Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The Man Behind 6 Million Muslims Converting To Christianity--Each Year

Though he is little known in the West, Coptic priest Zakaria Botros [check out his website] — named Islam’s “Public Enemy #1” by the Arabic newspaper, al-Insan al-Jadid — has been making waves in the Islamic world. Along with fellow missionaries — mostly Muslim converts — he appears frequently on the Arabic channel al-Hayat (i.e., “Life TV”). There, he addresses controversial topics of theological significance — free from the censorship imposed by Islamic authorities or self-imposed through fear of the zealous mobs who fulminated against the infamous cartoons of Mohammed. Botros’s excurses on little-known but embarrassing aspects of Islamic law and tradition have become a thorn in the side of Islamic leaders throughout the Middle East.

...The result? Mass conversions to Christianity — if clandestine ones. The very public conversion of high-profile Italian journalist Magdi Allam — who was baptized by Pope Benedict in Rome on Saturday — is only the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, Islamic cleric Ahmad al-Qatani stated on al-Jazeera TV a while back that some six million Muslims convert to Christianity annually, many of them persuaded by Botros’s public ministry. More recently, al-Jazeera noted Life TV’s “unprecedented evangelical raid” on the Muslim world.

[...]

...his primary interest is the salvation of souls. He often begins and concludes his programs by stating that he loves all Muslims as fellow humans and wants to steer them away from falsehood to Truth. To that end, he doesn’t just expose troubling aspects of Islam. Before concluding every program, he quotes pertinent biblical verses and invites all his viewers to come to Christ.

Botros’s motive is not to incite the West against Islam, promote “Israeli interests,” or “demonize” Muslims, but to draw Muslims away from the dead legalism of sharia to the spirituality of Christianity. Many Western critics fail to appreciate that, to disempower radical Islam, something theocentric and spiritually satisfying — not secularism, democracy, capitalism, materialism, feminism, etc. — must be offered in its place. The truths of one religion can only be challenged and supplanted by the truths of another. And so Father Zakaria Botros has been fighting fire with fire.

I think this is really insightful. The question is: how can this be expanded upon?

Go read the whole article here.

H/T: National Review via Daled Amos

6 comments:

Mother Effingby said...

I have listened to this man long before now, and one of the things so admirable about him is his absolute joie de vivre! He never engages in ad hominem attacks, but he never gives an inch. His deep love for his fellow men and his enemies is simultaneously vexing to his enemies, and yet they keep watching. He is a voice calling out in the wilderness, and many are flocking to his call. This man is no kumbaya Christian.
The louder they say IGNORE HIM! PAY HIM NO HEED!....the ulema leans forward ever so closer to the TV set and listens.
This man doesn't just preach the gospel. He beckons. Irrisistably.

Pastorius said...

JMJ,
I guess we ought to ressurect the Golden Balls Award.

This guy is great.

Thanks for this post. It gives me hope.

JMJ said...

Jauhara,
Thanks for the feedback. I had never heard of him before and was amazed at his influence. With the tide turning in Iraq and the disagreement between SAYYED IMAM AL–SHARIF and Al-Zawahiri, it would appear there are the beginnings of some real division within radical Islam and Islam in general.
At least one would hope so.

JMJ said...

Pastorius,
Yeah, this guy definitely has (Golden) Balls! LOL

I think his approach is amazing.

Maybe you and F2 could mention his work on IBAs radio show. He needs all the publicity he can get.

I am amazed that even with all my self imposed saturation into radical Islam, I had never heard of him before.

Hmmm...

Pastorius said...

JMJ,
Not only do I want to talk about him on the show, I'd like to interview him if I could.

JMJ said...

Pastorius,
Great idea!