds of children.
d) Faith Movement (Tahrik-i-iman), undertakes preaching tours; their largest mosque in Dewsbury accommodates 700 people and 300 students.
e) Islamic Foundation based in Leicester, produces and publishes Da'wah literature of Deedat and Mawdudi, as well as Islamic economics.
	  (E) Sufi Groups (Tariqas): informal, with charismatic leadership.  Geared towards individual piety and devotion, thus not much impact within the Muslim community.  Have had a good deal of conversions from the English population., due to similarities with Christianity.
(4) How are Muslims organised on campus?
	Muslim students studying in British universities broadly fall into two groups: 
	1) Expatriates from the Middle East, Indonesia and Malaysia (~45,000)
	2) Indian 'Brits' second and third generation from the Indian subcontinent. 
-	90  Muslim  student groups  affiliated  to  FOSIS  (the  UK  Federation  of  Student  Islamic  Societies), 
	FOSIS : established in 1962 to a) establish and support Islamic societies, b) promote da'wah (mission) on campus c) protect the interests of Islam and Muslims, by means of conferences, training courses and literature.
	Hizb ul Tahrir (HUT) targets young Muslims with extremist message. It aims to establish the Khilafah worldwide and has been banned from university campuses by the National Union of Students (NUS).To avoid detection HUT uses a variety of names (eg 1924 Committee, Current Affairs Society, Khilafah Movement).
	Al Muhajiroun broke away from HUT in 1996, with view that Khilafa must be universal, with Omar Bakri Mohammed and is supportive of known militant groups like Hamas and Hizbollah and Ossama Ibn Laden. Like HUT it uses a range of names and has been targeting key campuses; especially Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, University College London, London School of Economics (LSE) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
(5) How do Muslims operate on campus?
-Islamic activity on campus is increasingly well contextualised to the British scene.
	[a]-Five main areas of Activity:
	1. Talks and Debates (For Muslim Students).  Usually on issues that are social (unemployment, economics), moral (Western corruption, the family, women), political (Bosnia, Israel) or theological (scriptures, Jesus, science).
	2. Proselytising Meetings (For all-comers).  Addresses by (Western) Muslim converts, debates with other groups, open meetings on topics similar to those mentioned above.
	3. Islamic Awareness Weeks.  Modelled on CU strategy with bookstalls and literature distribution and proselytising meetings
	4. Literature.  Tracts & books specifically polemical, attacking Christianity, and the Bible.
	5. Training Days (For Muslim students). Islamic Students are taken on weekends to learn how to dialogue with Christians through books, videos, tapes and training conferences.
[b]-3 Primary Agendas: (Using lectures, book tables, debates etc...)
	1) Decline of the West (using media statistics)
	2) Christianity is at fault (due to 7% attendance, and corrupt scriptures)
	3) Islam is the answer: answers for every area (i.e. social, economic, political):
	  -Cultural mandate (Muhammad Abduh, Khurram Murad, Abd al-Mawdudi)
	  -Scientific Exegesis (Maurice Bucaille, Dr. Jamal Badawi)
	  -Pagan Sources of the Bible (Abdul Rahman Green)
	  -Polemics: the trinity & Sonship of Jesus, authority of scripture (Shabir Ali)
	Islam on the campuses is becoming increasingly polemical, and therefore we need to be prepared to understand and answer these agendas if we want to be effective witnesses.
(6) How should we approach Muslims on Campus?
-Use the similarities to build BRIDGES as a prelude to preaching the Gospel in the context of DIALOGUE.
-Muslims love passionate debate and it is surprisingly easy to get into deep discussion with them..
The following strategies work well on campus and can be used by churches and students alike:
1. 'Friendship' Evangelism: go to where they feel comfortable (home, mosque, sit next to them)
2. Islamic Society Meetings: attending them to ask questions, and get close to Muslim students.
3. Studies: One-to-one/group studies of the Qur'an and Bible (usually weekly with chosen topic). 
4. Muslim-friendly Meetings (Evangelistic): on such topics:  'Do all roads lead to heaven' or 'Was Jesus a Muslim?'
5. Internet evangelism, using the web-board at http://debate.org.uk or Islamic chat sites (see last section).
6. Street evangelism (Hyde Park speakers' corner is excellent training, though intimidating)
7. Book Tables, putting up tables at busy areas on Campus, as a basis to get in discussions.
8. Summer evangelism or awareness trips to Muslim countries. 
9. Debates using 'Is the Bible or Qur'an the Word of God?' (600 students attended a recent debate in Leicester)

[B]	WHY ARE WE DOING SO POORLY?
