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According to IslamForToday.com, the Sunnis and Shi'ites believe in the same core fundamentals or five pillars of Islam. Dretke of the Zwemer Institute says a key difference is in the Shi'ah practice of allowing religious leaders to interpret the Qu'ran.

"The Sunni Muslims put all their reliance only on the Qu'ran itself," he says. "The distinction between the two is in how God revealed his purposes to man. In the Shi'ites' giving their leaders the voice to interpret the Qu'ran, it is almost to the Sunnis as if another prophet is rising up after Muhammad."

How does each group relate to Christianity?

Sources contacted for this article said that the key to approaching either group for evangelism and Muslim-Christian dialogue is to show respect for their individual history. However, there are theological and historical points on which Shi'ites can better relate to Christians.

A veteran in Muslim evangelism who asked not to be named told CT that Shi'ites have been more likely to accept Christianity. "Historically in the heartland of Islam—the Middle East and North Africa—Iran has been by far the most responsive country to the gospel," the source said. "Most people believe that is because of the Shi'ite belief system."

Woodberry says there are interesting parallels between Shi'ah and Christianity. "What we have been seeing this month take place in Iraq is a commemoration in Karbala to recognize the death of Muhammad's grandson Hussein," Woodberry says. "His death to Shi'ites has a similar function to the way Christians look at Jesus."

In the Muharram commemoration of Hussein's death, Shi'ites perform the Ta-Ziya, or passion play, that has Hussein speaking lines such as, "I offer myself as a sacrifice for the sins of my people that they will be saved from the wrath to come." Hussein is called redeemer and intercessor.

"The Shi'ah say Hussein gave his life for them," says George Braswell, professor of missions and world religions at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. "From the Christian perspective, you can draw a redemptive analogy here. They cry, mourn, and pray that Imam Hussein will hasten the return of the 12th imam to bring them peace, justice, and righteousness."

Sunnis, however, find offensive the idea that the Messiah would be crucified. (According to the Qu'ran, Jesus did not die on the cross.)

"For Sunnis, the issue is not just a historical and exegetical question but a theological one," he said. "They feel God would not allow his holy, chosen prophet to suffer a humiliating death. That is not the case for Shi'ites, who have a tradition of imams who were martyred. If we can deal with the historical or exegetical issues, they have no difficulty seeing this as a heroic and beautiful thing."

Roy Oksnevad, director of the Department of Ministries to Muslims at Wheaton College, said that within a certain movement of Shi'ah there's a great deal of poetry that reflects positively on Jesus and talk about love for God which shows an openness to Jesus.

Several sources said another point of understanding between Shi'ites and Christians is that both come from a history of persecution. "Christianity is a religion that for its first three centuries was persecuted," an anonymous source said. "The New Testament was written in the context of being a persecuted group of people. Sunnis are the opposite. For them, Islam was an empire and most of the Qu'ran's material came from when Muhammad was ruling a state."

Shi'ites can relate to Christians. Not only has their history of persecution translated into their theology, Oksnevad says, but they have also shared suffering with Christians. "Historically, it has been the Christians who have aided the Shi'ites," Oksnevad said. "As one Pakistani told me, they are more favorably looking to the West than the Sunni because they suffered with them. The Shi'ah remember that."

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April (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47