‘Meetings for Better Understanding’ promote a mutual understanding of what Christians and Muslims believe. They allow a public forum for discussion and a space for Muslims to hear what the Bible has to say. For more on MBUs click here.
MBU with Ahmadiyya Muslims
I have had the privilege of being involved in MBU between Christians and Ahmadiyya Muslims for a number of years. It has been a truly enlightening and eye-opening experience. These gatherings have the potential to provide a platform for dialogue, respect, and fostering greater understanding between the two religious communities. Here, I would like to share my personal experiences and the profound impact these events have had on me. Furthermore, I aim to give advice based on those insights.
The process of planning an MBU has involved careful coordination and collaboration with representatives from both the Ahmadi Muslim and Christian communities. Ahmadiyyas are arguably the most organised Muslims I have met so far. The leaders seem to be empowered with remarkable control over their followers. At times they like to extend it to those outside of their communities too. For example, when Ahmadis host the MBU they like to shorten the 45 minutes question and answer time because it is difficult to control. I sometimes find that I have to give a gentle but insistent reminder that the hosts keep to the agreed timings.
A number of times we noticed that even after the MBU had already started with not many Ahmadis present, immediate phone calls by their leaders ensured that suddenly more members “turned up”. This apparently forced attendance can lead to a lack of authentic engagement. Insufficient representation of both, young and old Ahmadis can be another problem. Especially so, when those present understand little English. Unfortunately, Christians are frequently in the minority at such meetings.
Ahmadis interpret the Quran often in a spiritual rather than literal sense. This approach appeals to the numerous intelligent and wealthy members of the community. On the other hand, they are also encouraged to actively seek experiences and revelations from the unseen realm. As a result, a number of them have involvements with the spirit-world which leads to an even greater hardening of hearts than found in other Muslim communities.
All this urgently demands that Christians put prayer as an absolute priority on the “to do list” for organising an MBU.
In light of this it is vital that continued follow up is taking place. This can be arranged through personal meetings, WhatsApp groups or other social media platforms. MOT (Muslim Outreach Training) to prepare Christians and to pray together before each encounter is also an urgent necessity.