Entertaining angels

Image: Samantha Sophia, Unsplash

Entertaining angels

I remember whilst travelling in Israel/Palestine many years back arriving in a town at night.

We were travelling by car, two of us, looking for somewhere to stay.

We asked a local for directions and ended up being invited to his home, where we were welcomed and given food and somewhere to sleep.

We also got to meet his family the next morning over breakfast.

This incident had a profound effect on me, as I was on the receiving end of what has been called the ‘kindness of strangers’.

This is something I, like many others, have experienced frequently as I travel.

This is also the chosen title of journalist Kate Adie's autobiography.

Maybe you can also think of incidents where you have been on the receiving end of hospitality...

In ‘Cool Britannia’ we can be somewhat slower in offering hospitality.

And it seems that, post-Brexit, incidents of Hate Crime are increasing, as reported in the Independent recently.

Xenophobia is on the rise in Britain (literally the fear of the stranger/foreigner).

The Bible encourages us to ‘practice hospitality’ thereby ‘entertaining angels unawares’ (Hebrews 13:2 ESV). An intriguing phrase…

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”

— Hebrews 13:2 ESV

The answer to xenophobia is to respond in the opposite spirit – ‘philoxenia’ which is the Biblical (Greek) term for generosity or hospitality.

It literally means love of strangers and foreigners.

Go on try it. Practice generosity or hospitality with a stranger.  And maybe just maybe you will encounter an ‘angel’...

Phil - an Anglican minister, who is also a Street Angel, and a part of Mahabba

My new passport

My New Passport

My new passport just arrived in the post. Time for a trip. Perhaps a long haul destination, maybe a sunny beach to top up my tan, I guess would even consider a cultural/historical tour. Probably not a cruise though!

I didn’t need the shiny new passport for the train ride to my friend’s house. After eating, a game of Monopoly, and a couple of hours in bed I was ready for the off by 5:30am. A few hours down the road and we joined another friend and continued together.

What destination was worthy of the new passport and early start? Here’s a clue… it’s a place that many of my friends have been through, somewhere that has often been in the media,  a well-known location although no one wants to stay. It’s a place that over 10,000 called home until a few months ago. Now a home to none, although police still patrol the area. 

Welcome to the Calais Jungle! Running next to the road we could see the fence that cost millions to build.

We visited a warehouse that sprung up in 2015 as a response to a Facebook appeal. From then on volunteers have provided clothing, sleeping bags, wood for cooking as well as meals for those in The Jungle.

Since the dismantling of The Jungle the size of their work has downscaled, but they are still helping those in a nearby camp of Dunkirk. The energy, enthusiasm and commitment of the volunteers was inspiring. They continue to grapple with difficult questions such as how to assist unaccompanied minors returning to the region yet not to be seen to be encouraging others to return.

Later we arrived at the site that was once home to 10,000. As soon as we alighted from the car a van full of police descended to ask if we were journalists.

Hardly anything remains at the site. Empty cardboard boxes, spent tear gas used to disperse residents, first aid points, and white shipping containers used to house the most vulnerable. where asylum seekers could be carried before being met by the emergency services who were afraid to enter.

It was strange to see some of the graffiti that I was so familiar with from the media. Other graffiti spoke of people’s desperation and challenged inactivity.

After surveying the ghostly site we met up with a local Catholic group who welcome asylum seekers.

One of the group whom had been making a documentary tracking different individuals progress, another was a long term volunteer who had spent many years cooking for hundreds of people. A couple of refugees acted as our interpreters as our school French was rather rusty.

A trip through the Channel Tunnel, Tube across London, train ride, and half an hour walk and I was home. Travelling with that new passport was easy. How much easier was my onward travel than many of those who have had prolonged stays in the Calais Jungle.

I’ll leave you with thought I read in a magazine last summer…

“It is our calling as Church to practise hospitality. Fear is the greatest enemy of hospitality.”

Key finds on Muslims and Islam from Pew Research Center

Image: José Martín, Unsplash

The Pew Research Center has been compiling a number of recent reports, answering key questions about Muslims.

• There were 1.6 billion Muslims in the world as of 2010 – roughly 23% of the global population
   
• Although many countries in the Middle East-North Africa region are heavily Muslim, the region is home to only about 20% of the world’s Muslims
   
• In 2015, there were 3.3 million Muslims of all ages in the U.S., or about 1% of the U.S. population
   
• Our Pew's demographic projections estimate that Muslims will make up 2.1% of the U.S. population by the year 2050
   
• The two major factors behind the rapid projected growth of Islam are:
   
  • Muslims have more children than members of other religious groups. Around the world, each Muslim woman has an average of 3.1 children, compared with 2.3 for all other groups combined
     
  • Muslims are the youngest (median age of 23 years old in 2010) of all major religious groups, seven years younger than the median age of non-Muslims. As a result, a larger share of Muslims already are, or will soon be, at the point in their lives when they begin having children
     
• Perceptions of Muslims varied across European nations:
   
  • Majorities in Hungary, Italy, Poland and Greece say they view Muslims unfavorably
     
  • Negative attitudes toward Muslims are much less common in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Northern and Western Europe
     
  • People who place themselves on the right side of the ideological scale are much more likely than those on the left to see Muslims negatively

The full report can be found on the Pew Research Center website.

