Muslims Proselytizing On the Internet--Where Is the Christian Response?

Eric Meek, the Vice-President of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) spoke last night as the invited guest of a Saudi-Wahhabist-supported student group (Muslim Student Association) at the University of North Texas.

One of the more provoking comments made during his talk was this one:

"If Jesus were here, he'd be a Muslim, and he'd say what I'm saying."

Years ago, after comparing Christianity and Islam, he said he came to the conclusion that, "Islam is totally more convincing."

I have been seeing this line of reasoning repeatedly on the internet lately, firmly articulated by very confident Muslim commentators. Arguments basically affirm that the Christian faith is "all wrong" and that the central truths of the Christian faith (specifically the doctrine of the Trinity which, to Muslims, is blasphemous) are a clear misreading of the scriptures (which are garbled and unreliable in any case).

It has become my opinion that, like missionaries from other religions (such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons), conservative Muslims (most likely funded by Wahhabist money from Saudi Arabia) have been recruited and trained to search the internet for any articles or comment threads dealing with Islam. These missionaries then offer a defense of Islam and immediately begin attacking Christians and the Christian faith as being corrupted and false. President Bush is always singled out as a "born again Christian" who is a murderous, hateful man illustrating the complete bankruptcy of the Christian faith.

This is always contrasted with Islam as being the religion of true peace. The logic actually goes so far as to declare that there are only "good Muslims" because, if a Muslim is not good, they are not really a Muslim!

Even when I have offered a Christian hand encouraging peaceful coexistence and that friendship has been accepted and affirmed, the effort to challenge and undermine the Christian faith does not stop. As long as comments continue to be expressed at any given site the Muslim missionaries are there to respond. They are persistent and indefatigable! They are passionate about what they are doing and, by sheer perseverance they must be having a monumental effect on the thinking of marginal Christians in every corner of the world-wide web. (See the comment thread of one of my postings at blogcritics.com for a good example of this . . . a "dialogue" that has been kept alive by two Muslims for nearly 10 months!)

As a Christian this is becoming a great concern for me. Where are the dedicated Christian apologists who will serve the Lord, Jesus, with the same unceasing and tireless effort to respond with the full force of the Christian gospel?

Islam is relatively easy to catch in contradictions and to arrive at conclusions that are impossible to defend. When I raise such points in a commentary thread I am, EVERY TIME, either ignored completely or attacked on some point irrelevant to the one I had tried to make.

Make no mistake about it: The Christian faith in the United States and around the world is under an organized and concerted attack by fundamentalist Islam. This is not in any way to be confused with terrorism. It is simply a strategically targeted and well-organized proselytizing of the Western World.

The freedom of religion that we value in Western culture is not reciprocated in Islamic countries. In this we are at a distinct disadvantage. Even so, there are fertile fields for the Christian gospel among Muslims through the internet as well. Even in otherwise closed Islamic cultures such as Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

I propose that some Christian evangelical college or university take my challenge to heart and develop a curriculum and program to recruit, train, equip and supervise an organized Christian response to Islam using the internet as its primary media.

Far more Muslims can be reached in this way that with all the street theater performances of YWAM and Covenant Players combined!

Perhaps a new academic discipline of "cyber-missions" might eventually evolve!

If Christians truly desire to "win the world" for Christ then we need to listen and learn from our Muslim counterparts and get up to internet speed very soon!

We must not allow this missionary internet assault to go either unnoticed or unchallenged.

And we must never lose sight of the fact that, even in the midst of a world filled with terror, the pen can still be mightier than the sword.

Note: Peter Kreeft has one of the best summary comparisons of Christianity and Islam (from a Christian perspective) that I have ever read. Please read it. You will be glad you did!