When suspicion and scepticism create disharmony between Christians and Muslims, there often appears a chasm between the two faiths. But our Christian radio ministry is building bridges of friendship with Muslim listeners through its radio programmes, to show them the love of Christ.
Proclaiming God’s truth in love is always our goal – but how do we practice that to reach listeners who neither trust nor respect Christians?
Islam is a prominent faith in the majority of Feba’s listening areas in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and distrust and animosity run deep between many Christian and Muslim communities.
A misconception many Muslims hold is that the Christian faith is punctuated by immorality, divorce and a lack of family values.
So when Feba broadcasts programmes aimed at strengthening moral relationships and families we help dispel this view and it challenges Muslims to re-examine our faith.
The hand of friendship
For Jerry Wilson, Middle East Development Director, the answer can be as simple as offering friendship. The Middle East team engage with dozens of Muslim listeners every week through texts, phone calls and emails. The question the team is asked most frequently is: “Will you be my friend?”
Jerry says: “People are lonely and looking for friendship. Muslims are looking for friendship with Christians. They are looking for people with integrity. They are looking for people who they can trust, and share their problems and questions with.”
Noor, one of our Middle Eastern Programme Producers, says that Muslims are taught that Christians view them as enemies and have no desire to be their friends.
“They view Christians as being ‘just for the Christians’, so when they hear we want to build friendships with them, they are surprised because they do not think Christians are willing to talk with Muslims.
“Many of those who start out by sending us angry threats change when they realise we do not want to fight them. They even ask for Bibles and want to find out more about what we believe, and this opens the door for the Gospel.”
Dispelling myths
In Mombasa, Kenya, for example, Feba’s Baraka FM estimates they have about 80,000 Muslim listeners. That’s over 50% of the daily listening audience. While they know Baraka FM is a Christian station, they are drawn by the way Feba applies biblical teaching to help build healthy families and communities.
One of the ways Baraka FM is shining the light of Christ is by showing love and practical support to both Christian and Muslim listeners in need. The station helped raise funds for a Muslim girl who needed major surgery.
Bridges of peace
Religiously motivated violence has had a devastating effect in some parts of Africa. A Christian station in Nairobi, called Hope FM (not a Feba station), suffered an apparently religiously motivated attack where the building was petrol bombed, a security guard was killed, and masked men demanded an evangelistic programme be taken off the air.
In the face of this, Baraka FM has taken the initiative to encourage peaceful dialogue between Christian and Muslim leaders. Through these discussions Christian leaders have been able to explore non-violent ways of addressing disagreements, while Muslim leaders have learned that Christians share their commitment to combat drug use, poverty and rape.
Jerry points out that when Christians reach out to communicate peacefully and respectfully with Muslims, dangerous misconceptions about the Christian faith can be dispelled. This can reduce the persecution that many Christians face.
Are we welcome?
Feba pioneered a new radio project to share Christ’s love with the ‘unreached’ Muslim majority in a South Asian country. The programme director said: “While there is an established minority church in the area, they were not trying to reach out to their neighbours because of a genuine belief that Muslims could not be saved! Their attitude was, ‘Why bother?’ That’s very sad.”
He added that more than once the team had heard from listeners who had gone to local churches to find out more about Jesus, only to feel unwelcome or even be turned away.
Yet, Muslim listeners continue to come to faith through Feba’s radio broadcasts there, and Feba produces discipleship programmes to encourage them.
Noor adds that sometimes Muslims who come to faith in Christ find themselves unwelcome in established churches. This can be due to distrust or fear of persecution. He adds: “We always get threats, but we have to follow the example of Jesus.
“Jesus appeared to Saul, even though Saul persecuted Christians. Saul put Christians in prison. He even killed them. And in parts of the world Muslims are doing the same to Christians.
“But if we are not willing to love Muslims then we will never have another Paul.”
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