Elliot's Weekly Roundup: statistics, something to pray about & is love in the air?

Image: Laura Ockel, Unsplash

In the media this week: statistics, something to pray about and is love in the air?

“Islam is the only religion growing faster than the world’s population and it will be the largest in the world by 2070, researchers have found.”

— telegraph.co.uk

The article also includes information about European attitudes towards Muslims. Reading this could be seen as overwhelming.  But let's make a choice not be overwhelmed by numbers and statics. Instead lets take the increasing opportunities that present themselves to share Jesus to those around us.  Even though the report states that attitudes to Muslims are not so negative in the UK there is still much room for us to model good relations and to help to shape attitudes positively.

“Majorities in Hungary, Italy, Poland,and Greece say they view Muslims unfavourably, while negative attitudes towards Muslims are much less common in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Northern and Western Europe.”

— telegraph.co.uk

Meanwhile a new project has been started by four newspapers in Europe documenting conditions experienced by refugees and asylum seekers.  It states that Britain is one of the worst destinations for people seeking asylum in Western Europe. The following video clip shows the desperate reality of asylum seekers- many of whom are Muslim.  The question that it left me thinking about is how can I respond as an individual/ as a family/as part of a church/ as a British citizen.  Come on let's help make this place more welcoming!

The UN is warning that thousands of Rohingya children are suffering as "indirect victims" of the crackdown against suspected militants in Burma. Let's continue to pray for a change in this situation.

There is going to be a new TV programme on Channel 4 starting on Thursday. The first programme follows young men and women as they attempt to find spouses with the help of family, dating sited and the mosque marriage bureau.  It is set in Birmingham where:

“...a baby boy is more likely to be called Mohammed than any other name...”

— bradfordzone.co.uk

The second programme deals with growing up as a young Muslim in the shadow of the news.  The third programme is about the rules of Islam and how they are interpreted.

In an insightful article, the creator of the show explained how the programme was made as a response to her daughter asking: "Mummy, what's a terrorist?"  She states the challenge of growing up as a Muslim in a post 9/11 world. " We grew up with Rosie and Jim, they are growing up with Jihadi John." 

“...we did want to put ourselves in a Muslim community and explore and record the day to day lives and experiences of ordinary Muslims in the UK. ”

 I think I'll watch it. Pray.  Then use the insight gained from the programme in my interactions with my Muslim friends. Why don't you do the same. Let me know how you get on!

News from Harrow - Prayer on the Streets

Image: Herry Lawford, Flickr

Thanks to the Mahabba Peterborough for passing on this story of God moving among Muslims in Harrow!

News from Harrow - Prayer on the Streets

By Clare Lambert, Stanmore Baptist Church

Taking the Gospel out onto the streets can be an uncomfortable prospect but, for eight years, a small team from our church in Harrow has been praying for healing and sharing the gospel with our neighbours.

“We set up Healing on the Streets out of a sense of urgency - if they would never come in, we needed to get out!”

We set up Healing on the Streets out of a sense of urgency as we realised that what we did in the building would not touch the majority of people walking past. If they would never come in, we needed to get out! It was the supernatural element of our faith that we were convicted to take onto the streets and Healing on the Streets, who pioneered this ministry, were able to provide the training that we needed.

Our method is simple. We meet outside Sainsbury’s, on the High Street, where we set up a banner, some chairs and refreshments and hand out flyers. Our approach is gentle and respectful. The simple phrase "we’re here to offer prayer", for example, can stop a person in their tracks. We’re always mindful of working in partnership with God and it’s a privilege to do so.

Harrow is the most religiously diverse local authority in the UK and this is a wonderful way of connecting with our neighbours since our consistent weekly presence has created community. Most people come specifically for prayer, either as a one-off or on a regular basis. Others come for coffee and a chat and this often leads to prayer too. We have many testimonies of healings and answers to prayer and some people have come to the Lord.

