Modern Muslima.com :: Secret War: Protecting Yourself, Your Family, & Your Community from Missionaries

Christian missionaries are no strangers to Muslims. Christian attempts to proselytize us started from the word "go." In the past, missionaries came on the tail of colonizing powers, and established churches and schools in the occupied land. Their mission -- for the indigenous people to abandon Islam -- was stated clearly and honestly. However, in the past 100 years or so, a new form of evangelism has emerged. Over the past four years, they have been emboldened by a Christocentric administration and a growth in fundamentalist Christianity and are more active than ever in our communities and our countries. Followers of this branch of Christendom believe in something called "spiritual warfare," and part of their war is witnessing non-Christians, by any means necessary. They view non Christians as either evil or lost, especially Muslims.

The new evangelism is called contextualization, and it poses a threat to Muslims, especially new Muslims and young Muslims. This is the first in a series of articles that, God Willing, will inform you about contextualized evangelism and teach you how to protect yourself, your family, and your community from it.

Contextualization is on a spectrum of six levels. The missionaries who pose the greatest threat to the Muslim community here and abroad are those who use C4 - 6 methods.

	C1	C2	C3	C4	C5	C6
Church Community Identification	A church foreign to the indigenous culture, such as the churches the Europeans established in the Muslim world in the Colonial Age.	The same as C1, but the service, prayers, books, etc. are in the native language.	Like C2, but followers adopt non Islamic aspects of the culture, such as food, some types of dress.	Like C3, but they adopt "Biblically acceptable" Islamic practices, such as fasting, or prostrating in prayer. Church would have no identifiable Christian elements, such as an altar or cross.	Like C4	Secret. May or may not be active in the Islamic community.
Self-Identity	Christians	Christians	Christians	"Followers of Isa"	"Muslim Follower of Isa"	In Private: Christian, Follower of Isa, or Muslim Follower of Isa
Perception of Identity Among Muslims (or targeted faith group)	Christians	Christians	Christians	Christians	Heretical or confused Muslims.	Muslim

Note: C5 and C6 missionaries may also claim to be part of some sort of Sufi Tariqa, such as "Tariqa of Isa."

Now, you may say that there is nothing wrong with Christians proselytizing. After all, the Bible tells them to witness all people, and Paul wrote that a person must "become as a Jew" to witness a Jew. However, from the Islamic standpoint, it is wrong (and there are Christians who agree that it is wrong).

First, unlike da'wah, the contextualized evangelist specializes in lies and half truths. He / she pretends to be something he / she is not, and this involves a web of lies. Since evangelism is illegal in many Muslim countries, these folks lie to the embassies about their purposes in going overseas -- they break the law. They may also be lying to the agencies they are working for, their families, their host families, and officials in their own country. The contextualizing evangelist usually pretends to be an English teacher, or an aid worker. The two evangelists who were arrested by the Taliban just before September 11th are a prime example of this. In da'wah, on the other hand, we are commanded to always be open about who we are and what our purpose is. A Muslim can not pretend to be a Jew, Christian, Buddhist, or anything else in order to talk about the Qur'an. It is completely antithetical to our belief system.

Secondly, Christianity, though it shares the roots of Islam, is a form of kufr and it is a religion of shirk. This has nothing to do with whether or not an individual Christian is a nice person. Muslims can not stand idly by while our brothers and sisters in the US and the world are called to kufr. Through specialized workshops, books, and even college programs, missionaries are taught how to distort the teachings of Islam and confuse Muslims through debate and dialogue framed in the witnesser's language and paradigm. Although many of us can see through these people, there are many Muslims who can't, and who do become confused by them. This puts their soul in grave danger. Audhu billah. It's the duty of those of us who are aware of these things to protect those of us who aren't.

On any level of the scale, except for perhaps C6 (at least in the beginning) the contextualizing evangelist is going to come at you with the "intention" of starting a dialogue or religious debate on key Islamic issues. Having read about and even experienced contextualized witnessing, I can tell you that they focus only on a handful of issues, and are trained to stick to a sort of script (although some are more expert at "dialogue" than others).

They will also use hostile and misleading language about the Qur'anic view of God and contrast it to the one they are trying to sell. For example, they may tell you that God in Islam is a God who can not be trusted to promise anything or hold to His promises (audhu billah), that He is angry and requires sacrifices of blood, that He is distant and Muslims don't believe in loving God or having connections to Him. They use the sad situation of Muslim women in some countries to extrapolate a systematic oppression and spiritual emptiness for Muslim women, and encourage missionaries to focus especially on women. They also claim that many Muslim women are prone to practicing various forms of witchcraft.

Now, there are sincere seekers who will approach you with these very issues. Sometimes, they have been confused and influenced in their search for Islam by this exact missionary material. A sincere seeker will welcome your attempt to point him or her to a person of knowledge, or to books. A contextualized evangelist is going to try as hard as he or she can to keep you locked in debate, keep you from changing the subject, keep you from giving them a book with the answers, and keep you from sending him or her to a scholar or other knowledgeable community leader. You should keep in mind that this endless debating and confusion is the goal of pretty much any missionary, C1 or C6. Unfortunately, in a day and age when many Muslims are eager to establish interfaith community ties, some churches are taking advantage of this to "observe us" and make inroads for evangelism (there is even a course sold out of a Colorado evangelical center which uses Muslim imams and our masajid to teach them how to witness us). Be very careful about when, where, and with who these people meet.

It is a common experience for Muslims in the West to be approached by missionaries in the supermarket, at restaurants, at the Wal-Mart, or at their own front door. Again, some of these missionaries may use the guise of being curious about Islam and wanting to learn more, while others may be more open and truthful about their mission.

