AN INTERVIEW WITH MOH-CHRISTOPH BILEK: ALGERIAN, BERBER, EX-MUSLIM

AND CATHOLIC
Interviewer : Duane Alexander Miller
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Published in www.GlobalMissiology.org July 201
Duane Alexander Miller is a native o! "elena# Montana. "e is $arried with three %hildren and
a!ter eight years in Asia and &uro'e is ba%( in the )*A where he is 'ro!essor o! theology at *t
Mary+s )niversity and an instru%tor !or the De'art$ent o! ,orld Missions o! the &'is%o'al
Dio%ese o! ,est -exas. "is areas o! s'e%iali.ation are the history o! Portestant $ission in the
Middle &ast and the study o! /hristians !ro$ a Musli$ ba%(ground. "is do%toral thesis# titled
+0iving a$ong the 1rea(age: /ontextual -heology2$a(ing and ex2Musli$ /hristians+ was
su%%ess!ully de!ended at the )niversity o! &dinburgh in 2013. Dr. Miller %an be %onta%ted
through his blog# duane$iller.word'ress.%o$.
DM: Most people who leave Islam for Christianity become evangelicals of some sort,
yet you are Catholic. What would you say to the person thinking about converting to
Christianity regarding the Catholic Church
M/1 : -o answer this 4uestion I will go ba%( 4ui%(ly to $y %onversion: when I heard on the
radio# in the 50s# o! Jesus /hrist and the Gos'el# I was studying a %ate%his$ by $ail with the
Protestants o! *wit.erland# I was visiting the beauti!ul %hur%hes o! the Middle Ages in Paris.
6or $e# all this was one: there were only /hristians# the dis%i'les o! Jesus /hrist. In brie!: li(e
$ost o! the Musli$s who %onvert# I was !as%inated by Jesus /hrist. It is only a!ter I
dis%overed the division between /hristians and that I entered into the /atholi% /hur%h#
be%ause o! saints li(e 6ran%is o! Asisi or -heresa.
-here!ore $y answer is# Jesus didn7t %reate 35 %hur%hes# but only one# and he !ounded it on
Peter who was the !irst 'o'e.
!" #ope $endict famously bapti%ed a Muslim convert, Magdi Cristiano &llam, on 'aster
've in ())* in +t #eter,s $asilica. -e recently announced he was leaving the .oman
Catholic Church because the Church is too soft on Islam. -ow do you view this choice
of his Is there anything you would like to say to him
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Miller tea%hes theology and %hur%h history at 8a.areth &vangeli%al -heologi%al *e$inary 98&-*: in the
Galilee. "is $ain areas o! interest are the history o! Protestant $issions in the Middle &ast and religious
%onversion !ro$ Isla$ to /hristianity. "e %an be %onta%ted through his blog# duane$iller.word'ress.%o$. -his
interview was %ondu%ted in A'ril o! 2013.
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8ot only did I have so$ething to tell hi$# but I did tell hi$.
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6or the rest# i! I don7t a''rove o!
his de%ision# I understand his disa''oint$ent.
Isla$# a%%ording to the shari7a or Isla$i% law# %o$de$ns to death those who leave its !aith.
-he ;/atholi%< /hur%h# whi%h is in dialogue with Musli$ authorities# does not tal( about this
sub=e%t with the$. ,hy> 1ut $aybe it is our duty# we# the new /hristians#
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%o$ing !ro$ the
Musli$ tradition# to warn our 'astors and to hel' the$ resolve this big 'roble$ and to 'ush
the better2(nown Musli$ authorities to 'ronoun%e the$selves ;on this issue< in !ront o! the
international %o$$unity. ,hat is their de!inite 'osition: is Isla$ against the !reedo$ o!
%ons%ien%e or not> "ow %an they as( !or !reedo$ o! religion?worshi'# yet they don7t grant it
!ro$ their side>
/" It is well0known that most of the new Christians in &lgeria are from the 1abyle
people in particular. &re &rabs also coming to faith What can you tell us about the
interactions between &rab converts and $erber converts
-here was and there will be !or so$e ti$es $ore this wrong idea that an Arab is auto$ati%ally
a Musli$. As $any @abyle (now# and we let the$ understand this in %ase o! need# that they
are not Arabs# so it was easier !or the$# in the A07s# to 4uestion this religion that was i$'osed
to their an%estors.
