It is difficult to speak generally to this topic because there is a wide range of beliefs and practices among various wings of Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion and the tens of thousands of Protestant faith groups.  Protestant Christianity is obviously divided into at least liberal and conservative wings – divisions which hold few beliefs in common. What I have tried to do in this presentation is to give a simplistic and lacking in precision description.  By profession I belong to the conservative, traditional and denominational part of the Evangelical wing.  Simply put, being an evangelicals means: one who holds to:

Biblicism:  Through the scriptures of the old and new testaments, the God who is objectively. ‘There’ has revealed universal and eternal truth to human kind in such a way that all can grasp it.
Christocentrism:  God’s eternal Word became human in the historical man Jesus of Nazareth, who definitely reveals God to humanity.
Crucicentrism:  The good news of God’s revelation in Christ is seen supremely in the cross, where atonement was made for people of every race, tribe and tongue.
Conversionism: The truth of the eternal gospel must be appropriated in personal faith, which comes through repentance – that is, a discernible reorientation of the sinner’s mind and heart towards God.
Activism: Gospel truth must be demonstrated in evangelism and social service.
(David Bebbington’s listing in “Evangelism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1970s to the 1980s”).
Permit me to complicate the topic given to me a little bit more – all students of religions know that religious practices and beliefs throughout the world are influenced by many factors:
What the religion’s holy book says.
How the book is interpreted by theologians + clergy.
The impact of scientific findings
Individual’s personal experience, and
The culture in which the religion is embedded.
These factors vary from country to country.  This leads to selective reading of the Holy Book to find justification for local practices.
I am glad that the topic is not ‘Islam in the eyes of Christians’ but rather a Christian. What this means in essence is ‘Islam in the eyes of Josiah’. This has to be the case because different Christian denominations and different Christian priests, pastors and lay people have their understanding of Islam as it relates to Christianity, the Christian faith and the individual Christian. In the broadest sense most Christians believe that Islam together with Judaism and Christianity are Abrahimic religions and therefore monotheistic in character. In the variety of Christian denominations, however, it is only the Roman Catholic Church which in its Vatican II Declaration in 1965 in Nostra Aetate, makes clear its position in relation to Islam when it wrote:
The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims.  They adore the one God, living and subsisting in himself, merciful and all powerful, the creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to humans; they take pains to submit whole heartedly even to his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam is gladly linked, submitted to God, they revere him as a prophet.  They also honour Mary, his virgin mother; at times they even call on her with devotion.  Moreover, they look forward to the day of judgement when God will render what is deserved to all those raised up from the dead.  For this reason, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, alms giving and fasting.

This statement of the Roman Catholic Church provides guidelines for the Catholic understanding of Islam and Muslims. The rest of the Christian blocs such as the World Council of Churches, the Anglican Communion Worldwide, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Laussanne Group of Churches have made different statements which I would not like to bore you with since the subject matter is my reflection rather than different Churches views on Islam.

ISLAM IN MY EYES. This is the religion of Muslims and from my knowledge and interactions, a Muslim is any person male or female, of any nation, who has professed the Muslim creed sincerely and with true intent: “I bear witness that there is no god but (the one) God and that Muhammad is the Apostle of (the one) God.’  Within this general definition, however, the individual Muslim is an individual in the same way as the Christian and his attitude towards his religion will be personal to him, having been formed within a wide variety of circumstances, pressures and experience.  As in Christendom, birth and tribal or ethnic origin play a very large part in determining an individual’s religious allegiance.  It is difficult, therefore, to generalize about any particular Muslims’ attitude towards his religion.  Nevertheless, it is important that non –Muslims should have some idea of the basic religious attitudes which they might expect Muslims to hold.  Here then is a very generalized statement on Islam through the eyes of an Evangelical Christian:

Islam teaches that all men are called to be God’s servants, and that their lives are controlled and shaped by God’s will.  It teaches that God has entrusted each individual with a certain portion of this world’s goods to use in his service.

Muslims see themselves as belonging to the community to which Muhammad was sent as God’s Apostle, and “the seal of the prophets”: i.e. last in the succession of prophets which included Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptizer and Jesus (Isa’ Ibn Mariam).  Muslims venerate the Qur’an as the eternal Word of God, which Muhammad was commissioned to give to the world.  They are loyal to the community of Islam and, in times of danger, will fight bravely for it.  They want to grow in size and importance.

