The piercing, amplified voice carried through the din and
clatter of the dusty streets. Men rushing and jostling through
the crowds stopped suddenly. As one they turned to the
mosque centered in the village. They removed their shoes and
washed their hands and faces at fountains placed alongside the
walls of the mosque. Then they disappeared, ornate rugs rolled
under their arms. When they next appeared, I was shocked by
what I saw. Several had prostrated themselves with such fervor
on their prayer rugs that their foreheads were bleeding. I felt
ashamed as I contrasted their religious passion with my own.

Such was my first encounter with the Muslim world. The
college summer I spent doing mission work in East Malaysia
was my invitation to a larger world. Like most American
Christians, I had little exposure to Islam and even less understanding
of its beliefs and spirit. Until September 11, 2001, most
of us were content to remain ignorant of this remarkable spiritual
and cultural movement. Since that tragic day, much of
what we think we have learned has come through the distorted
prism of caricature and second-hand expertise.

We can no longer afford such ignorance. Islam is the
fastest-growing religion in the world, and in America. More
Americans seek God through Islam than through Episcopal and
Presbyterian churches combined. The Muslim faith has actually
made great strides toward acceptance in our society after 9/11,
as cultural influencers have legitimized this religion as simply
another way to worship the same God. As Islam impacts our
lives even more significantly in coming years, Americans and
Christians desperately need an objective guide to this spiritual
phenomenon.

The volume you hold is the most unique answer to this
need available today. Dr. Abraham Sarker possesses remarkable
qualifications as our guide to the Muslim faith and its
significance. Abraham grew up in Islam, the disciple of his
village’s spiritual leader. His intellectual brilliance marked him
as a future leader of great promise within the Muslim world.
He came to America to spread the message of Islam within our
culture. What happened next is a modern-day book of Acts miracle.

Today Abraham is dedicated to helping American Christians
understand the Muslim world and relate our faith to its
followers. He knows Islam not from world religions textbooks
but from first-hand experience. He understands the Christian
faith as one of its most passionate advocates. He is able to relate
the Muslim culture to American society on a level possible only
to one who has lived in both worlds. And he is a daily example
of the gracious and compassionate spirit he advocates as our
most effective witness.

Abraham is a faithful member of the congregation I pastor,
and my dear friend. He has impressed our entire church family
with his communicational brilliance and personal warmth. He
has taught our people many of the insights you will discover in
his book. We are far better equipped to understand our faith
and to share its grace with our culture than we were before
Abraham joined his ministry to ours.

When I served on the faculty of Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, world religions was
one of my areas of responsibility. For several years I taught the
biblical worldview in contrast to the worldviews of mankind’s
great religions. I have found Abraham’s discussions of Christianity
and Islam to be historically and biblically accurate, and
academically brilliant. And his personal story makes his intellectual
presentations compelling and unforgettable.

I pray that Understand My Muslim People finds its way into
the hands and hearts of Jesus’ followers across our nation and
beyond. Abraham’s work will equip us with crucial insight in
understanding our post-9/11 world. His insights will guide us
to our Muslim neighbors with the good news of Jesus’ love.
And his personal encounter with the grace of God will draw us
closer to the one whose Son is the way, the truth, and the life.

James C. Denison, Ph.D.
senior pastor, Park Cities Baptist Church

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