(1) Lack of interest:
	Only 5%-9% of the population of Britain attends church, thus 91% of the population is unchurched.  In London, only 5-8% go to church, the majority of whom are West Indian, and so culturally distant and misunderstood by the majority of Asian Muslims.  In the absence of a viable Christian witness, Muslims are able to propagate their beliefs within the urban centres with little opposition.  Today the UK has only 8,500 missionaries worldwide (26% of whom are short-term).  Thus, since 1910, British missionaries have dropped by 31%, and are supported by only a fraction of the population!
	Worldwide, at any given time there is approximately 138,500 Protestant missionaries:
	38,000  Asia (7.3% of pop.= Christians, 1 missionary/ 172,000 people)
	27,000  Africa (48.1% of pop.= Christians, 1 missionary/ 27,000 people)
	18,000  Latin America (90.9% pop.= Christians, 1 missionary/ 28,200 people)
	13,000  Europe (77.2% pop.= Christians, 1 missionary/ 52,400 people)
	7,000  Pacific (66.8% pop.= Christians, 1 missionary/ 6,700 people) 
	2,210  Middle East (4.6% pop.= Christians, 1 missionary/ 150,000 people)
	1,700 Muslim World (less than 1% pop.= Christians, 1 missionary/ 500,000 people)
	Muslim world as a whole: of the 138,500 Protestant missionaries worldwide only about 1,700, or less then 2%, work among Muslims.  That gives us ONE MISSIONARY FOR EVERY 550,000 MUSLIMS!!
	(i.e. Pence coins = Muslims from here English Channel, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Vladivostok Peninsula, Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka Peninsula, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and finally Anchorage, 9,671 miles away; vs. 1 pence/missionaries = back of the room)
-	North America (U.S.A. and Canada), with nearly 300 million people, missionaries or pastors permitted to work there would be only 150, squeezed into a paltry 8 churches!  
	Yet, in U.S., with 7% of the world's population:
		96% of all Christian money spent there
	94% of all full-time Christian personnel remain and work within its borders!
-	One of 600 Christian full-time workers works cross-culturally.
-more missionaries in Alaska, one of our least populated states, than in the Muslim world.
	-Africa in 1975 = 53% Muslim; 16,000 career missionaries, only 250 among Muslims!
-	Kenya has 5,000 missionaries, 3 times the number that work in the Muslim world.
		(i.e.=10 new missions in Kenya in 10 years; none went to work with the Muslims)
(2) Lack of results:	
	These are due to a number of reasons:
	  a) not enough workers, thus not enough time and energy spent on tackling Islam.
	  b) a general growing confidence of Islam worldwide, since the overthrow of the Shah in Iran in 1979.
	  c) the perception that Muslims care for each other, particularly within the family, and have little problem with racism (Nation of Islam carries the ‘high moral ground’).
	  d) the attraction for Islam's moral discipline.
	  e) the simple logic of its theology helps to disseminate it easier.
	  f) the weakness of recognized (Anglican) Christianity in Britain.
	  g) the lack of relationships between Muslims and Christians.
	  h) the theological confusion by Christians: evangelism is the domain of the clergy alone (for example: of the 6 groups referred to us for information, only one is actively working full-time with Muslims in the UK).
(3) Persecution of Apostates:
	Those who fall away from Islam (apostasy) or wish to convert to Christianity.
-	usually persecution lasts 1-3 years.(Refer to paper: Free to Choose by Patrick Sookdeo)
(4) Blasphemy Laws:
	-The push to have the government broaden the Blasphemy laws to also include Islam
-	Muslims want the blasphemy laws to be widened to include material offensive to Islam (thus no criticism will be permitted of Islam, Muhammad, or the Qur'an on TV, in the schools, or in public).  Example: Salman Rushdie and his Satanic Verses, Taslima Nasreen in Bangla-Desh.
