On 12 July at The Law Society in Chancery Lane, London, Christian Concern hosted a book launch for Not the Same God, written by two former Muslims, converts to the Christian faith.
Christian Concern is a non-profit organisation founded by Andrea Williams. She said of the book that it ‘certainly shines a spotlight on contemporary culture’, one in which there is considerable pressure to minimise differences between religions and to accept that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.
Sufficient similarity?
The book addresses this question and challenges the concept of ‘sufficient similarity’. The evening was guided by the expertise of author Sam Solomon and co-author Atif Debs, as they debunked the myth of ‘sameness’. Colin Dye, senior minister at Kensington Temple for 25 years, who wrote the Foreword for the book, said that making a claim that both religions worship the same God is yielding to a process that steadily Islamises the whole of the Bible ‘and that is a very dangerous process.’
Authors
Sam is a long-standing friend and supporter of Christian Concern. He studied sharia law for 15 years and worked as an Islamic jurist. Later, he was given a New Testament, which led to his ‘wonderful and radical’ conversion. This caused him to have to flee his homeland. He is an expert on Islamic theology, a widely respected author and advisor to politicians around the world, and is internationally recognised as such.
Atif Debs was raised in a more moderate strand of Islam and is a former university professor. Since his conversion he has devoted his energy and knowledge to exposing the differences between these two major faiths. Both men addressed the guests and subject matter with graciousness and proficiency.
Among the attendees was Baroness Cox, introduced by Andrea Williams as ‘a most valiant fighter for both truth and justice.’ Most recently Baroness Cox has highlighted the plight of women who were discriminated against by the governments of sharia council, and has introduced a Bill that would curb their activities in this country. She spoke with high regard for all of those involved in the publication and production of the book.
British society now
Britain is a country founded on Christian values, yet beneath the veneer is an anti- Christian core. The narrative of our society has dramatically changed and what lies within is a culture whose capitalist government relies heavily on the concept of sufficient similarity in terms of religion. It is widely believed among Western thinkers – Christians and non-Christians – that the differences between these two worldviews are superficial, that they are fundamentally the same. However, the opposite is true: the similarities are superficial and the differences are crucial. The explanations given for the current climate in media coverage of events relating to Islamic extremism is unconvincing. Can their actions be so easily disconnected from the Qur’an and therefore mainstream Islamic teaching?
The event suggested that, in order for genuine, respectful and open dialogue to take place, we must openly acknowledge our differences. There is no doubt that Allah is not the same as the God of the Bible. Sam and Atif, as ex-Muslims and experts in Islamic theology, are the best of all people to explain why. The book deserves to be very widely read and discussed.