1ut today# to re$ain on the %ase in Algeria# there are $ore and $ore non2@abyles who give
u' Isla$ and be%o$e /hristians. It is a dee' and broad $ove$ent# on the level o! the Arabo2
Musli$ world# that the authorities won7t be able to halt soon: Isla$ is starting to i$'lode.
Bh# !or sure# not everyone will be%o$e /hristian# but Isla$ is leading to a lot o! 4uestionning
and will be%o$e re'ulsive wherever the shari7a is 'ut in 'ra%ti%e.
About the se%ond 4uestion# you have to (now that an Arab /hristian will get along better with
a @abyle and vi%e versa be%ause /hrist %o$$ands us to love our neighbor li(e oursel!.
)n!ortunately# there is another hostility i$'orted !ro$ the ,est whi%h %o$es and brea(s this
'ossible har$ony so$eti$es# it is the division between /atholi%s and Protestants.
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-he entire letter %an be read in 6ren%h at the 8otre Da$e de @abylie website :
htt':??notreda$ede(abylie.net?Autresrubri4ues?&x'ressionAwal?tabid?53?arti%le-y'e?Arti%leCiew?arti%leId?D0D?6
autil24uitter2l&glise2/atholi4ue2'our24uelle2%o$'renne.as'xEF!tn2.
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G8ew /hristians7 is the ter$ used by 8orth A!ri%an %onverts !ro$ Isla$ to re!er to the$selves.22DAM
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2" 3ne of the classes I teach here in 4a%areth is on 'arly Church -istory, and 4orth
&frica had some very important churches like Carthage and -ippo, and great saints
like &ugustine, #erpetua, 5elicitas, and Cyprian. 6et indigenous Christianity was
almost entirely absent from the region for centuries. Do you feel like that early history
means much to the new Christians today 3r is it 7ust an interesting but unimportant
historical footnote
-he dis%overy o! the A!ri%an saints# and $ainly the greatest o! the$# Augustine o! -hagaste#

is always vivi!ying and al$ost bliss!ul: H I! $y distant an%estors were /hristians# then there is
no sha$e in being one I $ore than one %onvert has said to hi$sel!. *o$e have de%lared a!ter
their ba'tis$# H I %a$e ba%( to the religion o! $y !athersJ I 1ut $ore generally s'ea(ing#
an%ient /hristianity enables onesel! to as( the 4uestion o! !reedo$ o! %hoi%e. I! $y distant
an%estors %hose Isla$ !reely# then I %an $a(e the sa$e %hoi%e $ysel!K but i! this religion was
i$'osed on hi$ bi seif 9by sword:# then I do not %o$$it a treason toward $y tribe i! I 4uit
this religion.
8" Many Catholic priests in the West know very little about Islam and evangelism. What
advice would you give to the average priest in 9yons, Manchester, or Chicago who has a
Muslim start to come to mass or asks for a $ible or something like that
Do the sa$e thing as *aint Phili' when he as(ed the &thio'ian# H Do you understand what
you are reading > I 9A% A :30: &verything 'asses through understanding.
,hen I was young I learned thirteen %ha'ters o! the Luran by heart# without understanding
anything. In Isla$# it is !orbidden to see( to understand o! the texts# it is not o(ay to as(
4uestions. 1ut in /hristianity# it is the o''osite: God want us to adore hi$ in s'irit and in
truth and he tells us that the truth will set us !ree.
Bne has to wel%o$e the 4uestions and in4uiries o! the Musli$ who se(s the truth and we
should not hide anything !ro$ hi$. &vidently# he has to a''ly the sa$e $ethods to the
Lur7ani% texts and as( hi$sel!# !or exa$'le# why Mary# the $other o! Jesus# in the Lur7an
has a !ather n$ed I$ran and it says her brother is Aaron# the brother o! Moses >
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The proof that he was Berber was presented in my book, St Augustine Talked to my
Daughter? MCB.
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:" I would like to know more about your website. Why did you start it What is its
purpose What reaction have you received
-here is nother $ore !rustrating than not to have answers to one7s 4uestions# and nothing
$ore u'setting than loo(ing at a door one is !orbidden to o'en. 1ut when# by the gra%e o!