	  -Muslims want law on ethnic discrimination to be enlarged to religious discrimination.
(5) Mistrust of Christianity: 
	(Making it difficult to create relationships)
	A strong distrust by Muslims of anything which is ‘Christian’.
	They believe that Christians pervert historical data as they did their scriptures, with a bias against Islam.  There is the perception that the west, and thus Christianity, has an agenda to eradicate the Muslim countries in the world.  Thus new events are interpreted by this perception.
	-Gulf War is perceived as a Muslim/Christian conflict (with theological contradictions).
	-Bosnia Conflict is widely considered to be a Christian atrocity, with consequently little concern witnessed by the West.  "Why did the west send troops so quickly to Kuwait and Somalia, and yet stand by and watch the rape and murder of hundreds of Muslims in Bosnia, prohibiting Muslim nations to send in arms for the defence of the Bosnians?  This sparks clearly of a double-standard."
	-Chechnia conflict  is perceived as a Muslim/Christian conflict as well.
-	Kosovo conflict follows the same patterns as Bosnia and Chechnia
-	Sudan and Afghanistan bombings are perceived as a ‘double-standard’.  Which is truly the terrorist state, and were the bombings used as a diversion from Clinton’s personal troubles?  Why does the Western Press not critique the evidence of the U.S. state department?
(6) Mistrust of Western Education:	(due to a bias against Islam = conspiracy)
 	Muslims have not been able to adapt to a multi-cultural environment, because historically Islam has always dominated others.  Thus Muslims distrust western education, as they feel it is responsible for taking their children away.  They demand an alternative educational system.
-	They demand that Muslim schoolgirls wear more conservative clothing, that Halal meat be available at school meals, that Muslim holidays be celebrated, that Muslim boys and girls be separated during instruction, that they not be forced to learn swimming, and that Muslim children be absent from school assemblies.  
-	They demand specific Islamic instruction for their children, by an Imam (Muslim religious leader), and contend that "the acquisition of modern knowledge be limited to the practical technological sphere, since at the level of pure thought Muslims do not need Western intellectual products, as these may create doubts and disruptions in the Muslim mind, for which there are already answers to ultimate questions of world view."

(C)	WHERE TO FROM HERE? (Possible Solutions)			
1) Pray: This is a spiritual battle as well, thus we need to be equipped to face it.
2) Break down the barriers which exist between the Muslims and Christians and bridge with them where possible.  This can be done by:
		a) Incarnational Life-style: Move into Muslim areas, and open ourselves up to the Muslim community.  Be careful to:
1. Respect cultural sensitivities with respect to alcohol, pork and ‘halal’ food.
2. Handle the Qur'an (and the Bible!) with real respect in a Muslim's presence.
3. Be aware of ritual observances (especially prayer, fasting at Ramadan and hand-washing etc)
4. Be discrete in cross-gender relations (touching, dressing, witnessing etc).  Refrain from eating pork or drinking liquor in their presence.  Let our children go to their schools.  These will open doors for us.
		b) Train: Go to schools, (i.e. SOAS or Ealing), learn about Islam, from their perspective, make contacts with Muslim students, obtain credibility, and gain access.
-		Learn Arabic, and brush up on Urdu, Bengali, or Hindi, to not only communicate, but be able to refer to the Qur'an directly during discussions.  This helps to show them that we care, as we take the time and energy to understand them at their deepest level of communication.
		c) Participate: Attend their meetings on campus, to find out what they think, hear their agenda, so that we can talk to them more intelligently, and better communicate the gospel within a context that they know.
-		In witnessing it is wise not to initially attack Muhammad or the Qur'an directly (although in time this will be necessary at least by implication).  We should also resist the temptation to 'be nice', as Europeans interpret it (Jesus wasn't!). When we are afraid to show passion or emotion in defending what we believe Muslims may interpret it as lack of conviction!
		d) Build Bridges:  Most fundamentally we need to know why we believe in the divinity of Christ and the resurrection and be able back it up biblically.  To do that we need to: 
1) establishing common ground first; by asking  questions and listening to the answers.
	2) pray with Muslims (that God will reveal the truth) & constantly in prayer ourselves.
