Christian Brother Andrew called members of Hamas, "friend," in in his work in following Christ in Gaza, which he writes of in his book Light Force, addressed below:
"In the course of his work, Brother Andrew befriended the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ah*med Yassin, as well as former Palestine Libera*tion Organiza*tion leader Yasser Arafat. He preaches the gospel not only to Hamas leaders in Gaza, but also to members of the Taliban in western Pakistan, where he has taken Bibles and preached in madrassas (Islamic religious schools). “I’d love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with Osama bin Laden,” Brother Andrew said, “and tell him about Jesus.”
When asked about the dangers involved in such activities, he responds with a shrug and emphasizes the importance of his ministry of presence. “Being there is worth more than 10 of the best sermons,” he said. “Be there, with your Bible and open to the Spirit, and God can tell you what to do.” Some have questioned Brother And* rew’s relationships with people the West considers “Islamic extremists,” but he responds forcefully, “They’ve forgotten Matthew 28:19 [‘So go and make followers of all people in the world.’]. You don’t wait for an invitation; you just go.”
Brother Andrew has provided doctors and medical equipment for a hospital in Gaza and supported the Baptist church there as well as Bethlehem Bible College. For such work, and in the wake of Light Force, “some Israeli friends hate me now.” But, he said, “just because I’m for the Palestinians doesn’t mean I’m against Israel—it’s not about taking sides.” His work in the occupied territories has made him a strong advocate for justice for Palestinians. “You try to be impartial,” he said, “but your emotions tell you otherwise because of the immense suffering.”
Other experts on the Middle East commend Brother Andrew’s outreach toward Muslims. “I think he sees what he is doing as ‘loving your neighbor’ and ‘loving your enemy,’” said Colin Chapman, author of Whose Promised Land? and Cross and Crescent: Responding to the Challenge of Islam. “He wants to build bridges and be a peacemaker.”
Chapman pointed in particular to Brother Andrew’s work in humanizing Islam. “Brother Andrew is aware that in the minds of many Christians and non-Christians in the West, Islam has taken the place of communism as ‘The Great Enemy,’” Chapman told Sojourners. “This kind of demonization of Muslims and Islam is particularly common among evangelical Christians. I believe he has been extremely courageous in encouraging Christians to address the challenges of the Muslim world and see Muslims as neighbors to be loved and people who need to hear the message of Jesus.”
But how to account for the warm reception he has received from many Mus*lims, when he so forthrightly preaches Jesus to them? “Muslims love him because he is a Christian who loves Jesus, loves the Bible, loves people and proves it by his works,” said Leonard Rodgers, executive director of Evangelicals for Middle East Under*standing (EMEU). “He also speaks his mind and he listens. He truly cares.”
It’s not just Brother Andrew’s charismatic personality that endears him to many Muslims. “Muslims respect any Christians who are passionate about their faith and want to share it,” Chapman said. “They also respect the fact that he is so obviously trying to be a disciple of Jesus, whom they regard as a prophet.”
In fact, it is exactly Brother Andrew’s strong faith and enthusiasm for the gospel that opens Islamic doors to him, according to Rodgers. “Muslims like holy people. They do not understand secular people,” Rodgers explained. “Many Muslims seek God more diligently than those who have grown up in a Christian culture. ... Most Christians fail to understand how much Muslims respect and honor Jesus. Brother Andrew has learned that. I don’t know how many times I have spoken to Muslims about Jesus only to have them say, ‘Oh, I love Jesus more than you.’ They mean it.” Even Sheikh Fadlallah, the spiritual leader of Hezbollah, once told Brother Andrew, “We know Jesus better than you do, because he is one of us.”
Being There - Jim Rice | Sojourners Magazine - March 2008
Sherri