God# you !ind the answers to your 4uestions and the lo%(ed door is o'enedMi! you don7t
share with your brother what you dis%overed# you don7t love hi$.
-he Internet is wonder!ul be%ause it rea%hes above the %ensors to rea%h the brother who is
see(ing truth. It rea%hes beyond borders and soon it will brea( the language barrier. B! %ourse#
you %an !ind good seed as well as bad# but the *'irit guides the true %hildren o! God to !ind
their *avior.
,e started at the beginning o! 200N. It was di!!i%ult but ne%essary be%ause o! the 'artitioning
o! the Musli$ world. ,hat slows down things is that the Internet is not 'resent in all ho$es
be%ause o! %ost and 'oor %onne%tions. 1ut the Musli$ %ountries are %at%hing u'.
Many o''onents =ust saturate our site by %o'ying and 'asting 4uestions to whi%h they don7t
ex'e%t answers. It is a lot o! lost ti$e with those 'eo'le. 1ut a lot o! 'eo'le have been led to
ba'tis$ than(s to this $odest website.
;" & while ago *t 6ran%is Maga.ine published <& 9etter to #ope $enedict =>I on
Catholic Witness to Muslims. ?
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If you have read it I would be interested to know what
you think about the author,s recommendations to the pope.
-wo o! those suggestions are good. ,e re%eived a lot o! 8ew -esta$ents 9with the Psal$s:
!ro$ the Dio%ese o! Meaux and we have been givinge the$ away !or !ree !or right years.
8othing %an re'la%e the Gos'el !or evangelis$.
,e noti%ed that there are a lot o! drea$s and visions whi%h lead Musli$s to a''roa%h the
/hur%h. 1ut there is# in $y o'inion# not a great ne%essity to loo( !or 'eo'le to inter'ret those
be%ause they 4ui%(ly understand their $eanings and the dire%tion to !ollow# in a su'ernatural
way.
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htt':??www.st!ran%is$aga.ine.in!o?=a?i$ages?stories?Abu2Daoud9B%tober22010:.'d!
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-he third 'oint 9to ba'ti.e in se%ret: should be resolved# in $y o'inion# by allowing well2
traind lay 'eo'le who have the trust o! their 'astor to ba'ti.e se%retly when there $ay be
danger !or the ba'ti.ed and !or the 'riest. -he ba'tis$ itsel! %ould be validated later and
eventually 'ut in the registry o! the /hur%h during a tri' to a %ountry with $ore !reedo$. Bn
the %ondition that the Magisteriu$ rati!ies su%h an initiative.
*" @he Catholic Church has come under a lot of fire from eA0Muslim Christians for its
statement on Islam in the >atican II document 8ostra Aetate
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, which states that
Muslims Badore the one Cod, living and subsisting in himselfD, and does not
recommend evangeli%ing Muslims, but to Bwork sincerely for mutual understanding
and preserveD7ustice and moral welfareD, Esection /". -ow do you read and interpret
the statement of 8ostra Aetate
,e are treating here a %ru%ial $atter: Does Cati%an II advise us to not evangeli.e Musli$s> I!
this is the %ase# why ris( death by be%o$ing a /hristian# i! Isla$ is a way to salvation>
1ut this inter'retation would $ean that the /hur%h re%ognises the segregation %o$$anded by
Musli$ law between non2Musli$s and Musli$s# who are not allowed to be rea%hed by the
Good 8ews. I! this were the %ase# the Gos'el would be null and void be%ause it %o$$ands us
to go and ba'ti.e all peoples.
F" &ny other remarks or thoughts you would like to share
0ord Jesus# Oou (now how $u%h I a$ a sinner# but Oou had Mer%y on $e and Oou %a$e to
o!!er $e Oour love# whi%h I a%%e'ted with =oy# and $y =oy is %o$'lete. Oou (now that I wish
this ha''iness to all $y brothers and !riends in Isla$. And be%ause Oou love the$ $ore than
$e# I trust in Oou.
As !or $e# 0ord# $ay $y =oy lastJ
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htt':??www.vati%an.va?ar%hive?histF%oun%ils?iiFvati%anF%oun%il?do%u$ents?vat2iiFde%lF1D5N102AFnostra2
aetateFen.ht$l
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