	3) read the Bible together (Genesis, Proverbs, Luke); if need be read the Qur'an in return.
	4) Verbal testimony of  answered prayer or of 'power encounter' with God.
	5) support converts; spiritually, physically, materially and emotionally.(1 Thes 2:8). 
  		e) Help the Muslims with legal assistance, conveying information, tutoring in English, correspondence courses, assist in finding jobs, and relief for the poor (showing the love of Christ in practical ways).  Certain Muslim groups tend to have high unemployment rates, particularly among the first and second generation immigrants.  The 1991 census shows that for Pakistanis the rate was 28.8%, for Bangladeshis it was 31.7%, compared with 8.8% for whites.
		f) 'Be all things to all men'  Although the Gospel never changes our context does. Muslims are not a homogeneous group so our approach must not be stereotyped.
-	Nominal: like the woman of Samaria, worshipping God 'not in spirit or in truth' (Jn 4)
-	Orthodox: Others are highly moral like the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-30)
-	Fundamentalists: While some are hypocrites like the pharisees (Mark 7:1-23) 
-	Seekers: There are genuine searchers like Cornelius (Acts 10)
-	Talibes: The majority are lost like the people in the crowd (Mark 9:36). 
	Jesus responded to each differently and so should we.  Never ‘Either/Or’ but ‘Both/And’.  This may be challenging; often it is we who are the barrier to Muslims hearing the Gospel. We may need to change first.
3) Dialogue and Proclamation (again, not “either/or” but “both/and”)
  	It is not good enough to simply depend on “lifestyle evangelism,” as many of them do it better then us.  We need to tell people the good news (like Jesus and Paul).  “And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14).
	Through the contacts made at school and in the community (literature distribution, Leicester Square, Speakers corner etc...), get into mosques, Qur'anic schools, and Islamic centres, or Muslim student meetings to set up dialogues and discussions.
	The Islamic studies will give a good background, as well as credibility, and hopefully, the trust needed for this type of ministry.  From these contacts, try to set up times of Bible Study in the Muslims home, or in a neutral area.
	Since 50% of Muslims are now born within Britain, the trend towards the indigenisation of Islam in Britain will grow, which means that potentially Islam can and will be penetrated by traditional British cultural values (i.e. Judeo-Christian values, as well as modernizing Western Humanistic values) to which Islam has no response.  
	Two misconceptions:
	a) Be nice.  Instead be firm and resolute. (incarnational presentation)
	b) Don’t attack the “book” or the “man” (whose agenda do we use?)
		What do the scriptures say?:
		Matt. 23:13-33 “hypocrites, blind guides (blind fools, blind men), white-washed tombs,
			snakes, brood of vipers”
		Acts 17 Paul in Athens, at the Areopagus
		Acts 19 Paul in Ephesus, 3 months in the Synagogue, then 2 years, discussing daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
	Need to be ‘Passionate, Confidant, and Forthright’
4) Bring Muslim contacts or converts into an existing churches.
	-From these contacts, try to set up times of Bible Study in the home, or in a neutral area.
-	Ultimately, with those who are regularly in Bible studies, it is hopeful that one could set up a worship service, in the home, or with another church.  This meeting can be the foundation for a church made up of Muslim converts, and other stronger and more mature Christians, who can give it body, while helping the new converts to be discipled.  Experience from some of the Arab-convert churches in London has shown us that it is advisable to bring new converts to Christ to an existing church; one which already has international people who worship there.  By doing this the Muslim can be integrated into an existing body of believers, who would have the maturity and understanding to cope with the unique problems which Muslim converts face.
5) Get on the Internet:
	200 Muslim web-sites versus only 6 Christian web-sites.
-		http://debate.org.uk
-	http:// http://answering-islam.org/
-	http://www.familyville.com/earth/edmonton/godsson
	Newsgroup: MCD on the Debate site; & soc.religion.islam or alt.religion.islam
6) Future Missionary Service:
	-Summer cross-cultural programs.
-	Medical Internship overseas (medical electives: see Sandra or Peter at CMF).
-	Short-Term volunteer assignments.
-Long-Term Career assignments (O.M., AWM, FRONTIERS, WEC, INTERSERVE, YWAM, and many others).