Do Muslims Love Jesus?

With a few exceptions, our bishops seem to have a shallow understanding of Islam.

Do Muslims love Jesus? In some Christian circles, that question is a hot topic—especially now that Tucker Carlson has made known his opinion on the subject: Muslim do love Jesus says Carlson.

Many, if not most Catholics, are unaware that Jesus along with his mother are mentioned in several places in the Quran. Although Muslims do not believe in the divinity of Christ, they do believe that Jesus is one of the five great Muslim prophets, and that he will return at the end of time to judge mankind.

However, they do not believe in the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Crucifixion or the Resurrection. Nevertheless, some, if not many Muslims want Christians to know that they do love Jesus (who is called Isa in the Quran). The “we love Jesus” theme is a major part of Muslim efforts to proselytize Christians who live in Muslim lands and even in countries where Muslims are a minority. For example, in the U.S., Muslims have mounted ad campaigns featuring giant billboards that proclaim “Muslims love Jesus, too.”

Some Catholics are unhappy with this attempt to transform Jesus into a Muslim prophet, but others welcome it because it fits in with the belief held by many Catholic leaders that Muslims and Catholics share much common ground—that the things which unite us outweigh the things that divide us. Ever since the Second Vatican Council the Church’s policy has been to emphasize the similarities between Islam and Christianity and to ignore the differences.

A recent example was provided by the fact that Ash Wednesday and the feast of Ramadan fell on the same day this year. All over the world, Catholic bishops saw this as an opportunity for Catholics and Muslims to deepen solidarity and mutual understanding.

In the Philippines, for instance, Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo observed, “this shared beginning is a grace. It invites us to slow down, to return to God and to walk together in faith.” He also said, “the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him…taught that the best among us are those who do good to others.”

But wait a minute! Muhammad also said that he who gives a drink to the pilgrim is not as worthy as the man who fights for God’s cause ((: 19-20). And there are many such passages in the Quran. In short, Allah seem to prefer acts of jihad to acts charity.

But the main problem with the Bishop’s gesture of solidarity is that it undermines Catholic teaching. The feast of Ramadan commemorates the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. But there is nothing in Catholic teaching to suggest that Muhammad ever received any revelation from God. If he did, how does one explain that God’s revelation to Muhammad contradicts the one he gave to the followers of Jesus long before Muhammad was born?

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