In September, the Muslim Council of Britain are organising a nationwide Visit My Mosque (VMM) programme. https://vmm.mcb.org.uk/ This is a good opportunity to organise a party from your church to visit a local mosque. The dates are Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September. Each participating mosque will decide when they will offer open times. They may not take both days and the programme might not be known until close to the time. The MCB lists participating mosques, but bear in mind that the final date for a mosque to register is 11th September so the list is not complete until after that date.[1]
Why is this a good opportunity? Mosque leaders are actively inviting the general public in. They will be standing ready to give a guided tour, make a brief presentation and to take questions. This is a great a chance to establish new contacts and to begin friendships. We may feel that the presentations are a bit sanitised, avoiding the hard issues, but that is to be expected. We shouldn’t go armed with our favourite hostile questions with the intention of putting someone on the spot in front of an unsympathetic audience. That is not a good way for a guest to behave. To proceed in such a way would be to reject the command of Jesus in Matthew 7:12. Instead, chat with whoever is made available with a view to befriending and exchanging contact details. How many British Muslims have a genuine believing Christian friend? And wouldn’t it be great if every Muslim leader had a Christian friend?
I have been to several of these events. In my experience, a fair number of those who attend are local officials and members of the emergency services who are there on a public relations exercise. MPs and councillors may also be there for photo opportunities. The Muslim hosts know that. If we as believers show a genuine interest in them, they will see the difference. There may also be visitors with their own agenda and hostile questions of their own, perhaps about gender perhaps about politics or human rights. My recommendation is that if Christians are visiting with the intention of building relationships, that we do not ‘take the bait.’ There is no harm in showing that you are relatively well informed. The time to take up more difficult issues will be when some trust has been established. At that point, more meaningful conversations can take place.[2]
What should we expect on such a visit? The MCB site offers helpful guidance for both hosts and guests. In my experience, we can expect a tour of the building and a presentation about Islam. The people who choose to host these events are as a general rule anxious to make a good impression. They are mainly motivated by the need of their community to be accepted by the general public. We are unlikely to be met with aggressive preaching or debate. They will probably expect us to observe a prayer time. We can watch quietly from the back and pray silently for the worshipers in front of us. Finally there will almost certainly be refreshments served, if not a meal. The trick is not to get stuck among the reluctant civic guests but to make sure we eat with our hosts and engage with them.
Should women expect to be welcome? Yes. The mosques which participate in these open events will be from those who are used to accommodating women. It is quite likely that Muslim women will be involved in presenting the programme. (Mahabba also has advice about female-only mosque visits, click here.)
Perhaps the biggest challenge for many of us is persuading fellow Christians that this is a good thing to do. Some will feel uneasy about visiting a non-Christian place of worship, but remember ‘the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’ (Psalm 24:1). What sense does it make to declare some locations off limits to God’s people? No, we go in as people of Christ, knowing that he is with us and that he is at work in unexpected places. Perhaps you can meet at the church first to pray and address questions before going together into the mosque.
I have sometimes been asked the question “What should we do if the Muslims want to visit our church?” Interesting, isn’t it, that we are often quite active in trying to get guests into our churches but we are daunted by the idea of a party of Muslims turning up? But why not respond with a “Visit Our Church” day specifically addressed to Muslim people. In the present climate of suspicion and fear towards Muslims, most would be delighted that someone would think of organising such a thing.[3] We could follow the same kind of format they use. It could involve a brief explanation of our faith, short testimonies, a Q&A session and hospitality. Be sure to choose a time which does not clash with their published prayer times. And if you get an appetite for visiting mosques, more advice is available.[4]
[1] If your local mosque does not seem to be participating, you could access their website, find the contact details and inform them that you would like to bring a group to visit. They may well lay something on for you.
[2] See for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQuClaNyqcE&list=PLF02he-PhwpoZMx8z72Pu-4NCiUk_hJsO&index=4&t=19s
[3] https://www.mahabbanetwork.com/resource/inviting-muslims-to-church
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SDd2apKUjA&list=PLF02he-PhwpoZMx8z72Pu-4NCiUk_hJsO&index=7&t=5s