“A Muslim woman comes regularly after her husband’s cancer was healed through prayer elsewhere. She is being drawn to Jesus”

One woman, from a Hindu background, was feeling isolated. She experienced healing and found community with us. She has subsequently given her life to Jesus. A couple, also Hindus, came to us when the husband was diagnosed with a large tumour. This man encountered Jesus as we prayed and the subsequent operation revealed an unexpectedly small and benign growth which was easily removed. The couple praised Jesus for that intervention. A Muslim woman comes regularly after her husband’s cancer was healed through prayer elsewhere. She is being drawn to Jesus.

We are very aware that the Holy Spirit is already at work and that He brings people to us. This enables us to minister from a place of peace and with an understanding of the delegated authority we have in Jesus’ name to move in the gifts of the Spirit. All followers of Jesus can do this!

YOUR TURN

Have you been inspired?

Why not get in touch with your local Mahabba prayer group, get praying and see where God leads you?

Thank you - BMS event

Image: Simon Ingram, Flickr

Mahabba was part of the recent equipping and encourage 'Helping Christians engage with Muslims' event and received the following feedback:

“Dear Mahabba,

My husband and I attended the excellent Mahabba West event at BMS Birmingham on Saturday.

We would like to express our thanks for putting on this event and enabling us to hear about some of the ways God is using folk to love Muslims for his sake.

I especially enjoyed the session on Ethics by Louise Brown and was glad to hear from Roxy and obtain a copy of the DVD course, Joining the Family.

The lunch was excellent too, although the dining room was very noisy!

Your sincerely,

Barbara”

Thanks, Barbara!

If you want to find out about other upcoming events, do visit our events page.

Bibles for refugees

Image: Colin Carey, Unsplash

“Hi Mahabba,

A quick question - do you have any good contacts from which we could obtain Amharic and Tigrinya bibles for refugees we are working with?

Have a Great Day,

Andy”

The Bible Society stocks common language Bibles in Amharic and Tigrinya, as a first start.

Amharic is the main language of Ethiopia and Tigrinya (ትግርኛ) is spoken in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.

The Amharic common language edition was published by the Bible Society of Ethiopia in 1980. The Tigrinya Bible is published in a Common Language edition.

Seven ways the church can engage with the refugee crisis

Image: hunters_green, Flickr

Last week Trustee Adam and Hub-Regional Rep Elliot attended the Refugee Highway Partnership's annual European roundtable in Budapest, representing Mahabba Network and Community Church Derby.

The Refugee Highway Partnership aims to 'help the church serve forcibly displaced people'. For the last 10 years it has run a European-wide Roundtable to bring together Christian organisations and workers in the refugee sector to share ideas and network.

Adam commented that there were six main things that impacted him:

1. Recognise the clear biblical mandate to love and serve refugees

We can discuss politics and policies, but there is no avoiding the priority God puts on his people welcoming the stranger, practising hospitality, feeding the hungry, binding up the broken-hearted and sharing the Gospel with lost people.

Are we known for doing this?

2. Accept the extent of the crisis we're living in

As keynote speaker Patrick Johnstone explained, the mass migration we are experiencing isn't likely to end soon, but it is one of the biggest challenges facing the church in Europe today.

There were 1,170,145 asylum applications in EU countries in 2016. Germany has received over half of these. 300,225 came from Syria, with significant numbers from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Some of the poorest countries in Europe have borne the heaviest load of people in transit. Croatia had 660,000 travelling through during a six-month period.

In contrast the numbers arriving in the UK are relatively few.

We have a responsibility to shape the conversation around refugees in British society conveying God's compassion and challenging attitudes based on prejudice and fear.

It's ironic that some of those most vocal about preserving British Christian values are most reluctant to follow Christ's command to love the stranger.

3. Consider ethics in refugee ministry

There was a helpful exploration of the issues around coercion and opportunism caused by the power imbalance between refugees and the churches or organisations serving them.

We need to think through the ethical and cultural aspects of our work. Not that we should avoid sharing our faith or ministering to refugees, but we need to be aware of the pitfalls and regularly monitor our practices to see if we are in any way abusing our position of privilege and power.

We need to consider how can we create some reciprocity in the relationship and transparency in our operations. This will help build trust with secular organisations and authorities.

4. Find church responses to cultural diversity

It was interesting to hear how churches in Europe are responding to the arrival of refugee Christians and converts. There was a recognition that the ideal was to work towards some form of integration into host churches.

Some German churches have a model of a single church with several branches. These would hold services in different languages but share buildings, resources and often youth work.

Whilst it was recognised that some ethnic groups will find it easier to meet as a separate church, we need to work to build strong relational bridges with them and allow a flow of people between our churches as their congregations become increasingly settled in our culture and language.

Where refugees are finding a home among us we should look for ways to give them roles and responsibilities rather than remain in a place of dependency. We need to avoid the naive assumption that the acquisition of language removes the cultural barriers between us.

