Quoting: Al-Jazeerah Website
Synopsis from The American Thinker by James M. Arlandson.
This translation of a televised conversation reveals a rare glimpse into the outlook of Muslim scholars who are concerned about Christianity’s growth. The invited guest is Sheikh Ahmad Al Katani; the president of The Companions Lighthouse for the Science of Islamic Law in Libya, which is an institution specializing in graduating imams and Islamic preachers.
Katani starts off describing the overall problem:
Islam used to represent, as you previously mentioned, Africa’s main religion and there were 30 African languages that used to be written in Arabic script. The number of Muslims in Africa has diminished to 316 million, half of whom are Arabs in North Africa. So in the section of Africa that we are talking about, the non Arab section, the number of Muslims does not exceed 150 million people. When we realize that the entire population of Africa is one billion people, we see that the number of Muslims has diminished greatly from what it was in the beginning of the last century. On the other hand, the number of Catholics has increased from one million in 1902 to 329 million 882 thousand (329,882,000). Let us round off that number to 330 million in the year 2000.
As to how that happened, well there are now 1.5 million churches whose congregations account for 46 million people. In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity. Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Ever year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity. These numbers are very large indeed.
From what I have heard from reliable sources, six million may be too low. Reliable accounts say that one hundred thousand Africans convert to Christianity per day, though not all of them come from Islam. Then Katani says Muslims should build schools before mosques, in order to build the worshipper (Muslim) before the building. Why? To stop the the dangerous “Christian missionary octopus”
This happens often! The wealthy Arab builds a mosque for himself or one of his parents of his friend, but my dear sir, building a mosque comes as a second stage. In America, the price of building an Islamic school is 5 million dollars. In Africa, 50 thousand dollars are enough to build a very reasonably sized school. I say this and I take full responsibility for it; building a school comes before building a mosque. Build the worshiper before you build the mosque. Take for example yourself; you go to the mosque five times a day and if you added all that time it would equal an hour or maybe two hours if you include the Friday prayer. However, if I ask you how long you stayed at school, you will reply that you spent years in middle school and years in high school. Likewise the African goes to the mosque, but if we built him a school where he could spend most of his time, and provided specialized educators we could at least stop this dangerous Christian missionary octopus.
Katani states the purpose of his school:
The truth is, the institution that I administer is considered pre-college. As for the subject of attracting and preparing specialized missionaries to bring them from their countries to Libya in order to train them and return them back to their countries, that is done through the Islamic Propagation Organization. This organization has graduated a number of classes, some of whose students had masters and doctorate degrees. These efforts were fruitful in that these graduates were able to attract people from their lands and countries because they spoke the language and understood the customs of the people they were proselytizing. This way, the missionary is not a foreigner to the community he is working with, contrast that to what would happen if I went to the Philippines for example. I can’t speak a single Philippino word; much less invite people to the faith.
By now other Muslim leaders have joined in. Abbas Hamid lives in Holland, and he deplores the un-Islamic way of life:
My brother may Allah reward you. We muslims in Holland suffer a lot when we see issues like this and we really suffer when we see a muslim, as the sheikh said, who spends millions in bars and entertainment while other muslims are lost and cannot find a translation of the Koran. Even their children who are able to learn cannot memorize the Koran, they can’t find a translated Koran or even any translated book. The first thing we must do is mend our selves; the Islamic countries must fix themselves first and then they can look at Africa. May Allah reward you and this issue is interesting.
Later, an Arabic-speaking Christian discusses how Islam must preach peace and love. No one denies, as none of the Muslim scholars do, that a religion has the right to spread his faith (except in hard line Islamic countries), but these leaders seem panicky. They express frustration at Islam’s disorganized efforts to maintain Africa. But this one idea eludes them: Islam itself is the problem because it is a burdensome and harsh religion. This is apparent when one Muslim scholar talks about implementing Shari’ah as if it is self-evident that it benefits society.
The whole conversation is fascinating. We must educate ourselves about Islam, and with the worldwide web, we have unprecedented opportunities.
Categories: Abrahamic faiths, Africa, CHRISTIANITY, Islam, Monotheism, Slavery, Western Africa
Love how the argument was taken out of course towards the end, with a blanket statement. Peace be with all.
