God is moving among Muslims, so why aren’t we celebrating?

Alan Hallmart*, who has worked among Muslims for over 40 years, encourages us to engage with our Muslim neighbours with thanksgiving, acknowledging all we have to celebrate.

My friend of many years, Dr David Garrison, author of A Wind in the House of Islam, notes that there is a slow but steady movement of people with Muslim backgrounds coming to Christ. In fact, more Muslims have willingly decided to follow Christ in the last three decades than in all the previous 1,400 years of Christian/ Muslim interaction put together! This coincides with 30 years of more intentional prayer… prayer changes things!

But knowing how to pray for our Muslim neighbours can feel like a difficult proposition, and we have not been helped by ill-informed narratives that influence how we feel about Islamic culture. Sadly, these narratives have often overlooked all that there is to admire and learn from our Muslim neighbours, leaving us unable to connect with their culture and religious perspectives. What a shame this is, as there is so much to celebrate!

Art As A Point Of Celebration And Connection

I have found art a powerful way of connecting with my Muslim neighbours. After living in Alexandria, Egypt for 15 years where I taught industrial art, I became fascinated with Islamic art styles. When an artist friend gave me a piece of Mahogany driftwood, I decided to carve it with Christian and Muslim symbols. Muslims believe your good deeds will be weighed against your bad deeds on the day of judgement. So, I took the balance and played with its shape, creating a cross within it and carving two of Allah’s 99 names into each side of the scales - El Adel, the Just and El Rahman, the Merciful.

This sculpture sits in my home and has generated a lot of interest with my Muslim neighbours, sparking priceless conversations. Some have been quizzical or confused, others have been moved to tears as they contemplate it’s meaning; the cross being where God’s justice and mercy meet.

God is Love. This is the door. Art, for many people, reaches places that words cannot penetrate, but it is not the only method of doing so. Understanding Muslim culture – and genuinely celebrating it! – is key to unlocking natural conversations; conversations that lead to connection, and opportunities to speak of God’s love.

Can we take the time to learn about, pray for and reach out to our Muslim neighbours, thanking God for how He is already moving amongst them?