Islamic Apologetic and Polemic against Christianity and the West: Prospects of Dialogue

Abstract

In Muslim apologetics, the approach towards the West is usually completely forged by ideology, apology and pure polemic. In fact the typical features of Muslim apologetic and polemic anti-Christian and anti-western literature have not changed in about ten centuries. For instance, some radical Muslim writers say that Christianity was Dīn wa Dawla back in Jesus’ time and that only later, because of the corruption of Christ’s message begun by St. Paul and then carried forward by the Church, a big gap between the Sacred and the secular worlds took place in western societies, followed by moral corruption and decay. The Church is also charged with interfering too deeply in the citizen’s everyday private life. On Second thoughts, in studying, criticizing, and looking down on Western society, Muslim studies criticize and look down on itself, its society and its own history. Even nowadays, polemic literature continues to regard Islam as the Umma which must fight western secularized society. This can be considered a Muslim Extra Ecclesia Nulla Salus, a symptom of self-referentiality (more pretended than real). There is no doubt that apologetics and polemic, together with hard political influences, are strong impediments in the way of dialogue. Fortunately, the contemporary international situation redefines the idea of belonging to oneself and, consequently, some of the dominant ideologies which still interfere with dialogue. Particular and welcome examples exist, such as the Crown Prince of Jordan El-Hassan Bin Talal’s Christianity in the Arab World. New frontiers of Islamic-Christian dialogue are very close and we think it will be possible to avoid repeating the same mistakes we made in the past.