Muslims believe they have certain religious duties towards God, these include the daily prayers and recitation of the Qur’an, the fasting of Ramadhan, the giving of alms, and the duty to make pilgrimage to Makka at least once in a life-time.

They follow the Muslim religious law (the sharia), as far as they can or permitted to do so in matters of marriage, inheritance and personal conduct:  such matters include the prohibition of usury, of alcohol, and the eating of pork.

Muslims believe that all human people must render account to God on the Day of Judgment.  Many believe that Muhammad will then intercede for Muslims, and they all look forward to the joys of heaven which God will give to those whom he judges favourably.

My view presented above is formed from my association with my Muslim friends from childhood, my studies over the years and my commitment to understanding Islam from Muslims.


Factors which unite Islam and Christianity   
A common religious heritage: Christianity and Islam are both associated in     different ways with Judaism, and relationships between the three religions have     often been close.  This is symbolized in their common descent from Abraham     and in the honour which they all pay to Palestine as the land which God has made     a blessing for mankind (Q3.67, 21:71).  Permit me to share in brief some     principal beliefs which both Islam and Christianity hold in common:
   
a.    God, the Ground of all being, is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, and he encounters human beings in a way which appears to them as personal. (Allah is the Arabic word for ‘God’ and is used by Arabic – speaking Christians as well as by Muslims.

b.    The whole universe, being grounded in God’s will, is a coherent and ordered structure, which is open to scientific investigation and research.

c.    God controls history and he will himself execute the end of history in judgment.

d.    God has revealed his will through prophets and apostles, and through sacred scriptures.

e.    Human beings are called to exercise social and moral responsibility as part of their duty of God.

f.    Human beings may make petitions to God, confident that he will hear them and that he is able to effect his will in the world.


Christians and Muslims working together
Friends, this list of beliefs held in common is impressive and makes up a large part of any person’s philosophy of life.  Those who share such a wide range of similar attitudes towards the world and human responsibility within it, should find it possible to share together in many common enterprises. Islam and Christianity share a common monotheistic vision:  a belief in one divine God, in the transience of our earthly life, in our accountability for our actions, and in the assurance of life to come.  We share many key values in common: respect for knowledge, for justice, compassion towards the poor and under privileged, the importance of family life, respect for parents. ‘Honour they Father and Mother’ is a Qur’anic precept too.
 In the light of this, it is my humble proposal to this highest level of authority within the Muslim umma in Nigeria that we support the good leadership of the President General of NSCIA the Sultan of Sokoto, Alh. Sa’ad Abubakar 111 in his joint efforts with the CAN President, Archbishop John Onaiyekan in the following areas of co-operation.
On the environment. The concept of Khalifah and the command in Genesis 2, and Q.15:28-29, to care for God’s creation on earth are known to both the Muslim and Christian communities. Both accept the teaching that human beings have a sacred duty to look after creation as ordained by God. For the survival of this generation and those after it, both communities should cooperate with the various arms of government.
ii.    On health. Both faiths face common problems with health matters and both  communities through NIREC joint leadership between the co-chairmen is already working with the federal Ministy of health on the eradication of malaria from Nigeria.



iii. Faith and politics in Islamic and Christian thoughts . As Christians and Muslims we live in differing contexts all over this country, sometimes as a majority and sometimes a minority in a democratic setting.  With so much in common how far are these two communities victims of structural violence from the weight of history and the mass media? How do we as men and women of faith envisage ways to regulate and construct our society in accordance with the teaching of our faith?
What is the role of Islam, in particular, what is the role of ijtihad (disciplined interpretation) in the formulation and the application of the principle of equal rights and opportunities to all citizens in the state (especially where shariah is enforced)?

     iv.    Social justice and development. How can Christians and Muslims act together in order to realize throughout their     societies the Christian and Islamic ideals of social justice and integral human     development?  How can they engage in non-violent struggle against unjust     administrations and alleviate the plight of the poor? Can Muslim and Christian scholars cooperate in defining the rights of individuals and groups to enjoy social and political justice?

    v.    Christian mission and Islamic da’wah.    Christian mission and Islamic da’wah are integral to our respective faiths.  We     should seek to purify our motives and methods in the practice of mission and     da’wah and should avoid exploiting the weakness of others. The Qur’an actually has more specific and clear-cut instructions on how to do da’wah than we have in the Bible; Q. 2:256 (no compulsion in religion); 18: 29. ( Say. The truth is from your Lord, Let him who will believe, and let him who will reject’).
Our history has been closely bound up together. this, however, is one root of the problem.  For much of that history has been one of conflict; fourteen centuries too often marked by mutual hostility.