A concept of ‘interclusion’ was proposed: a process of bringing people together from various cultures into a dominant host culture where they feel accepted, appreciated, understood and valued. They are accepted as equals and there is a shared goal of creating harmony within the values of God's kingdom.

At the same time their identities and cultural uniqueness are affirmed. This is a complex, but important topic for us to explore. It really highlights the importance of training our leaders in cross cultural awareness.

5. Embrace the unprecedented missional opportunities

There is no doubt that God is working in the midst of this refugee crisis to bring many from unreached peoples to himself.

We heard how rural churches in Finland have welcomed refugees and their churches are filling with Afghans. It is estimated that over 1,000 Afghans in Finland have turned to Christ which is over 10% of the total number of Afghan refugees there! A Pakistani convert shared how 12 Pashtuns have come to faith in his church in Germany.

Despite this remarkable openness there is a reluctance to witness to refugees in some circles, perhaps born out of a fear of offending or abusing their vulnerability.

We need to work at developing practices that are true to both the great commission and the great commandment. There are some astonishing resources available like the 5fish smartphone app that can present a clear Gospel message in multiple languages combining visual and audio media.

6. Sow into short term missions opportunities available within Europe

As well as the important work being done by agencies and European churches, short term teams have a valuable part to play.

We need a thorough approach to training in cultural sensitivity, responses to trauma and appropriate evangelistic approaches.

Now is an opportune time to establish links in countries such as Greece, where churches are engaging with refugees, and work into Turkey where the discovery Bible studies (DBS) method is being used with great success.

So what now, here are some suggested actions from Adam and Elliot.

Actions

• Look for opportunities to celebrate the impact (even if it is smll to begin with!) you have within the wider context of the refugee crisis
• Clarify guidelines around ethical engagement with refugees. Communicate this with cross cultural workers
• Work with suitable charities to ensure those working with refugees have appropriate training about the effects of trauma
• Train people in the use of app based multilingual evangelism resources
• Look into missions opportunities in eastern Europe and Turkey
• Research and develop vision and strategy for culturally inclusive churches

Lausanne Feature on Mahabba in Missions Catalyst

The Lausanne article on Mahabba Network made it into the popular Missions Catalyst news brief e-mail compiled by Pat Noble.

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry.

Missions Catalyst have picked up on the article that Gordon Hickson wrote for Luasanne:

Prayer-based Relational Network Equips “Ordinary” Christians for Ministry to Muslims

Over the last year or so, Christians across the UK have been confronted with a sudden escalation of media accounts of the actions of extremist Muslims, with stories of terrible atrocities and bloodshed in Iraq and Syria.

What has shocked them even more is that British Muslims by the hundreds have gone out to these war zones to give their support to ISIS and other extremist groups.

Many Christians have focused on the effects of Islamization and on the persecuted church, responding with fear and alienating themselves from face-to-face interaction with their Muslim neighbors.

In this context, a new phenomenon networking both agencies and churches has proved to be a catalyst to unity and prayer.

This prayer-based relational network is called Mahabba ('love' in Arabic); and it has flourished over the last four years, mainly because of the unprecedented opportunity in the UK. Its emphasis is on motivating and mobilizing “ordinary” Christians rather than just “specialists” to reach their Muslim neighbors.

The model is a prayer-based relational network which equips local churches with mentoring and training materials, and which helps church leaders to train ordinary members of their churches to relate to Muslims in love and be able to explain the gospel clearly.

Global distribution of Muslims from Pew Research Center

Image: Pew Resarch Center

The Pew Research Center has published research on the distribution of Muslims worldwide.

Here are the main headlines:

1. As of 2010, there were an estimated 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, making Islam the world’s second-largest religious tradition after Christianity
2.  Nearly two-thirds (62%) of Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region
3.  More Muslims live in India and Pakistan (344 million combined) than in the entire Middle East-North Africa region (317 million)
4. Middle East-North Africa region has the highest concentration of Muslims of any region of the world: 93% of its approximately 341 million inhabitants are Muslim
5. The country with the largest number (about 209 million) is Indonesia, where 87.2% of the population identifies as Muslim
6. Center estimates that by 2050 the number of Muslims worldwide will grow to 2.76 billion, or 29.7% of world’s population

Read the article in full on the Pew Research Center website.

Elliot's round-up: change my heart

Here’s Elliot’s take on this week’s media trawl. Lets start off with an an inspiring video.

What a fantastic story. Lets pray for many hearts to be changed. Jesus start with mine.
 
Others too may have had preconceptions challenged as they attended 'Visit My Mosque Day'.

Lets pray for greater understanding, compassion and boldness to share Jesus with everyone we encounter.

“We are white, European, Christian”

So says a Mayor in Hungary. Looks like some he didn’t take the opportunity to have his thinking challenged or to see things from another point of view.

