Denver Catholic

4 MARCH 21-27, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC In-Depth Cover N ews of chaos, conquests and brutal murders stemming from long-standing disputes in the Middle East fills the television screens and computers of Americans. With more recent reports on the expan- sion of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) and its mission to conquer and con- vert the world, Christians may not even consider preaching the Gospel to Muslims. But one local seminary professor sees the Muslim community as needing the love of Christ like any other person. André Villeneuve, assistant professor of theology at St. John Vianney Theolog- ical Seminary, said he began to visit local mosques in an e'ort to build bridges with local Muslims and lead them to an encounter with Christ. "We hear about Islam in the news all the time and most of it is not good," said Ville- neuve, who lived and studied in the Middle East. "At the same time it's one of the fast- est growing religions in America and the world despite the many horror stories we hear, especially most recently with ISIS." A Pew Research Center study found an estimated 1.6 billion Muslims live in the world, making it the second-largest reli- gion after Christianity. Although Islam is associated with Middle Eastern coun- tries, more than 62 percent of Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region and more live in India and Pakistan than the entire Middle East. Colorado also has a Muslim popula- tion. The largest mosque in Denver, the Colorado Islam Society, and the Denver Islamic Society host daily prayer and activities for followers of Islam. In realizing their influence, Villeneuve said he discovered a personal calling to reach out to them. "Our entire mission is to encounter the father and to lead everyone we can to the salvation that's o'ered in Christ," Ville- neuve said. "You want everyone to have this living encounter with the living son of God. I think we all need to wake up to the call to mission." Over the last two months, Villeneuve said he's observed evening prayer and engaged in theological discussions at the Denver Islamic Society. He's also attended an Islam 101 class at the Colo- rado Muslim Society's mosque. During a class held March 14, an Islam teacher talked about ways to pray and worship Allah, meaning God in Arabic. "Allah (God) is distant for them," Vil- leneuve said. "He's not a father. He's merciful. He grants benefits and blessings but there's no real personal relationship with God." The teacher explained to Villeneuve and the class that the purpose of worship is to have a relationship with Allah, and must be according to what he wants. Even sleeping could be an act of worship, the teacher said. The class included discussion on eating with the right hand and not shaking hands with the opposite sex. Villeneuve questioned the teacher who discussed how Islam allows men to have up to four wives, just as their prophet Muhammad did, if they can treat each spouse equally and with "perfect justice." "Is that possible?" Villeneuve said, and pointed out how Christianity brought about monogamy. The teacher shot back that the Bible does not say that man must have one wife. It's open to interpretation, he argued. "They're very friendly for the most part," Villeneuve said before the class. "You see that they're human beings and you'd think and you'd hope they're trying to do God's will as they understand it." While conversion from Islam to Chris- tianity is considered "apostasy" and is taboo among Muslim communities, Ville- neuve said it's a Christian's responsibility to spread the word of God to everyone. "I think Christians in general and Catholics in general need to be better equipped and better informed about the challenge of Islam," Villeneuve said. "They are aggressive in evangelizing and we need to be prepared for that and to give a response." Building bridges with the most unlikely converts BY NISSA LAPOINT 303-715-3138 | nissa.lapoint@archden.org www.twitter.com/DenCathNissa as a matter of principle; that it hungers for genocide; that its religious views make it constitutionally incapable of certain types of change, even if that change might ensure its survival; and that it considers itself a harbinger of—and headline player in—the immi- nent end of the world." Father Andre- Sebastian Mahanna, pastor of St. Ra±a Maronite Church in Lakewood, said Christians need to do their part to condemn and stand up against ISIS' destructive path. As director of the O¤ce of Ecumenism and Interfaith Rela- tions of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in the United States, Father Mahanna has worked to achieve unity and peace between Christians and Muslims. But he said fear is preventing Chris- tians from actively fighting the terrorist group since its founding in 2006. Since that time, ISIS ransacked Iraqi cities including Mosul, forcing millions of Christians and Muslims to flee from their homes and travel to surrounding areas. ISIS' power grew as it took control of Syrian cities and oil fields. An estimated $2 billion was garnered from oil, smug- gling, extortion and stolen artifacts to fund its operation, according to the Bipar- tisan Policy Center, a nonprofit think tank that promotes bipartisan policy. The United States ordered targeted airstrikes to stem violence as the crisis escalated in 2014. News of beheadings and brutal massacres spread over the internet with the help of social media. ISIS has used modern technology to issue threats and show the decapitation of aid workers and journalists, including James Foley and Steven Sotlo'. Pentagon o¤cials estimate ISIS has about 20,000 to 30,000 fighters, some of whom travel from outside countries to join. Many more victims have been claimed includ- ing Egyptian Christians and hundreds of Assyrians captured this year, the Biparti- san Policy Center reported. ISIS differs from other extremist Islamic movements in that it believes it's a central character in the countdown to the apocalypse. With the capture of Dabiq, Syria, ISIS awaits the arrival of an enemy army referred to as "Rome." Prophets foretell of a battle in Dabiq between an Islamic army and infidel army—perhaps an American one—where Islam is predicted to prevail and the world will end, Wood explained. "Now that it has taken Dabiq, the Islamic State awaits the arrival of an enemy army there, whose defeat will ini- tiate the countdown to the apocalypse. Western media frequently miss refer- ences to Dabiq in the Islamic State's videos, and focus instead on lurid scenes of beheading," he wrote. ISIS poses a threat to Middle Eastern- ers and to the world for its mission to defeat Westerners, even if it means its own demise. "It is ready to cheer its own near-oblit- eration, and to remain confident, even when surrounded, that it will receive divine succor if it stays true to the pro- phetic model," Wood wrote. "Ideological tools may convince some potential con- verts that the group's message is false, and military tools can limit its horrors. But for an organization as impervious to persuasion as the Islamic State, few mea- sures short of these will matter, and the war may be a long one, even if it doesn't last until the end of time." « 1 | Local seminary professor André Villeneuve has reached out to Muslims in Denver. PRIMA - FOTOLIA ONLINE Support Christians in the Holy Land www.myfranciscan.org/good-Friday

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