I hope you have enjoyed reading the last six posts on the mosaic of Muslim women. You may have been surprised to discover that there is such a rich and interesting mosaic of Muslim women in the world. Perhaps you have thought they all wear hijabs, niqabs, or burkas, are all suppressed by men, and are dangerous. We can have faulty(or incomplete) impressions which most likely have come from TV images and reports and certain books. It’s usually when we get to know them personally that our impressions undergo a change. It is wise to be reminded that culturally speaking it is more appropriate for Christian women to engage with Muslim women and Christian men with Muslim men.
I have written about nationalistic women, traditionalists, the mystical type, superstitious, religious and secular women. There are even more – such as the Muslim feminist type of woman. Some of these types can overlap with each other. For example, a nationalistic Muslim woman may be superstitious or mystical but her nationalistic spirit prevails over other characteristics. It helps to understand these different characteristic traits when we want to witness to them about the Lord Jesus Christ. We will understand their point of need better. Can you identify the type of woman your Muslim friend is? Which kind do you think would be the hardest to befriend? The easiest? Why do you think so? One thing is for sure - the Holy Spirit understands each type of woman and knows how to draw them to the Savior.
Gaining knowledge and understanding is beneficial but it is only a starting point. Nowadays Christians are accumulating more and more knowledge and awareness of Muslims, Islamic culture and trends, and of the Qur’an and Hadith. This knowledge may be correct or incorrect and certainly can have a bias to it. Recently, I spoke at a Christian college about God loves Muslims and so do I. A young man came up to me afterwards and said, “I thought I was the only one who loves Muslims. I’ve kept it a secret from other people. You said it was easy to love Muslims and I’ve found that true, too.” He had the impression that Christians were not allowed to love Muslims. Unfortunately that is what he had been picking up in his Christian circle.
We share our world with approximately 800 million Muslim females which includes babies, girls and women. One out of four females is a Muslim. God loves them dearly. There are scores of Christian women across the globe these days who are moving beyond knowledge and awareness of Muslims and Islam and intentionally reaching out with God’s love to Muslim females. As a result there are many Muslim women who have discovered that Jesus Christ is not only a revered prophet but their Savior. Hallelujah! When we love them it prepares the way for them to hear a proclamation and understand the Good News.
Benediction: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Spirit be with you all.” II Corinthians 13:13