What about me. Do I use Jesus to justify my decisions, or do I allow Jesus to use me to welcome others?

"If you leave a dog here it will die," says a refugee in the same part of the world where the desperate situation of refugees has been highlighted.

Pray for these people stuck with no human hope of a solution.

“Right now the only feeling I have is fear. Please pray for us”

Say people travelling to America. The repeal of the travel ban has meant that some have made it to America in spite of all the many difficulties.
 
Back in the UK the government has changed its mind about the number of unaccompanied minors allowed to resettle. 350 unaccompanied instead of the anticipated thousands. Praying is good. But let’s petition and write to our MPs too!

Pray that our hearts are softened to those around us. May our prayer spur us into action to enable us to construct bigger tables, so we can all share together, instead building bigger walls to cower behind ‘safe and secure’ in our isolation.

The real stats behind 'Muslim Demographics'

INcontext have produced a helpful fact-check in response to the popular YouTube video, 'Muslim Demographics'.

Here are the main points to take away:

• Population growth in EU countries has been primarily driven by immigration, but the statistic includes all immigrants to EU countries, not just Muslims
   
• Muslims do not have fantastically high fertility rates: even in Algeria and Morocco, the two nations which send the largest numbers of Muslim immigrants to France, the fertility rate was 2.38 in 2008
   
• The Muslim population of Great Britain has grown, but not by 3000%, as the 1981 census did not survey respondents’ religious beliefs, on which the starting figure of 82,000 was based
   
• Muslim women in the Netherlands could not have accounted for '50% of all newborns', as they would have to be giving birth, on average, to about 14 to 16 times as many babies each as non-Muslim women
   
• The Belgian office of statistics points to a 2008 study which suggests the Muslim population  is 6%, so unlikely that it could account for 50% of births, as above
   
• The German government was misquoted as stating that it believed that Germany will become a Muslim state, although it is true that its population is in decline

Read the INcontext article in full, with detailed research from Snope and the Richard Knight at the BBC.

Islam in church: Some questions

Image: defenceimages, Flickr

Introduction

Islam in church, the sacred space and interfaith is a divisive topic. By opening up the discussion here, Mahabba Network is seeking to help Christians to pause, consider the facts and pray before commenting.
 
We trust that as you read you will weigh Scripture and invite the Holy Spirit to bring you discernment in the issues.
 
Mahabba seeks to make space for those who are more interfaith and ecumenical-minded as well as the evangelically-minded who want to see Muslims discipled to Jesus.
 
Mahabba’s vision is to see Jesus unveiled to Muslims, but we believe that dialogue and understanding of ‘the other’ are important on that journey.
 
The two are not mutually-exclusive, but it does mean that there is tension in holding both together.

What is church?

How do we think about church space, nevermind Islam in church: is it simply a building that homes us while we join together for communal worship, so that we may even meet in a school and call it ‘church’?
 
To what extent do our churches belong to the community as a whole – whether they’re Christians or not – so that they may visit and learn about our Christian history?
 
Is the church the house of God in the sense that we all may enter but only the sanctified may express themselves?

Qur’an and adhan in church

This January saw two events where Islamic presentations took place in a church space, causing uproar and raising some of these questions again.
 
First there was the Qur'an reading at an Epiphany service in Glasgow and then there was the adhan at Gloucester Cathedral.

[See below for more on the Qur'an reading in Glasgow from the Pfander Centre]

There has also been controversy surrounding Rev Giles Goddars and St John’s Waterloo where a progressive Muslim group was invited to use the St John’s space.

Fed up of religious people

On January 14, I visited the launch of an art exhibition at Gloucester Cathedral by a self-proclaimed atheist artist.
 
He had painted 37 huge portraits depicting people of different faiths, explaining that he had become intolerant of ‘religious people’ and this project was his way of connecting with people of different persuasions: Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Rastafarian, Wiccan and others, so that he may understand them better.

Fire-eating vicar and the pagan rock band

I don’t usually attend these kinds of events, but had a personal stake in this one. My friend, a Muslim, was the subject of one of the portraits.
 
The launch promised a variety of demonstrations by different religions, and of course, there was food.
 
The portraits were placed around the cloister walls and the launch events took place in the Chapter House, a side room off the cloister area.
 
I only stayed long enough to hear the Jewish Klezmer band, the Buddhist meditation and the Muslim call to prayer, adhan. I missed out on the fire-eating vicar and the pagan rock band.

Cathedral attracts criticism

Sadly, neither I nor my Muslim friend were surprised the next week when local papers reported that the cathedral had removed a video clip of the adhan from its Facebook page because it had attracted abuse.
 
The cathedral attracted further criticism and the issue then made the front pages, was reported on regional BBC TV news and went national.

