Counter-Fatwa

Magister on Islamic debates on dealing with converts to Christianity:

Even in the West, they run a great risk. A clandestine existence is the norm for most of them. They must conceal themselves from their community of origin, and they do not always find the support they were expecting from the Catholic Church. There is a widespread tendency within the Church not to encourage conversion from Islam to Christianity – ostensibly for reasons of “dialogue,” but in reality out of fear of the reactions.

But on a number of occasions, appeals for help have come from converts from Islam who, after their baptism, have felt that they were abandoned. In an interview with Italian television two years ago, then-cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said: “I know, and this pains me deeply. It is the drama of our Christian consciousness, which is unsure of itself. Naturally, we must respect the Islamic states and their religion, but we must also ask for freedom of conscience for those who wish to become Christian, and we must assist these persons courageously, if we really are sure that they have found the right answer. We must not leave them alone. Everything possible must be done so that they can experience, in liberty and peace, what they have found within the Christian religion.”

To lift the veil on the lives of these new converts, a book has been released in recent days: “I cristiani venuti dall’islam [From Islam to Christianity].” The authors are Giorgio Paolucci, the managing editor of “Avvenire,” the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, and Camille Eid, from Lebanon, a specialist in the Arab and Islamic world, who has recently written – among other things – a survey of the Christians in Iran, which was published by the Venice patriarchate’s magazine “Oasis” and reprinted last November 11 by www.chiesa.

The book recounts – for the first time – numerous stories about Muslims living in Italy who have encountered Christianity in a great variety of ways and, after converting, have received baptism.

In an appendix, the two authors also provide an overview of Muslim countries, giving the degree of danger – up to the death sentence – that awaits anyone who changes from Islam to another faith.

But, in an extensive preface, the book also examines how the question is discussed within Islam.

Comments

[jtbf]

"if we really are sure that they have found the right answer." This does not sound like anti-relativist Cardinal Ratzinger.

[sharon d.]

I read the "if" as a different sort of conditional, not implying some sort of relativist doubt; as in, "If I love my kids, I'm going to want to do the best for them"--which takes for granted that I do love my kids.

[Nicholas]

I understood "if we are really sure that they have found the right answer" as "if we are really sure they are serious." Not that there is more doubt in the case of a Muslim than there is for anyone else, of course; it's something a wise pastor of souls must consider for any catechumen.

[tom]

If the Catholic Church in Italy or anywhere else fails to provide support to converts from Islam or any other religion then it is not only failing those people but Christ. Islam prescribes death to apostates and is not tolerant of members of other religions, even "people of the Book." The very best that Christians can hope from in Islamic dominated societies is second class citizenship.
This said there are converts to Catholicism from other Christian denominations who have experienced ostracism and worse right here in this country.

[Tom Haessler]

Well, I thought too that mainstream Islam decrees death for apostates (after reading half a dozen books like Robert Spencer's ISLAM UNVEILED), but this Jesuit applies something analogous to the historical critical method to the two hadith containing this punishment and shows (convincingly to this person unlearned in the area) that the Quran and that reliable hadith do NOT support the death penalty for apostasy. It's critical that we get smart Jesuits and others to be involved in the dialogue with Muslims - those who know Arabic and can argue from knowledge with Muslims.

Tom Haessler

[Joseph D'Hippolito]

Wait a minute! We have nothing to fear from Islam! Mark Shea said so! See this link:

http://www.ncregister.com/articulo2.php?artkod=MTQ3

Since the National Catholic Register published it, it must be true!

[Simon]

Actually, Shea's piece is, as usual, a model of intelligence and good sense. He's not sugarcoating the problems endemic to the Muslim world or the threat radical Islamists pose to the civilized world.

Rather, Shea calmly refutes the battier elements among Christians who extrapolate from this that Allah (the word Arabic-speaking Christians as well as Muslims use for God) is really a "Moon God." How and where is Shea's reasoning wrong -- and where does he say anything like "we have nothing to fear from Islam?"