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Folk Islam, here and there, and how we
can respond. Book Reviews
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Jenny is currently working as a missionary
for CMS. |
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There is a growing awareness that Islam is
becoming more militant. Its missionary zeal is producing
new converts from the West. My cousin in England recently
converted to Islam and married a Muslim. There has been a
real growth in the number of mosques, even here in
Melbourne. Halal meat is found in the Coles near us. We
need to understand our Muslim neighbours, we need to
reach out to them with a living gospel, a gospel that
affects our everyday lives. |
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As a part
of my preparation for working in the Islamic nation
Pakistan, I have been reading a lot on Islam. The
interesting thing that has captured my attention is the
prevalence of Folk Islam, or mystical Islam. I am
convinced of the need to understand this particular
flavour that Islam has acquired over the centuries. It is
widespread across the Islamic world (70% of Muslims
practice Folk Islam) and even here in our own
multicultural neighbourhoods. |
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Examples
abound. At the Sunday market stalls across Australian
suburbia, we see glassy eyes swinging on pendants. Do the
teenagers buying these know that they are to ward off the
evil eye? At most gift or new age shops, we can buy
spells, love potions and herbal remedies, all sold widely
in Islamic countries by pirs, the local Muslim saints, to
assist with everyday life issues. I know some people in
Melbourne who like to wear a cross to keep away bad luck.
Folk religions have been around for thousands of years,
and still linger on in the homes and hearts of ordinary
people. |
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The
Unseen Face of Islam; Sharing the Gospel with Ordinary
Muslims, by Bill Musk, MARC, 1994. |
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This is a
great book to begin the search into the world of Folk
Islam. I was amazed at the prevalence and uniformity of
Folk Islam across the Islamic world. The everyday nature
of the practice of this variation on Orthodox Islam
struck home. It revealed the hearts, and in particular
the fears and longings, of people living in deeply
superstitious communities. |
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Through
stories Musk illustrates what ordinary Muslims believes
about the world and their place in it. He shows how
people and communities respond to fear, uncertainty,
sickness, death and the need for guidance. The history of
such practices, like the veneration of dead saints, is
outlined and then a helpful comment from a biblical and
missiological perspective is made. |
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In part
two, Musk outlines the worldview of the ordinary Muslim.
He compares the western and Folk Islamic views. We see
how their religion attempts to meet their needs in a
world full of evil spirits, ghosts and various heavenly
beings. The one god Allah is far removed from everyday
life. Instead, other spiritual beings play with humans,
for good or mostly for harm. People must be protected
against them. He shows conversely that our Western,
scientific worldview has no room for such spirits. The
Christian reader is challenged to reconsider the Western
worldview and consider the deeply spiritual world of the
New and Old Testaments. |
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Musk
clearly shows the interaction of Orthodox Islam with Folk
Islam. Most Muslims would profess to be Muslim, they
would agree with the five pillars and major belief
system. However, on a day to day level, they live
according to the local folk practices. This is
particularly the case for women. They are often
illiterate and lack knowledge about Islam. But they face
daily the issues of hunger, sickness and fear, which they
turn to folk religion to cope with. The prayers or
amulets of the local pir seem more effective than going
to the mosque. |
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In the
last section of his book, Musk suggests some ways forward
toward a more fruitful sharing of Christ with ordinary
Muslims. It is a challenge for us to more fully live out
the Gospel of freedom from fear and of blessing, and to
show the difference Christ makes in our everyday lives.
We are challenged to critique our own values,
individualism and our heavily cognitive ways of seeing
the world. |
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Bridges
to Islam; A Christian Perspective on Folk Islam, by Phil
Parshall, Baker Books House, 1983. |
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A shorter
book, but denser, with fewer illustrations and more
historical analysis. Parshall outlines the origins of
Folk Islam. It is a fascinating account, with the rise of
Sufi Muslims and their missionary zeal and devotion to
Allah. They focussed less on the fear of God and turned
to him in love, with songs and tales of devotion. Their
Islam mixed easily with the Hinduism and folk religions
of Asia and the animism of Africa. It is seen to be quite
syncretistic and almost universal in nature, any mystical
union with the divine being acceptable. |
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What
follows is a more succinct outline of the Sufi beliefs
and practices, many told first hand. This section builds
on Musk's book in that it deals with the leadership, pir
and Sufi Saints, and their origins and practices. There
are many orders, something to suit everyone it seems.
Parshall also deals with the interaction of mysticism
with orthodox Islam, showing its apparent heresy, yet its
general acceptance in most Islamic countries. |
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The
analysis went beyond mere descriptions of events to
revealing the heart of the people who practice them.
Their longing and needs are exposed, with the hope that
people like us would then share the gospel appropriately,
meeting their everyday needs, not just substituting
belief systems. He challenges us to think: how would I
reach this person with the gospel? He gives their
religion dignity, yet doesn't compromise the one path of
salvation found in Christ. |
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The last
chapter opens up some bridges to mystical Islam. He
reminds us of our stumbling blocks, our bloody history
with Muslims, the errors of past missionaries and
embarrassing perceptions they have of Christian
leadership. We do well to learn from this. He focuses on
love, the nature of our fellowship, their respect for
prayer, the 'mystery of the Gospel" and the
supernatural nature of our faith as bridges we could
develop. These bridges are useful here in Australia, in
our schools and communities and as we take the Gospel to
Islamic countries. |
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