Product Description
How can caring Christians approach Islam? As relations between Islam and the West grow more polarized, many Christians are nervous about meeting Muslims. How can we possibly overcome years, if not centuries, of mistrust?
Christine Mallouhi, who married into a Muslim family and has lived much of her life in the Middle East, suggests we should emulate St. Francis, who during the Crusades went to be with the Muslims and even shared the gospel with the Sultan.
We should start by seeing Muslims as people, she suggests. “When Muslims are skeptical of our creed, confused by our message and wounded by our warfare, the most credible witness left is our lives. Muslims need to see Jesus, and the only way most of them will see him is in us.” Here is a book that gives history, insight and much of the author’s own story in offering the Prince of Peace to Muslims.
“The diagnoses in this provocative and challenging book are accurate, the recommendations are right, and the tone is optimistic. A ‘must-read.'” Paul-Gordon Chandler, president, Partners International
“Christine Mallouhi has ‘been there and done that,’ having lived among Arab Muslims for twenty-five years. She and her husband have great empathy, insight and understanding of the struggles of Muslim peoples.” Dr. Greg Livingstone, Muslim-Christian Relations, AD 2000 and Beyond
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This book I think is about getting along with Muslims.It is written I thought to make one better understand them.A good writer ,well written,but I’m not sure if I agreed with everything this book had to say. check out my book about a similar topic-Sharper Than A Two Edged Sword-by Nadia N. Rehmani.you can find it on Amazon as well.
Rating: 3 / 5
“This book was suggested by one my dear friend. Reading this book make me realized that we all hide prejudism with in us .Many times completely unaware of our inner secrets. This book makes you realize your own hidden prejudism towards other religions,people of different ethnicity and background.How we develope them through out our life span.Our source is Minipulative media images,misinformation and misrepresentation that becomes a cause of our stereotypeing others.Fears becomes a powerful force that create division,hatred towards others. Christine encourage others to self analyze,remove hatred and prejudism and connects with others on human level by following the footsteps of Christ and Fransis of Assisi. Good book to read also deals with political issues between palestines and isreal’s relations.Cause of conflict is not merely political but fear, lack of understanding ,love, respect towards other faith.
Rating: 5 / 5
This book will go a long way towards helping the West understand the Middle-East from religious perspectives. I learned a tremendous amount and have been able to apply a lot of it. It was very, very eye openning and I believe should be read by especially by Christians who want a balanced view Christian-Muslim issues. It dealt with history, culture, and faith inter-twining the three to give a comprehensive picture. Bob Roberts – Author Glocalization & Transformation
Rating: 5 / 5
Christine Mallouhi’s beliefs about the relationships, or lack thereof, between Christians and Muslims are heartfelt and personal. They are based on years of living within the Muslim community.
Mallouhi’s premise is that Christians don’t know Muslims personally, are separated by fear, ignorance, and misunderstanding-and therefore are impacted negatively by what they read and hear. Her use of the beliefs and approach of St. Francis toward Muslims adds much to the book.
I love and embrace Mallouhi’s call to wage peace on Islam. I believe that is what Jesus wants. It’s through personal relationships that trust and understanding is built. I also admire Mallouhi’s passion. I applaud her determination to encourage people to look past stereotypes.
Mallouhi’s experiences are rich and full. They are, however, her experiences. One caution, followers of Christ may feel admonished by Mallouhi.
I would have felt more comfortable if both Christians and Muslims were called to wage peace against radicalism, of any kind.
Readers may find Mallouhi’s relationship with Arafat disconcerting. Her experiences with him were kind and loving. That’s not what is often portrayed in the media.
What I like about Mallouhi’s book is the challenge to think differently, to strive to understand, to seek to have empathy, to love as Jesus would want us to love.
The book challenges the reader to understand, especially in a post 9/11 world that encourages us to remain vigilant.
Armchair Interviews says: A thought-provoking book that is a must-read.
Rating: 3 / 5
Amidst escalating tensions between Christians and Muslims, this book presents a refreshing perspective. Fanaticism and stereotyping abound on both sides, yet Christine Mallouhi urges her readers to see people as people, complete with names, parents, kids, siblings, extended families and life stories. And, she supplies plenty of examples taken from her own life story as an Australian evangelical Protestant who has spent the majority of her life in North Africa and the Middle East married to a Muslim disciple of Jesus Christ. If you think that last statement is an Oxymoron, read the book.
As the title indicates, Mallouhi’s book targets Christians and proposes peace, love and grace as infinitely preferable to fear, hatred and bigotry when dealing with Muslims. Especially poignant is the insight Mallouhi gives into the plight of the Palestinians, one of the least understood groups of people on earth.
Mallouhi is no Pollyanna and freely acknowledges the existence of Islamic terrorists, though she contends they are a small minority. Her point is that beneath the cultural and religious differences most Muslims are just people like you and me. She also informs us that many Muslims have the same difficulty of seeing Christians beyond their own stereotypes, including several centuries of Christian terrorists who ravished the Middle East during the Crusades. Sadly, even today there are right-wing fundamentalist Christians who probably would love to establish a “Christian Taliban.”
The thread that ties the book together is the example of St. Francis of Assisi. The chapter title “The Mad Monk” informs the reader that Mallouhi is well aware of Francis’ numerous and well-documented eccentricities and excesses. You may wonder what St. Francis is doing in a Protestant book on the need for an attitude adjustment toward Muslims, but the ploy works well and adds an interesting historical dimension to the book.
The strength of the book is Mallouhi’s lifetime of personal experience. Some of her experiences and commentaries will challenge many evangelical readers and stretch them far beyond their personal comfort zones. You do not have to agree with all of her viewpoints to benefit greatly from reading Waging Peace on Islam. I have already recommended it to several people and will continue to do so.
Rating: 5 / 5