Trojan (Sept 18 2013) was talking about false prophets and bad tree. Paul was the false prophet for the Christians who reversed all the teaching of Jesus Christ a.s. i.e. away with circumcision and belief in One God, away with sabath, away with repentance, away with good deeds. He produced his own gospel which is different to the gospel of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John.
Now about the tree. What bad deeds were done by the Christians in the past 1500 years, the way they fought each other. We must not forget the bloody Mary, Queen of Scotland. Also not to forget the church persecuting Galileo, the famous scientist and engineer.
The latest work of Christian powers was the enslavement of the poor black people of Afrika. Was that any defensive work? Trojans please understand. The harsh verses of the Quran are against the fanatic, hostile persons of any faith. they are called Kafir. they may be found in Muslims or Hindus or Jews or Christians.
Islam does allow any one to offer the other cheek to every fanatic person for all times. Islam allows defensive measures to save weak humans from persecution. Islam also allows freedom of thought, freedom of beliefs. Islam even allows fighting to protect freedom of conscience.
Correction: Islam does NOT allow any one to offer the other cheek…………
what happen man uyou are so warried about this conversion. i think it is good becouse these people are coming to our lord jesus our saviour.so i advise you to worry about your life.
Islam brings all the worst situation of our earth. I think this religion is outdated lets change it it does not fit 21 century
I read all of your comments against the Islam . I am a mohammaden boy .I know that only Satan can say like your comments . Qur’an says 21century Satan will win..
You are very correct bro…..
You are the brainwashed. Islam has never beed good. 900 million hindus have been murdered by muslims
If that is ehat you call a good religion you are deluded
Africa needs Jesus the christ. we want to be free from evil religion Islam which teaches people ton kill each other.
Go read your violent Bible
Anonymous!
Africa needs to accept Islam through its true teachings and guidance i.e. Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at.
How can Jesus save the whole humanity when he could not save himself fro man accursed death on cross and kept crying to God?
Before advising your African brothers try to teach Christianity to Christian nations creating weapons of mass destruction, mongering wars, creating chaos everywhere, causing bloodshed, nurturing extremism and insurgences…
And please also try to put your name and avoid living in anonmity
He h I m self don’t save his father god in heaven gavery him the ways h e had and he knew he would die on cross for our sin cause that’s what God told him his was brought to flesh life for god is still the one but Jesus is his son who is sent for the ultimate sacrifice
For your kind information Mohammed was a false prophet.whole Quran is copied from Bible beginning to Jesus Christ .even in Quran Jesus was said kalimattullah ie word of God,ruhullah ie spirit of God .in Quran itself it is written Jesus charismatic personality who cured man who was suffering from leprosy.He gave life who was dead and many things….but Mohammed had done nothing in his life accept false teaching
Even in Quran it is written that Jesus will come back.
Kendra: My God can simply say ‘I forgive you’ and does not need ‘blood’. Please continue to read The Muslim Times and you might find interesting views!
This clearly shows the intent of Islam to grow the religion from schools up. If “Abbas Hamid lives in Holland, and he deplores the un-Islamic way of life:” Then live in a muslim country and leave Holland. No one is forcing him to stay there to impose his unwanted beliefs on the Dutch Society.
Why is the whole argument about having a Qur’an to read that is translated? “while other muslims are lost and cannot find a translation of the Koran” What does that say about Islam?
The Qur’an was not written by Muhammad. He is a Pedophile, a war monger, conquerer and a murderer. Why would this book be so important?
Islam will self destruct because it teaches hate, killing, Jihad, revenge, ALL THE BAD HUMNA BEHAVIOURS.
Even the African people can see this. Good on them.
The only successful nations have been Muslim ones. NonMuslims are so brainwashed into patriotism that they gladly submit to over taxation, injustice, corruption, oppression, etc. Some former American leaders have called citizens, not just Americans, slaves. The only difference is modern day ones don’t realize it. You ignorant haters have never read the Quran to try to understand it nor have you read the history of Islam to see its justice and peace. The Torah and Gospel prophesize the coming of Prophet Muhammad. Read your books.