From Jihad to Jesus: Part 2 of my Jerry Rassamni interview
Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the U.S. How much do we really know about it, other than what we see on the evening news? Who is Allah? And what does the Qur’an say? How do we reach out to Muslim friends and neighbors with a message of hope?
Jerry Rassamni was raised Muslim in Lebanon and found himself living out his beliefs with a gun during the bloody civil war. In his book From Jihad
to Jesus, this ex-Muslim militia fighter shares his story as well as the compelling
evidence that led him to 
abandon Islam and embrace Christ.
In part two of our interview, Jerry answered questions about the
intriguing links between gnosticism
(popularized by The Da Vinci Code), and Islam. We also talked about some
of the key differences between Christianity and Islam.
Q. Do Muslims believe in Jesus?
A. Although Muslims claim that they believe in Jesus, but
they reinvented Jesus into a mere prophet who purportedly (a) never claimed to
be the Son of God, and who (b) did not die on the cross. It is worth noting however that the Qur’an
admits that Jesus was born of a virgin (Surah 19.20-21), that he was
sinless (Surah 19:19), and that the grave could not contain Him
(Surah 19:33).
Q. Is Allah the God of the
Bible?
A. Although Islam used the name Allah, which is the same
word used in the Arabic translations of the Bible,
however, Allah in Islam clearly does not denote the
eternal God of the Bible. The worship of
Allah of the crescent is nothing short of polytheism with a face-lift. What good
is it that Islam called its followers to monotheism if that monotheistic deity
came with a long list of pagan credentials? We see today jihadists embarking on
bloodshed, while believing that Allah will reward their evil deeds with seventy
virgins each in paradise. Even the most basic understanding of the character of
the God of the Bible reveals that He is love; but if Allah is God, then why
would he be the author of such hatred? How could a loving God who is the essence
of holiness, goodness, and purity sanction such malevolence?
Q. Is there a relationship between Islam and
gnosticism?
A. The problem of the Colossians was syncretism (the
biblical book of Colossians was written to the church of Colosse by the apostle
Paul). Like Muslims, Colossians combined
other philosophies and 
religions including paganism, strains of Judaism, Greek
thought with elements of Christian truths. The resulting heresy which denies Christ as God and savior and emphasizes
hidden knowledge later became know as Gnosticism. Although mainstream Islam denies any links to
Gnosticism, however, Islam embodies the very essence of Gnosticism.
Q. Does the Qur’an also suggest that Jesus did not die on the
cross, as reported in the Bible? What
are the implications?
A. The Qur’an suggests in Surah 4:157 that Jesus was not
crucified but that God was involved in trickery by putting Jesus’ likeness on
another person who was crucified in the place of Jesus. This deceit purportedly committed by Allah
casts the creator into a shadowy character whose holiness is not above
reproach. Furthermore, Muslims
promulgate that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God, however, the mere
assertion that there was a crucifixion intended for Jesus is in itself proof
positive 
that Jesus did claim to be the Son of God. Historical and Biblical records tell us that
Jesus was sentenced to crucifixion because of His claim to be the Son of
God.
More from my interview with Jerry Rassamni,
including Islam and women’s rights, in my next post….
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SUSY FLORY is a New York Times best selling author, speaker, and journalist who searches out big stories with happy endings. She's I'm always looking for true stories that inspire and challenge her readers to embrace a life of passion, boldness, & adventure. 
I’ve got this bookmarked for a better reading later, but just now I’m too busy with school and rehearsals to really focus on what you’re saying. I’m intrigued, but I need to think about it a lot more before I throw in my 2 cents.