Some discussion questions & comments about Infidel

My dad's bookclub read Infidel and he sent me the questions they discussed:

1. Are all Christian women freed from this ill treatment?

2. Are there any connecting/contact points between Christianity and Islam?

3. How does Islam’s doctrine about the Quran preclude any easy modification or modernization of Islam?

4. Does this presentation of Islam have any impact on our view of the war in Iraq or our war against Al Qaeda? Is a “conversation” with a Muslim country’s leaders possible or advisable according to Ayaan Hirsi Ali ?

5. How would we compare the sexual morality of the Dutch with that of Islam? How about the US view of sexual morality? Christian morality?

6. What do you think of the Dutch idea and practice of tolerance? How tolerant should or can a people or nation be? Can tolerance (Dutch) and intolerance (Muslims in Holland) co-exist? Church?

7. How much should we “fear” Islam?

8. What can or must we as Christians, as individuals or a church or a nation, do in this struggle with Islam? Are we morally responsible to do something/anything about these obviously immoral practices of Islam? Is missionary work a possibility in Muslim countries? Cp. Fr. Vincenso

I asked him what the reference "Cp. Fr. Vincenso" was and he sent this reply:

Fr. Vicenza Succi was our auxiliary priest in Izmir. He was a Franciscan priest, spoke 6 languages, had been in Turkey for 20 or more years, a simply wonderful person. His church was St Anthony’s. St. Anthony of Padua is the patron saint of the lost, poor, etc. Fr. did work with the Muslim Turks, provided them food and clothing. However, I do not think he had a single convert in his church. His parishioners were all people of European extraction who worked or just lived in Izmir. A Muslim once threw an axe at him as he came out of his house. We had two young Muslim women convert to Christian by way of our services in the Cathedral. Both were baptized in the Aegean Sea. I think I wrote a little about her in my book. Still, any attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity is very difficult and can be dangerous. I often think of Fr. Vicenza. Whenever we met, he always kissed three times, and the same when he said goodbye. I’ll never forget him.

My brother Joel also made this comment:

Good questions from dad re: "The Infidel."I believe contemporary Islam challenges people in the pluralistic western nations to realize that unless they recognize the religious roots of their society, they have no rational basis to defend their society. They may still choose to defend a "cut flower"* society on the basis of personal preference, but that's not the same thing as having a rational basis to believe that you live in a just society that is worth defending and developing. I believe Benedict XVI is trying to call Europe and the western world to recognize the Christian roots of the western world, which is the dominant social force in globalization. And in our own small ways we can live with integrity and pray for peace.

All good things to think about for our discussion.

*I had to look up "cut flower" and it appears to mean a society or country which was founded on certain beliefs but no longer is grounded in those beliefs -- so it's "cut" from its roots.