Talking Truth to the Muslim World (priest's message rocks Muslim world)

CBN News ^ | October 2006 | Steve Little

[NYer]

Father Zakaria Boutros

Father Zakaria Boutros looks like a mild-mannered, unassuming priest. But his message is rocking much of the Muslim world.

His television program called 'Truth Talk' is broadcast daily into the Middle East over the Al-Hiyat satellite channel. On it, he challenges Muslims to examine what he says are inconsistencies in Islamic doctrine – inconsistencies that he says Muslim leaders don't want exposed and ordinary Muslims are told never to question.

“Islam cannot stand in front of intellectual questions and no one can understand because of contradictions in Koran, contradictions in Hadith, contradictions and false doctrines. So they don't want anybody to ask and to learn. 'This is Islam, you have to accept it as it is' lest you should be killed,” Zakaria said.

Father Zakaria doesn't stop at challenging the teachings of Islam. He also questions the Prophet Mohammed himself, who Zakaria says had his mind set on wordly pursuits.

“He said that his concerns are three things: women, perfume, and food,” he said. “Where is the kingdom of God? Where is the glory of God? Where is the salvation? Where is love? Where is the mission of a true Prophet of God?”

Father Zakaria's broadcasts have generated intense anger in the Muslim world and there's a $60 million bounty on his head. But he makes no excuses for his confrontational style.

He says the provocative statements are designed to challenge Muslims to examine their faith.

“This is my way: short, sharp, shock for the unconscious,” Zakaria said

That was the case with James, an Egyptian who began watching Truth Talk late at night while the rest of his family slept.

"When I first saw the show, I was angry at him. I wanted revenge," he said.

He began studying the Koran and the Bible to refute father Zakaria's claims, and in the process learned more about Christianity and Islam.

"I started to think about things I had never thought of before. My understanding changed and things became clear," James said.

James came to faith in Jesus Christ watching Father Zakaria. His wife soon followed.

"I realized Islam was a fake religion, Mary said. “When I learned the truth, I removed my veil. I felt freedom. I had been released. "Life is not about religion it's about a relationship between us and Christ. Christ is life."

Father Zakaria says the Muslim world is full of people like James and Mary.

Thousands of people visit his Internet chat room on 'Pal Talk' every month.

They come to challenge Father Zakaria's teaching and end up learning more about Jesus Christ.

[George W. Bush]

The western churches seem to fit the description of the rich church in Revelation, the church that says to itself that it is "rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing", and does not know that it is poor and lame and halt and blind in spiritual riches that really count.

Not to mention the repeated calls to relieve the church of Jerusalem who had so many in its care, found in the Epistles. We are even more shamed because Arab Christians don't especially want alms or financial support. They need for us to put pressure on our government to improve human rights and religious freedom in their countries.

These Muslim countries can ignore individuals. But if we write our State Department and our Senators and Congressmen, Christians in the West can make all the difference between life and death for persecuted brethren in Muslim countries.

One of the things that human rights groups have done to increase safety of persecuted peoples is to target the safety and public access for the leaders of Christian communities in repressive countries. When enough heat is generated, those persons become far safer from attack in their countries.

When our government understands that we really care about and will vote on these issues, just as we do with abortion and family issues, we will see our State Department and diplomats push for human rights in those countries.

I hope the pinglist can grow here and attract a common effort. We have plenty of time and freedom to bash one another's theology here in the comfort and safety of America. But to neglect brethren who suffer for the name of Christ while we sit about bickering over theology seems to me to have the merit of behaving like the Pharisees who could never hear Christ's true message.

I think some churches have adopted persecuted churces as sister-churches and support them and try to protect them. One of the greatest things we can do to help these churches is to exchange visits and correspondence with them. It seems to be that once you have met and heard these persecuted Christians speak in your own church, Americans won't put up with them being persecuted and tortured in their homelands.

The two main organizations I know of that work to support the persecuted are these:

Voice Of The Martyrs: http://www.persecution.com {The Wurmbrands and others, Wumbrand wrote the classic Tortured For Christ about persecution by Communists, available free from many sources, a must-read)

International Christian Concern: http://www.persecution.org

Perhaps some of you on the Catholic/Orthodox side have some good interfaith organizations as well. Personally, I see this as being non-denominational in the way that Right-To-Life and other Christian organizations are. I only wish there was a single organization like R-T-L that focused on persecution of Christians.

