Persecution

ISIS—True Muslims or Not?

Hormoz Shariat Current Events , , , , , ,

In my last post, I showed how ISIS is causing Muslims to question their faith. At the core of their questioning, they must decide who the true Muslims are—themselves or the brutal members of ISIS.

Many people around the world are asking, “Are the members of ISIS true Muslims or merely terrorists seeking religious legitimacy?”

President Obama has repeatedly stated that the religion of violent extremists savaging Iraq and Syria is irrelevant. ManyISIS-poses-for-photo-Twitter-640x480 have criticized him for refusing to call ISIS Islamic terrorists. But he insists, “We are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam.”

Yet ISIS unashamedly claims that they are true and great Muslims.

So who is the true Muslim?

If we ask this question about Christianity, isn’t it logical to say whoever most closely follows the teaching of Jesus and His example is the most true Christian? The definition of a good Christian is not subjective, but comes from solid criteria. Whichever people follow the example of their holy book and their leader, they are the better adherents to that faith.

This same criteria will tell us who is a good Muslim: the one who lives out the teaching of the Quran and follows the example of Mohammed more closely.

Using that objective criteria, we must conclude that the members of ISIS are very good Muslims. What they are doing is based on numerous Quranic verses and the practices of the Prophet Mohammad. Yes, indeed they are following Islam more closely than “Moderate Muslims” who ignore those call-to-violence verses in the Quran, and downplay their own historical record of what Prophet Mohammad did.  

ISIS is challenging all Muslims to have another look at their faith. Many Muslims are taking up that challenge, looking at the Quran more objectively, and coming to the conclusion that the root of their problem is not ISIS but Islam itself.

What ISIS is doing to Sunni Muslims, the Islamic Republic of Iran has done to Shiite Muslims in Iran. After over 35 years of Islamic rule, Iranian Muslims have come to the conclusion that the root of their problems is not political but spiritual. They vast majority have come to believe that the problem is not with the Islamic government but with Islam itself.

Please pray for the many Muslims that are seeking refuge—physically and spiritually—from the ravages of the Islamic world. They are open and ready for the Gospel. Pray that the Church and the nations will be open to them. Let’s pray that all of us be free from fear and hatred towards Muslims, and instead, be filled with God’s immense love for them.

And pray for the hundreds of thousands of Muslim-background believers in Iran. Through Iran Alive Ministries, I have seen multitudes of Muslims in Iran seek refuge in Jesus. They are repulsed by the violence and hatred and are attracted to the love, joy, and peace that Jesus offers. Coming from darkness, they value the light even more. They value their new faith in Jesus so much that they are ready to live and die for Him. And they are closely living out His example, enduring persecution with humility and honor, loving their enemies, and spreading the Kingdom of God.

Join me in supporting these true Christians.

Related:

President Obama Says ISIS ‘Not Religious Leaders, They are Terrorists’

“What do You Want with a Bible?”

Hormoz Shariat Lives Transformed , , , , ,

Just yesterday, a woman called in to our live broadcast into Iran and talked with me on air for about 10 minutes.  The topic of the program was Being the Light of Christ in Your Work Environment.Bible in Chains

Convicted by the challenge to operate in the work environment as salt and light to those around her, without engaging in dishonest practices common in the professional climate, this businesswoman began to share her struggles with the tension of her “Work” persona, and her “Christian” identity.

As we worked through this complex issue, I asked her how she became attracted to Christ in the first place.  Her answer, while not uncommon, encouraged and astonished me nonetheless.

Realizing that Islam only instills hopelessness and fear in people, she began a search for something else.  She knew that if there was a God, He simply could not be like the distant, uncaring God she knew from Islam.

After trying Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion based on pantheistic beliefs, she decided to look for a Bible.  If you know anything about Iran and the government restrictions surrounding any non-Muslim religious activity, you understand that finding a Bible is a difficult and dangerous task.

She decided to try a small bookstore.  Cautiously and with much fear, she quietly asked the owner if he happened to know where she might be able to find a small Bible.

Shocked, the owner looked around the store and waited until no one else was around and asked, “What do you want with a Bible?”

She explained that she wanted to find out more about Jesus and didn’t know where else to look.  Disappearing to the back of the shop for a few moments, the owner returned and said, “I have one.”  He handed her the Bible and within days, she was transformed into a Follower of Christ!

My staff is working to translate the video, which I will post so that you can see firsthand, this amazing testimony.

God is about the business of transforming Iran into a Christian nation in this generation!  What a privilege to see it happen before our very eyes.