Constructive approaches to different faiths

Interfaith contact often causes debate or accusations of syncretism. But the Gloucester controversy differs from the Scottish furore in ways that might help us think about constructive approaches to different faiths:

1. The Gloucester event did not take place in the usual Christian worship space but in an adjacent room which is also available for hire to the general public. In contrast, the Glasgow cathedral event had the Qur'an reading as part of the worship service
    
2. The Muslim call to prayer was one religious expression among many, including Buddhists, Wiccans, Rastafaris and others so that people could learn, not only about similarities between faiths, but the fundamental differences between them
    
3. The call to prayer was made in Arabic and translated afterwards in English so that everyone could understand what was being said

The event was not part of regular Christian worship, but an open educational or artistic event hosted on the cathedral grounds

Media-consuming public

Rather than revealing something about the state of Christendom in Britain, it says something about us as a media-consuming public when the Muslim call to prayer is singled out from a list of other religious expressions to make headlines.
 
I was certainly glad that I had a long established relationship with this same Muslim friend in Gloucester so that we could continue meeting the next Saturday, where we reflected on the comfort promised to us in Psalm 121.

A different perspective

Our friends at the Pfander Centre had an interesting perspective on the reading of the Qur'an in church.

Here are a few points, and do read their blog in full.

• Christians should e encouraged to sit down with Muslims and study the Qur’an and the Bible together
   
• If we believe the Bible to be God’s word, why is the Qur’an given the same status as the Bible, when it teaches the opposite of core Christian doctrine?
   
• Ayahs 35-36, which were read out, are direct denouncements of Jesus' divinity and sonship, in a gathering where people were worshiping him as the unique Son of God

Your turn

Do you want to find out more about Islam and Muslims – request someone from Mahabba to come and speak at your church.

The author

Georgina is part of the Network Team and is involved with her local Mahabba prayer group. She also wrote all the entries for our recent Mini-Lovefast campaign during Eid al-Adha! (Find out more about who’s who in Mahabba.)

Community

We welcome comments and discussion, but please read our Comments Policy before posting a reply in the comments section below.

Network Survey 2016

Here are the results of the survey, which was undertaken in May 2016.

You can find the full questions below the slideshow, and you can also download the result in booklet form.

Questions

How do you currently engage with Mahabba?

• I receive emails

• I am part of a local prayer group
• I am a member of 'The City' online forum
• I am in a coordination/ leadership role
• I am a financial supporter
• None of the above

---

Why are you involved in Mahabba?

• I want to see Muslims come to know Christ
• I have a heart for Muslims in my city
• I have built relationships with Muslim friends/ work colleagues
• I am concerned about Islam in my country
• I am interested in overseas mission to a Muslim nation
• I want to help/have a specific interest in refugees
• I have an interest in a particular Muslim people group

---

How effective do you think Mahabba is at its aim of MOTIVATING – to help everyday Christians to break their fear of Islam and encourage them to love Muslims?

How effective do you think Mahabba is at its aim of MOBILISING – to plant and encourage local prayer groups partnering with churches?

How effective do you think Mahabba is at its aim of MENTORING – to help churches care for Muslims who turn to Christ and disciple them?

How effective do you think Mahabba is at its aim of MULTIPLYING – to help and equip Muslim Background Believers to reach their community?

• Extremely effective
• Very effective
• Effective
• Could be more effective
• Could be a lot more effective
• I'm not sure

---

Do you receive Mahabba emails? (such as Mahabba Matters, blog updates, emails from The City)

• Yes, of course!
• No, I haven't signed up yet
• I used to, but not anymore

---

What do you think about the CONTENT of Mahabba's email communication?

• Content is POOR
• Content is GOOD
• Content is FANTASTIC

---

What do you think about the FREQUENCY of Mahabba's emails?

• The number of emails I receive is just right
• I receive too many emails
• I don't receive enough emails
• Other

---

How often do you visit the Mahabba website?

• About once a month
• About once a week
• Every few months
• I never look at it
• A few times a week
• At least once a day
• At least once a day

---

What do you think about the Mahabba website CONTENT?

• Content is POOR
• Content is GOOD
• Content is FANTASTIC

---

How do you find using the Mahabba website?

• It's OKAY to use and to find the information I want
• It's VERY EASY to use and to find the information I want
• It's DIFFICULT to use and to find the information I want
• Other

---

Do you engage with Mahabba on social media?

