Qureshi - Answering Jihad : a better way forward

ZONDERVAN

Answering Jihad

Copyright 2016 by Nabeel Qureshi

ePub Edition February 2016: ISBN 978-0-3105-3139-5

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Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Qureshi, Nabeel, author.

Title: Answering Jihad : a better way forward / Nabeel Qureshi.

Description: Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016002811 | ISBN 9780310531388 (softcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Jihad. | Islam--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Christianity and other religions--Islam. | Missions to Muslims.

Classification: LCC BP182 .Q74 2016 | DDC 297.7/2--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016002811

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

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Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney and associates, Naples, Florida, 34113

Cover imagery: Getty Images

Interior design: Matthew Van Zomeren and Ben Fetterley

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THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY SISTER.

Baji, I miss how close we were in our childhood, even playing with your My Little Ponies and hearing you rave about the Backstreet Boys. You are the most loving sister a younger brother could ask for. I pray that your love for people would extend into a love for truth. I am begging God for the day that we can worship him together.

CONTENTS

UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, I strongly resisted writing this book. During a conversation with my editor this April, I informed him explicitly that I never wanted to write a book on . For the sake of keeping my message and intentions clear, I had decided to answer such questions on an individual basis rather than publishing a book on the matter.

But seven weeks ago, on November 13 of 2015, terrorists launched a coordinated assault on Paris. The West reeled in a way I had not seen since the July 7, 2005, bombings of London a decade before. Jihad had struck close to home once again, and the question of Islams relationship with peace and violence was at the forefront of the publics mind.

The question was made exponentially more pressing by the reality of nearly 4,600,000 Syrian refugees hoping to find a haven in the West. Compassion urges us to open our doors, but prudence counters that we should think twice. How can we tell the difference between a Syrian refugee fleeing ISIS and a covert operative infiltrating the US on their behalf? While rescuing foreign innocents, might we accidentally endanger our own?

It was in the throes of this deliberation that America experienced its most deadly terrorist attack since September 11, 2001, the San Bernardino shootings on December 2, 2015. Public angst toward Islam skyrocketed to unprecedented heights, beyond even 2001 in my personal estimation. It was during this time that I began to consider the safety of my parents and relatives from potential retaliation. Even my own security crossed my mind, as frustration against radical Islam had reached a fever pitch and anyone who even looked Muslim was prone to feel suspicious eyes.

As the dust settled and it became clear that one of the shooters was an immigrant, US presidential candidate Donald Trump took a stand. He had already suggested that the government keep a database of Syrian refugees, but on December 7 he suggested an even more rigorous measure: a temporary ban on all Muslim immigration. The dilemma of discerning between radical Muslims and peaceful Muslims was cast into the spotlight once more. Many concerned Americans took a stand against Trumps suggestion, including me.

Another concerned American, a professor at Wheaton College, decided to show her solidarity with Muslims by donning a hijab and proclaiming her support for Muslims who, she said, worship the same God as Christians. On December 15, Wheaton placed the professor on administrative leave to consider whether her views were theologically in line with those of the university. The highly polarized public response included statements of approbation and condemnations of bigotry, and many of the voices had neither clarity nor charity.

I spent Christmas Day writing a blog response entitled Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? an expanded version of which constitutes Question 13 in this book. The feedback I received confirmed a growing suspicion in my mind: There is too much confusion, too much misdirected anger, too much misinformation, too little balance, and too little grace to remain silent any longer.

Most responses I have seen to the present crisis are polarized, either dismissing violent jihad as irrelevant to Islam or asserting that all Muslims should be treated as potential threats. In this book, I hope to clarify both the reality of violent jihad in Islam and a compassionate approach to our Muslim neighbors.

The year 2015 ended with a USA Today headline, The World Is on New Years Eve Alert. I couldnt help but see the vague and alarming title as emblematic of the whole year. The first news report of 2016 that I read was of a mass shooting in Tel Aviv, the shooter smiling as he shot indiscriminately into a bar, his backpack containing a . This year will be pivotal in American politics, and I do not doubt that polarized opinions will intensify, not least because terrorist attacks may do the same. But there are lives in the balance, and we must respond carefully. I cannot feign impartiality. Ignoring the reality of jihad endangers my nation, while responding with fear endangers my Muslim family.

There is a better way forward, a way that upholds both truth and compassion. I pray that is what you will find in the pages of this book.

MANY PEOPLE worked together to produce this book at lightning speed, from conception to execution in less than three weeks. In no particular order, I would like to thank Madison Trammel and the Zondervan team for being open to my unorthodox notions of how quickly a book should be published. I would also like to thank my literary agent, Mark Sweeney, for his consistent presence and encouragement. Thanks is also due to Dr. Ravi Zacharias, Sarah Davis, and the RZIM team for their support and enthusiasm.

I must also acknowledge and thank David Cook, Sean Oliver-Dee, Richard Shumack, Daniel Brubaker, and Lincoln Loo for reading the book and providing me with their invaluable feedback. Also, almost everything I have written is in some way related to Mark Mittelberg, and I am once again indebted to him for his hand in this book.