4.    Factors which divide Christianity and Islam
Above are some assets which can contribute to the building of good relationships between Muslims and Christians.  There are also factors from differences in theology either between individual Muslims and Christians or between their communities.  I would attempt a list of some of these theological issues so as to hopefully jump-start an ongoing theological discussion as we work together in some practical areas.

The attitude of the Qur’an towards Christians is an ambiguous one.  On the one hand, Christians are said to be “the closest in friendship” to the Muslims, and , on the other, Muslims are commanded to fight Christians (and Jews) “until they pay tribute and have been humbled” (Q5.82, 9.29)
Although the Qur’an formally denies the incarnation and the crucifixion, yet it gives special status to Jesus and calls him, in the context of the virgin birth, “a word from God” (Q3.45) and “a spirit from him” (4:171).  The Qur’anic accounts of Jesus (mainly 3,42-63, 5.110-120,,19:16-40), have in themselves led individual Muslims to venerate Jesus and pledge themselves to him.

The main theological discrepancies between the two faiths occur within three areas which are of fundamental importance for an understanding of God’s relationship with the created universe.

God and Man.  The emphasis which Islam places upon God’s transcendence makes it impossible for Muslims to accept the Christian belief that God willed to become one with mankind by the incarnation of his Word.  This is linked with a denial of doctrine of the Trinity, but with the Trinity conceived in terms of God, Mary and Jesus.

God and Evil. The Qur’anic denial of the crucifixion is one expression of its emphasis upon the triumphant and transcendent sovereignty of God.  To the Muslim, God is King of the ages, the Arbiter of the destinies of all living beings, and he cannot, in the last resort, allow his prophet – servant to be defeated or allow his prophet – servant to be defeated or humiliated by his enemies.  To the Christian, God is not only King, but also, and as truly, Father, and he suffers in and with his children.  The passion of our Lord is the incarnation of God’s eternal love, and in accepting it as such, the Christian declares that the defeat of evil and its transformation depend not upon authority but upon love.

It is in accord with its denial of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that Islam does not emphasize as much as Christianity does the consequences of human sinning or the hostility of evil to the purposes of God.  Forgiveness in Islamic teaching is God’s sovereign prerogative, and human people, as God’s servants, have the capacity within themselves to respond in obedience to him.

God and his people.  The Qur’an criticizes Christians on two specific points, besides their failure to recognize the claims of Muhammad: the excessive honour which they pay to their clergy (9:30-34), and their sectarianism (5-14, 19-37). These defects, from the Qur’anic viewpoint, arise from a failure to take the sovereignty of God seriously enough. The objections which Muslims make to Christian belief and practice within these three areas are made with seriousness and they arise out of a determination to affirm the sovereignty of God.  They will not be overcome until Christians make it clear, beyond doubt, that their joyous appreciation of God’s grace in Christ is matched by a corresponding awe and reverence towards him in his transcendent glory.

Conclusion. I conclude this piece on ‘my view of Islam’ by expressing my personal appreciation to the sultan Of Sokoto, president General of the Nigeria supreme council of Islamic affairs. He has continued to work hard at building bridges of understanding between these two great religious communities in this country with Archbishop J. Onaiyekan, the CAN President. Both of them have taken this ministry to a very high level and they deserve to be supported by all well-meaning leaders in the country. I end with these memorable words of Dr. Martin Luther King (1969):
Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies. This call for a world-wide fellowship that lifts neighbourly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class, religion and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men
(‘Chaos and Community’, (pg.181. pelican)

..A PAPER PRESENTED TO THE NEC MEETING OF NSCIA IN KADUNA, MAY   31ST 2010   .