If you meet a sincere seeker, someone who has questions about basic Islamic tenets and beliefs, they will likely be satisfied with da'wah pamphlets and books that answer their questions. You may also point them to reliable websites.

Some missionaries simply want to shove a pamphlet or book under your door or into your hand. Take them and toss them away later. It's one less pamphlet out on the street. Some door to door missionaries, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, will respect your request to leave you alone. If the missionaries who come to your house do not listen, call the local JW "Kingdom Hall" and request to be put on the "no visit" list. You may also buy "No Proselytizing" stickers and signs for your front door, to let people know you are not interested in buying what they have to sell. It is also common for some evangelists to extend an invitation to their church to everyone they meet -- Christian or non-Christian. Many evangelists will leave you alone once you politely decline the invitation.

Others, as I mentioned before, are more aggressive. They will try everything to keep you from leaving the conversation or walking away. If you encounter an aggressive missionary like this, it is best to give them the phone number or contact information for a knowledgeable da'iyee or scholar and walk away from the conversation. Remember, these people are trained to do their best to weaken and confuse you, and they generally do not give up easily. If the missionary follows you, you have the right to alert security or the police. If a missionary comes onto your property, you have the right to ask them to leave, or complain to the police about trespassing. You have the right not to be harassed or witnessed at school or work. You are not required to accommodate these people in order to give Islam a good image. They already think the worst of us.

Unfortunately, some Muslim children are approached by missionaries at school or in the neighborhood. The parent may approach the child herself or may send her child to do it for them. Sometimes, it is even a teacher who approaches your child. They may invite the child to their church service or give them comic books specially produced for non-Christian children. The best way to protect your children from missionaries is to enroll them in private Islamic school or home school them. If your child is approached or given evangelistic materials at school, you should go straight to the principal and the district superintendent to deal with it. I also recommend alerting CAIR or your local masjid. You should also politely ask the offending parent to refrain from giving out any further material to your child. It's also common for missionary-oriented parents to corner your child at a sleep over or play date. Again, you may politely request that they refrain from witnessing your child. However, followers of more fundamentalist and aggressive sects will not give up easily and may continue to proselytize your child behind your back. The very best thing you can do for your children is help them establish strong friendships among Muslim families. If your child is proselytized at a sleep over or play date, refuse to let your child play at their house in the future.

You should also be aware of missionaries who claim to have once been Muslim or who say that they are "Muslim, but confused." Of course, there are people (Alhamdulillah, rare) who do apostate from Islam to join Christianity, just as there are confused Muslims, but remember -- evangelists have a modus operandi that you can detect. Most evangelists who claim to have been born Muslim often exhibit little or no knowledge about Islam and Arab and Pakistani culture (their claims are usually tied to an ethnicity, perhaps to make it more authentic seeming). "Confused Muslims" are generally going to only ask questions about the above-mentioned missionary attack points, and may not welcome your attempts to get answers from scholars or provide them with books. Instead, they will try to keep the conversation focused on their "doubts," their "confusion," and their "distance from God." This is all done to try and give you a feeling of doubt and distance from God. Keep yourself focused on the issue, instead of getting mired down in emotions. Intense emotional experiences are a big part of Fundamentalist and Evangelical Christianity. Remember, if a person declines to speak with an imam or read a reliable work, chances are they are an "undercover crusader."

There are, Praise God, many ways you can fight this "spiritual warfare" (as many Christian evangelists call it).

2. Community education. Start educational programs in your community, especially for women and new Muslims, so that they know the truth about various "controversies." You should also host educational seminars on recognizing and dealing with Christian witness.

3. Support Islamic charities. Charity and aid work are a big part of the missionary assault on Muslims. We need to support, with our wallets and our prayers, Islamic charities doing work for the Muslims in the Muslim world. Establish charities to spread literacy, skills, food, medicine for Muslims by Muslims. Missionaries are especially active in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Africa.

4. Community networking. Missionaries tend to go after people who are weak or isolated from the community. You should work to establish a brother/ sisterhood network in your community, so that no Muslim is left in a vulnerable position. This includes non-religious activities, especially for young, single men, such as sports activities.

5. Put together a response / da'wa team. In major cities and bigger towns, it is inevitable that at some point, you will be asked to let a church group visit your masjid or participate in Christian-organized "interfaith" events. By all means, participate. Not every church group is going to have nefarious intentions. However, you should organize a response team to attend and participate in these events: brothers and sisters who are trained in da'wa, as well as basic and more complex issues in Islam. Your response team should not get involved in interfaith debates at these events, nor should they allow themselves to be drawn into a "Bible Vs. Qur'an" type of discussion, beyond the very basics. Remember, Christian missionaries have entire college programs set up to teach them how to confuse Muslims and convert them. They are experts in this misguidance.

6. Remember that not all Christians approve of highly contextualized evangelism. Some don't even approve of any proselytization, and further, many Christians, especially in the US, are not aware of what is being done in the Muslim community in the name of their religion. Not all Christians are interested in converting you.

Modern Muslima is happy to announce that we have partnered with two essential sites as part of our joint campaign to educate Muslims about the presence and methods of "undercover crusaders," Islamic Awareness and Muslim Answers. In the coming months, MM.com will provide more articles and resources for the Muslim community on this issue, insha'Allah.

The Stealth Crusade Article from Mother Jones about undercover missionaries in the Muslim world.

Jewish Response to Missionaries The Jewish community has been subject to contextualized evangelism in the form of "Jews for Jesus," and Jews for Judaism has been working on responses to them for some time now. Useful.

Counter Missionary Survival Guide Another useful item from J4J. Pages 5, 6, and 15 can be applied in the Muslim situation, while the rest of the booklet focuses on "Jews for Jesus."