[Bainbridge]

You've got that Right!
But watch out: that is a hate crime.

[The Cuban]

This is why the Muslims don't want their religion questioned at any cost, Its foundations crumble upon any degree of critical analysis.

[The Cuban]

As a Catholic, I rather have a Protestant middle east than a muslim (and, yes, I am being generous).

[The Cuban]

Heck, even St. Anthony of Padua was unsuccessful in trying to convert muslims.

[Myrddin]

Anne Coulter had it right. Father Boutros is making it happen. It's a difficult proposition in a world of illiterates. The success story in the post was a consequence of a literate person who was capable of testing the information against the scriptures. The average person in the muslim world can't do that.

[Myrddin]

The Koran is written in 7th century Arabic and is also just the consonants without spacing between words.

Not true. It is fully vowel marked. That is why so many students of Arabic study it. The downside is that it is hard to separate the study of the language from the "religious" overtones of islam.

[since 1854]

The vowels were not marked until hundreds of years later.

[Myrddin]

The vowels were not marked until hundreds of years later.

I've only seen copies printed in recent years. Absent the vowels, there is room for misinterpretation. Daily newspapers print Arabic without the vowels, but they are using the colloqial language with plenty of context.

[George W. Bush]

It looks like my good friend NYer is taking on the Christian Martyr ping list duty, and she is far and away the best for the job. Thanks NYer!

And it's up to all of us to flag others to it. Maybe I can get a few Calvinists and Baptists interested.

Posting more of the often venomous theological discussions here at FR has a lot less spiritual merit than doing something concrete to relieve the persecution of those who claim Christ as Savior.

Compared to the antichrist religion of Islam, we who are (broadly) orthodox Christians have no comparable quarrels with one another and no right to squabble over theology when they are being murdered and raped for their simple allegiance to Christ. The various strains of Christianity in the Mideast (Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental and Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, Baptist, etc.) all deserve our prayers and support.

The Voice Of The Martyrs website has an Action Pack program where they send you a vacuum-sealable bag and a list of things you can send to persecuted Christians in Iraq (new target) or the more established Pakistani program. $5 per kit, they mail it to you, you send it to them, they send it to Iraq or Pakistan (they reserve the right to send them to Pakistan if they can't get the Packs into Iraq). This might be a good way to get your church or youth group started in this work.

Which of the Catholic charities and the Orthodox are engaged in this work? Any notable non-denominational programs to relieve the Persecuted Church?

[Victoria Delsoul]

Though some Muslims wanted to take revenge and were angered at Father Boutros for speaking out against the Koran and against Mohammed, instead of refuting Father Boustros as was their intention, these same Muslims started reading the Bible and comparing it to the Koran, and in the process began their conversion to Christianity. This dynamic is a testament to Christianity as a true religion and also to Father Boustros as a man of God. Unfortunately, Boustros's life is most likely going to end at the hands of enraged Muslims - rage being a principle taught in the Koran.

Father Boustros' valid points about the Koran and Mohammed are worth repeating:

“Islam cannot stand in front of intellectual questions and no one can understand because of contradictions in Koran, contradictions in Hadith, contradictions and false doctrines. So they don't want anybody to ask and to learn. 'This is Islam, you have to accept it as it is' lest you should be killed,” Zakaria said.

Father Zakaria doesn't stop at challenging the teachings of Islam. He also questions the Prophet Mohammed himself, who Zakaria says had his mind set on wordly pursuits.

“He said that his concerns are three things: women, perfume, and food,” he said. “Where is the kingdom of God? Where is the glory of God? Where is the salvation? Where is love? Where is the mission of a true Prophet of God?”

[stultorum]

"Prayers for the safety of Father Boutros, He is a brave and righteous man."

Amen to that. May the good Lord protect him watch over him.

I will think and pray for him in the coming days.

Very corageous man, indeed.

[RobbyS]

Mohammed's history makes him seem like the kind of Messiah that the Jewish Zealots wanted: a man on horseback, a military leader like David, and a man who enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh.

[RobbyS]

I have heard that there was no Arab literature to speak of before Mohammed.

[John Lenin]

Very brave man, good work and good luck to him.

[jackibutterfly]

I've heard they are taught to only memorize it - not to understand it. That's done in the madrassas by the indoctrinated kids. The rest of the population (women & people in the rural areas) do not know how to read.

[HitmanLV]

It was nice knowing him!

[Tax-chick]

As a Catholic, I say, the more Christians, the better.