After seeing “The Passion” Muslims start searching for the Gospel

Asia News ^ | April 7, 04 | Asia News

[churchillbuff]

Doha (AsiaNews) – “”Do you have the New Testament in Arab? Me and all my friends would like to read it.” This was the request of 2 students from Qatar, after seeing Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”.

Already on the second day after the film started showing in Qatar, many local newspapers are reporting the film on their front pages. According to the English language daily, The Peninsula Qatar, since the first three days of its release, 66,321 tickets have been sold –smashing the record once held by Matrix Reloaded, which had sold 59,000.

The film is becoming so popular in Qatar that some theaters have cancelled showings of other films in order to increase viewings of Gibson’s blockbuster.

Middle East Christians are spellbound by the interest Arabs have taken in the seeing the Gospel portrayed on the big screen.

The movie has sparked hours of discussion between Christians and Muslims regarding questions of faith. Many Arabs were interested in seeing the film only because of the anti-Semitic controversy surrounding it. However the movie’s theme is an unavoidable subject. “The message of loving your enemies and Jesus who, even while up on the cross, prayed for and forgave them strikes all viewers deeply,” said David and Natalie, an American married couple working in Qatar.

The American couple said they were amazed the government had permitted the film to be released in an Islamic country like Qatar. “In the next few weeks tens of thousands of people living here will go and see this powerful retelling of Christ’s suffering and death. Many moviegoers react to the film. For example, those sitting next to us in the theater were moved and breathless. Others wept or had looks of disgust on their facers when watching the brutality Jesus underwent,” they said.

"This film is generating huge interest in Jesus and the Bible,” said David and Natalie. “All this has never happened before!”

[blanknoone]

I have never gotten the Islamic take on Christianity. They consider Him a prophet...but not the Son of God, so apparently they consider Him a prophet who lied. I get cognitive dissonance just thinking about it...and I'm an atheist.

[mudblood]

I'm pretty sure I remember that any muslim who converts to Christianity will be issued a death sentence. They'd have to do it in secret or leave the country.
I think the islamic world is very curious about us westerners. They aren't so stupid as to think that everything their leaders say is solid gold. They probably say out loud, "Hey, lets go see why the Americans hate the jews too!", but underneath they are going, "Ok, finally I get a chance to watch a movie about Christianity without losing my job, getting beat up or killed". I'm going out on a limb on that statement and won't stake my life on it.

[SJackson]

Arab views, for what they're worth. At this point, it's not going to radicalize them any more.

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Collective Guilt - Should it Exempt the Jews but Engulf the Muslims?

Violence > Violence, Anti-Jewish Sentiment, and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Ten Good Men and Christian Zionism

[churchillbuff]

Mel Gibson spreads the word better than those pesky Jahova's Witnesses.

BUMP

[ZULU]

No. The worst case is that they will misinterpet the whole thing and use it as an excuse to hate Christians and Jews both more, and try to launch even more Jihads against us.

Note what I said - they are watching the same thing you and I are watching - but seeing something quite different. The film is really just a single snapshot out of Christ's life, not his entire story, although it has some flashbacks.

[churchillbuff]

The film is really just a single snapshot out of Christ's life, not his entire story, although it has some flashbacks.

DID YOU READ THE ARTICLE? PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR COPIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT -- THE "ENTIRE STORY," AS YOU PUT IT. As often happens with a movie about an historical event, viewers want to know more. In this case, that's a good thing. GOD BLESS MEL GIBSON.

[ZULU]

The Inquisition read the same Bible - essentially - we all read here. But they hardly understood it. I am just skeptical of Islam and Muslims and don't think they view things the same way we do.

Perhaps I'm wrong and some genuine conversions may occur. I hope you are right and I am wrong.

[chesley]

May the Lord use this film in all the world to lead souls to Christ. Amen

[adam_az]

I dunno, they hate us a lot as it is.

What are they going to do, declare a jihad, hijack planes, and start insurgencies?

They already do all that on their own.

Besides, if they want all our war it's better for us to have it sooner rather than later.

[churchillbuff]

I am just skeptical of Islam and Muslims and don't think they view things the same way we do.

So you don't believe in evangelization. Good thing Peter, Paul and the rest of the apostles didn't agree with you, or christianity never would have been preached to the gentiles, who, after all, didn't "view things the same way" that Jews, and Jewish Christians, did.

[churchillbuff]

“”Do you have the New Testament in Arab? Me and all my friends would like to read it.”

You find this a troubling statement. I find it a hopeful one.

[ZULU]

Muslims believe Christ was a prophet sent from God to teach mankind. They believe that He was not the Son of God however. Muslims do not believe in a Tiune God as do Christians. They believe someone else was switched for Him and died in His place because God would never let one of His prophets be crucified. They also believe that Mohammad was the last prophet - the Seal of the Prophets. That after him no prophets could possibly come. Yet we have so-called "Black" Muslims who believe Elijah Mohammad was a prophet. People can find all kinds of ways to justify what they believe is correct.

Even if you are an atheist or agnostic - you should read some theological history. Its amazing what people can find to kill each other over and equally amazing how they can totally miss a message.

[Romulus]

The worst case is that they will misinterpet the whole thing and use it as an excuse to hate Christians and Jews both more, and try to launch even more Jihads against us.

Some things you just have to leave in God's hands. Christians have an obligation to evangelise. To withold the scriptures from someone motivated by religious curiosity would be a violation of the comandment to love one's neighbor.

[SedVictaCatoni]

I see your point. "The Passion", through radical Muslim eyes:

1. Once upon a time, the decadent West forcibly occupied part of the Middle East.
2. God sent a prophet to convey His word.
3. The faithless westerners weren't interested in virtue, and were annoyed by his presence.
4. The conniving Jews saw their chance, and had God's prophet butchered.
5. Just goes to show that a) the Jews are evil, and b) the West is evil.

You can see why a Muslim who sees "The Passion" isn't going to instantly turn into a Methodist.

[Aquinasfan]

“The message of loving your enemies and Jesus who, even while up on the cross, prayed for and forgave them strikes all viewers deeply,” said David and Natalie, an American married couple working in Qatar.

The truth is powerful, and cuts across all cultural lines. God bless them. God help them.

[ZULU]

Well, ACTUALLY, the pagan Romans and Greeks had a much more open and receptive view towards "other" gods than the Muslims do. Roman persecution of Christians was totally ineffective, sporadic, half-hearted and never really carried out with ruthless efficiency.

The same does not apply in Islamic Countries. Its considered a capital offense under Sharia to attempt to convert a Muslim and a capital offense for a Muslim to allow himself/herself to be converted.

[churchillbuff]

4. The conniving Jews saw their chance, and had God's prophet butchered.

That's not what "Radical Muslim eyes" see, because they don't believe Jesus was crucified.

[ZULU]

You put that extremely well.

[VRWCmember]

Yeah, but she said first we had to CONQUER them.

Actually she said we should "bomb their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity" (she was speaking of the people in middle eastern countries where people celebrated in the streets at the news of the attacks on us.)

[churchillbuff]

Its considered a capital offense under Sharia to attempt to convert a Muslim

Same goes in a lot of communist countries - - - didn't stop people from converting, though. (People have converted to Christianity since Nero's time -- actually, since the time when the religious authorities in Jerusalem stoned St. Stephen -- in spite of threat of death.