Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward
Nabeel Qureshi, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2016
I had read this author’s former
bestseller Seeking Allah, Finding
Jesus and was overwhelmed with the personal price he had to pay with
respect to his own family when he left the ‘faith of his fathers’ and embraced
new faith. When this book came out and he was coming to my city to speak about
it I made sure I was there. I also bought this book and read it.
Nabeel Qureshi’s speaking
engagement in Toronto had to be moved from its original venue at the University
of Toronto (at one of their religious colleges, Anglican in fact) because the
faculty had been warned by administration that there could be trouble as this
converted, well-educated, medical doctor would likely annoy many Muslim
students. Fortunately, a nearby church
welcomed the event. Qureshi was up to dealing with all comers in his usual
soft-spoken, respectful, manner, affirming each member of the audience,
regardless of their religious stripes – after all it was not too long ago that
he would have died for Islam.
In this book, this former Muslim
attempts to clarify “both the reality of violent jihad in Islam” and the
response that we should have to that. He bravely calls for a “compassionate
approach to our Muslim neighbors”. That alone was enough to make me think twice
about writing a review recommending Answering
Jihad even though, whether we like it or not, Islam has, and continues,
to change our world. But as I read, I found that Qureshi succeeded in his hopes
for the book, and in the process, radically changed my own mind on the subject.
He remembers hearing a slogan at
his mosque that he shared with many: “The terrorists who hijacked the planes on
September 11 also hijacked Islam.” And he proceeds to show us how that
happened. But while he speaks highly of the millions of peaceful Muslims who
have been deceived about what is or is not the true origin and circumstances of
their faith, he extends no such excuses for Islam itself. Much of the book is spent on exposing the
recorded and known behavior of the religion’s founder, Muhammad. He does so with excellent references, almost
all Islamic in origin.
His conclusion is that “as long
as Islam is practiced in a way that calls Muslims to return to its foundation,
violence will follow.” To counteract that, he believes that “the Christian
teaching of loving one’s enemies, even in the face of death, might perhaps be
the most powerful answer to jihad at our disposal today.” And then he gives his
reasons.
If I were to quote here every
part of the book that I underlined as a key or unique thought, no publisher
would allow me to share my review of Qureshi’s book. Suffice it to say, that he deals with the
origins of jihad and jihad today in a most interesting and complete fashion. In
the third part of the book, he answers some very pressing questions many of us
have wanted to ask, such as: Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?
How Does Jihad Compare with Old Testament Warfare and the Crusades? What Does
Jesus Teach About Violence? What Does Jesus Have to Do with Jihad?
He concludes with a chapter
entitled “Answering Jihad” and then follows all this up with some very valuable
appendices on: Timeline of Jihad in Islam; Muhammad’s Words on Jihad; What is
the Caliphate?; and more, as well as an excellent glossary of terms.
You owe it to yourself to hear
from a former passionate lover of Islam to learn how best to address the
challenge it presents to the world today.
Answering Jihad is dedicated to the author’s sister whom he
misses very much and yearns for the day that they can worship the God of Truth
together.
--
By Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord
Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, May 11, 2016. www.accordconsulting.com
Sign
up (on the right) to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information
from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by
clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this
blog with your friends. Also, I’ve read some good books and make some great
recommendations for you at http://astore.amazon.com/accorconsu-20 which
you can purchase right from there.
Finally, check us out at Accord Consulting. And while you’re here, why not check out some
more of our recent blogs shown in the right hand column. Ken.
It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.
