No doubt there have to be differences among you........1 Cor 11 v19

Different branches of Islam 

The Muslims you might meet and talk with  will probably not all hold the same set of beliefs and doctrines.  Just as within Christianity there are different denominations, and individually held beliefs within each.  However several main denominations can be identified.  

Shia and Sunni strains split within a generation after the death of Mohammed, over disputes about succession.  Doctrinal differences are not great, but bitterness and persecution can be extreme.  (eg under Saddam Hussein in Iraq)

Sufi Islam is more mystical and concerned with a personal relationship with the almighty.

Wahabi Islam arose in the 18th century in Saudi Arabia, and would probably have remained insignificant, and considered heretical by the mainstream, but for twentieth century oil wealth.  Wahabiism adopts a much more hard-line interpretation of the Qur'an and Hadith,  and indeed added requirements such as the covering of women and prohibition on them driving cars.  The excesses of the Taliban in Afghanistan originated in Wahabiism, as does the al Quaeda terror campaign against the western world.

Although Wahabi Islam is a smaller and later strain of Islam, it has disproportionate influence because of its base in Saudi Arabia which gives it control of vast oil wealth and Islam's holy sites.  Saudi Wahabiism is exported around the Islamic world by sponsorship of schools, colleges, universities and mosques in which their doctrines are advanced.  

 (See "Beyond Iraq" by Mike Evans    9/11 and the War on Terror and Books )

Many Muslims are very peaceable and friendly.   During a recent conversation with a young Muslim, he told me he believes all three monotheistic faiths lead to God and that all who sincerely seek Him will be prepared for heaven by a time in Hell after we die.   Some Muslims are very interested in Jesus.   (see Muslims and Jesus )

You might be interested in Dr. Tawfik Hamid, who has developed his own understanding of Islam that is peaceful and promotes love to every human being irrespective of his or her religion.  He started to preach in Mosques to promote his message of peace and as a result became a target of many fanatics who threatened his life.    "As a Muslim, I am willing to speak out against the hate filled Islamic Fundamentalism that prevails in the world today," he says.

Islamists and Moderate Muslims

How can we be on our guard against Muslims who seek to destroy our civilisation and subjugate our Christian (or Jewish) faith whilst having an open and loving approach to our Muslim neighbours who abhor terrorism practiced in the name of Islam and wish to live in peace with us?

Caroline Cox and John Marks have produced an excellent study addressing this problem. "The West, Islam and Islamism" -"Is ideological Islam compatible with liberal democracy?" published by CIVITAS, ISBN 13 978-1-903386-54-5.

"The aim of this book is to encourage mutual understanding between Islamic and Western worlds. The majority of Muslims are peacable, law abiding citizens. However, Muslim fundamentalists, described here as Islamists, present a challenge to the valuse of Western Democarcies.

With many lapses, modern Western societies strive to uphold values such as tolerance, pluralism, and individual freedom. Islamism is monolithic, intolerant of dissent and hostie to individual liberty.

'Islamic' societies and militant 'islamism' need to be distinguished. Islamism is not compatible with liberal democracy, but it is the hope and intention of the authors that through this book non-Muslims may develop a better understanding of Islam and better relationships with moderate, peaceable Muslims."

Updated 12/4/08

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