• No I don't engage
• I don't use social media
• Yes, on Facebook
• Other
• Yes, on Twitter

---

What should Mahabba's priorities be going forward? (Please choose your TOP, SECOND & THIRD priorities)

• Equipping & resourcing churches in caring for and discipling Muslim background believers
• Creating more prayer groups in new cities
• Organising more REGIONAL events for equipping and training
• Spending more time directly supporting and encouraging existing prayer groups
• Supporting & empowering Muslim background believers to reach their own communities with the Gospel
• Expanding our work into new areas (such as Europe & the US)
• Create more prayer groups in new cities
• Expand our work into new areas (such as Europe & the US)
• Providing more printed and online resources to equip those already engaged
• Organising more NATIONAL events for equipping and training

---

How can we make Mahabba stronger as a network? (Please choose your TOP, SECOND & THIRD priorities)

• Work more with church networks to raise our profile
• Help local prayer groups build stronger connections with church leaders
• Create more ways for those in local prayer groups to connect, share experiences and support one another
• Build and strengthen the core team to provide more support for local prayer groups
• Create a stronger online presence to share what we do
• Other
• Facilitate better prayer resources
• Organise more promotional events and activities

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The majority of central funding for Mahabba comes from grants from charitable organisations. However going forward we want Mahabba to be more sustainable and less reliant on grant funding and look to raise funds from our grassroots networks and individual donors. 

What do you think of this idea?

• This is an OKAY idea - I am interested to see if Mahabba can be supported by its grassroots members and individual donors
• This is a GOOD idea - I think it would be good for Mahabba to be supported by its grassroots members and individual donors
• This is a GREAT idea - I definitely want to see Mahabba supported by its grassroots members and individual donors
• This is a BAD idea - I don't think Mahabba should be supported by its grassroots members and individual donors

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About you - what's your sex?

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About you - what's your age group? 

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Are you part of a local Mahabba prayer group?

Can you recommend a good book to understand the Qur'an?

Image: Ersan Urganci, Flickr

CAN YOU RECOMMEND A GOOD BOOK TO UNDERSTAND THE QUR'AN?

“A friend of mine is trying to read the Qur’an and has asked for a good and short book to help her understand what the Qur’an is saying; does anyone have any good recommendations for this?”

This is a common question, and do see the existing entry below: ‘Recommended English translation of the Qur’an and introduction’.

Find a translation first 

We suggest that you first start with a translation and then move onto commentaries and secondary books.

• Find a translation of the Qur’an first (see below), which allows it speak for itself and its nature to become apparent
• Read from back to front (surah 114 back to surah 2) is helpful for giving a sense of how ideas develop. The ‘back section’ is mostly older ‘revelations’ from Mecca while the front section is mostly newer ‘revelation.’ (The heading of each chapter should tell you whether it’s a Meccan or Medinan surah.)

Use a commentary to help you understand

Once you have had a chance to engage with the text itself through a translation (if you need it), have a look at the following:

• Neal Robinson’s Discovering the Qur’an (see below), although it is quite academic
• James White’s What Every Christian Needs To Know About The Qur’an (2013)
• An archived online course by the Qur’an scholar (non-Muslim), Gabriel Said Reynolds of Notre Dame in the USA, which discusses themes of the Qur’an, its role within Islam, meaning to Muslims, and relationship with the Bible
• Chapter two in Malise Ruthven ‘Islam: A very short introduction’ gives a good an readable overview. It’s an excellent small book, that is readily available, accurate content, and a good starting place
• A six-page chapter from John Azumah’s book ‘My Neighbour’s Faith’ which is on the qur’an and hadith

Other resources

Qur'an course by Jeremy Hinds from Word of Life

• Excellent introduction for the Christian who wants to seriously study the Qur'an itself
• A little archaic now, but still an accurate self-study course
• Designed for use with 'Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an' by M Pickthall, but can be used with any English translation of the Qur'an

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London is not Paris

Image: hadock, Flickr

London is not Paris

In the aftermath of the Paris attacks of 13 November 2015, western nations rallied around the French people in an outpouring of sympathy. The French tricolour was superimposed on Facebook images, projected onto state buildings in many countries and #prayforparis trended for a considerable amount of time. Together with these technological ways of expressing solidarity, several nations stepped up their military involvement in the Middle East and ISIS became the target of one and all.
 
The British parliament voted in favour of extending bombing campaigns into Syria with the argument that, “Paris could have been London.” All the historical differences and squabbles of the last couple of decades were forgotten; President Obama declared that France was America’s oldest ally despite the recent differences between France and the USA on the Iraq war.
 
ISIS does not discriminate against its western targets. There is a real and expressed threat facing Muslim and non-Muslim peoples alike from this terrorist band who seem to thrive on violence and destruction for its own sake. But simply calling London and Paris the same brushes over some fundamental differences in worldviews and approaches to religion in public life. Take for example the law in 2010 that banned wearing a headscarf in France to improve ‘living together.’
 
I was reminded of how we can differ on basic ideas that we take for granted in a recent seminar by Ravi Zacharias of RZIM ministries. Ravi was making the case that western ideas of freedom are ultimately based in biblical ideas but that freedom took different paths in western countries. He spoke of three enlightenments: the French, the English and the American.
 
Quoting from Gertrude Himmelfarb’s book, The Roads to Modernity (2004), Ravi listed eight things we associate with enlightenment: reason, rights, nature, liberty, equality, tolerance, science and progress. Out of this list, Reason usually tops the list for the French (and for modern secular society). The missing element from the list is Virtue which, for the British, was an essential part of enlightenment according to Himmelfarb. The British did not deny Reason but they gave it a lesser, contributory role to the qualities of compassion, kindness and sympathy, she says.
 
The most important difference between these two enlightenments is in the French rebellion against the church and the monarchy, summed up in the French philosopher, Denis Diderot’s wish to, “Strangle the last king with the last priest’s entrails.” As Ravi explained, the difference for both Britain and America was that religion was not the enemy. In Britain, social virtues were the driving force of political change. In America, the fight was for political freedom still based in upholding religious values, even though it was against monarchy.
 
The point here is not to emphasise differences between people, nor is it to have a sense of complacency about freedom of religious expression on the Atlantic side of the English Channel, or La Manche as it is called in French. Recent law suits and debates about religion in public life have shown that Anglo-American society is rethinking what it means to be secular. The aim of looking at the different expressions of enlightenment here is to think about our social values and which Light we are following in the world: To what extent does the light of the Word (Proverbs 6:23) and the Light of the world (John 8:12) form the foundation of our thinking? In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says definitively that we are a light to the world.
 
The question is, which en-Lightenment will we reflect to the world in the year ahead.

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SINCE YOU'RE HERE...

... we have recently reached a total of 40 local Mahabba prayer groups in the UK - awesome news!

With your help, though, we would like to continue to sow, plant and support Mahabba groups.

Our work involves a small team of regional reps and central hub personnel investing in local coordinators and groups, as well as spreading the word.

To continue this vital mission to Muslims, we need to increase our regular monthly income.

Our initial target is to raise up 100 individual regular donors, giving an average of £10 to £15 per month.

Could you be one of the 100?

ComRes poll on refugees for BBC Newsnight

BBC NEWSNIGHT REFUGEE POLL

Poll of 1000 British adults about the migrant crisis for BBC Newsnight

Here are the key findings from the ComRes poll for the programme.

• 40% OF PUBLIC IN FAVOUR OF TAKING MORE REFUGEES
   
• Four in ten members of the public say that Britain should allow more refugees from countries such as Syria or Libya to come and live here
   
• Although taking more refugees is the most popular single option (40%), there is a combined majority against increasing numbers
   
• 31% say Britain should take fewer and an additional 26% say it should take about the same amount as it currently does
   
• There has also been a large shift in attitudes towards allowing migrants coming to Britain via an EU quota system

Read the poll and its findings in full on the ComRes website.

Probably one of the least Muslim areas in the UK

Image: digimist, Flickr

Mahabba is regularly on the road, encouraging and equipping everyday Christians and church leaders – God is on the move among Muslims and we have a part to play.

Out of the blue in The Hub, we heard from Andy, a church leader in St. Austell, Cornwall. He had been impacted by a conversation with Mahabba Network’s UK Director, Gordon Hickson.

“As Gordon shared about the work of Mahabba, I was struck by the impact that the work was having with Muslims, not only globally, but also within the UK as well.”

He added light-heartedly,

“We’re based in St Austell, so probably one of the least Muslim areas of the country!”

As it happens, Andy was not far off the mark.

In the 2011 Census, Cornwall recorded one of the lowest concentrations of Muslims in England and Wales, with 0.2% of its population stating its religion as Islam [Source 2011 Census].

In contrast, Tower Hamlets – a borough in East London, where Mahabba has a prayer group – recorded 34.5%, making it the local authority with the largest concentration in the UK.

Here is how Cornwall comes in the standings:

Government office for the region (South West)

Bottom with 1%, 51,000 Muslims

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County

[N/A Cornwall is not designated as a county]

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Local Authority

In the bottom 15% of LAs, with 0.2%, 850 Muslims

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Ward

Wadebridge East is in the bottom 3% of over 8,500 wards in the UK

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At the end of the conversation, Andy asked to be kept up to date with the work of Mahabba so that he could feed things back to the rest of the leadership team here.

Mahabba continues to spread the word about Muslims around the UK: that Christians need to face the facts, but not fuel the fear.

Muslims are here to stay, and we have a responsibility to love and pray for them.

Whether you find yourself in an area with many Muslims or not, you can have an impact.

Be Involved

Why not request a church visit like Andy, so you can find out more about Muslims and Islam and how you can engage?