A Deadly Misunderstanding: Quest to Bridge the Muslim/Christian Divide

by Mark D Siljander, John David Mann (Contribution by)

Overview

Former Congressman and Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Mark D. Siljander takes us on an eye-opening journey of personal, religious, and political discovery. In the 1980s, Siljander was a newly minted Reagan Republican from Michigan who joined Congress in the same generation as Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay, ready to remake the world. A staunch member of the Religious Right, he once walked out of the National Prayer Breakfast when a speaker quoted from the Qur'an.

But after losing reelection, Siljander dove into the Bible to look for the passage in which the Bible says it is our job as Christians to convert others in order to save them from eternal damnation. He couldn't find it; in fact, he couldn't even find a passage saying that Jesus set out to form a new religion. This discovery was the first step on a spiritual and political journey that started with an in-depth linguistic study of the Bible and led to the discovery that Christianity and Islam share many base words and concepts. In his role as ambassador to the United Nations Siljander began sharing his insights on the connections between Islam and Christianity, with surprising results.

A Deadly Misunderstanding recounts Siljander's amazing discoveries as he travels to some of the most remote and hostile places in the world--deep into Libya, Sudan, Pakistan, and India--forging deep ties with both heads of state and religious leaders. What he has learned could radically shift the contemporary religious landscape and help heal the rift between Islam and the West. No Christian or Muslim will be unaffected after reading this book.

CREDIT: John David Mann, contributor, website

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780997625301
Publisher:	Bridges to Common Ground
Publication date:	06/16/2016
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	244
Sales rank:	326,205
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Mark Siljander skillfully blends 30 years in America's powerful political inner circles with his travels to 130 countries, gripping audiences with true stories of his private interactions with political and religious leaders in hotspots of global conflict, defying the assumptions of traditional diplomacy. Follow Mark's personal odyssey of spiritual transformation from an anti-Muslim, hard right, Christian political conservative to a pioneer of international peacemaking; acknowledged by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who publicly recognized his ... efforts toward a more just, humane and peaceful world, and by his acceptance of the Mohandas K. Gandhi International Peace Award in 1996. He recounts his discovery of long-hidden linguistic and cultural common ground that connects adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Mark's approach has inspired many of our nation's friends and enemies - to a new path toward peace. However, at times his approach has also fiercely offended the entrenched interests of the power elite, resulting in personal attacks and a federal indictment. After nearly five years of battling the harrowing prospect of hostile and unrelenting prosecution for years to come, Mark agreed to a negotiated plea and the harsh consequences of a short prison sentence. On the eve of his release from prison Mark was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but survived. These tests of faith, character, and courage provided even deeper insight into his transformation from the heights of political achievement to the depths of personal brokenness. He holds Bachelors and Master's Degrees in Political Science and has served on numerous boards and lectured in such diverse institutions as Oxford University, Khartoum University, and Wheaton College.

John David Mann is an award-winning author whose writings have earned the Nautilus Award, the Axiom Business Book Award (Gold Medal), Taiwan's Golden Book Award for Innovation, and the 2017 Living Now Book Awards Evergreen Medal for contribution to positive global change. His books are published in 35 languages and have sold more than 3 million copies. He is coauthor of the international bestseller The Go-Giver with Bob Burg, the New York Times bestsellers The Red Circle with Brandon Webb and Flash Foresight with Daniel Burrus and the national bestsellers The Slight Edge (with Jeff Olson), Among Heroes (with Brandon Webb), and Real Leadership (with John Addison). His Take the Lead (with Betsy Myers) was named Best Leadership Book of 2011 by Tom Peters and the Washington Post. John has been creating careers since he was a teenager. At age 17, he and a few friends started their own high school in Orange, New Jersey called Changes, Inc. Before turning to business and journalism, he forged a successful career as a concert cellist and prize-winning composer. At 15 he was recipient of the 1969 BMI Awards to Student Composers and several New Jersey State grants for composition; his musical compositions were performed throughout the U.S. and his musical score for Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound (written at age 13) was performed at the amphitheater in Delphi, Greece, where the play was originally premiered. His diverse career has made him a thought leader in several different industries. In 1986 John founded and wrote for Solstice, a journal on health, nutrition and environmental issues; his series on the climate crisis (yes, he was writing about this back in the eighties) was selected for national reprint in Utne Reader. In 1992 John edited and produced the underground bestseller The Greatest Networker in the World by John Milton Fogg, which became the defining book in its field. During the 1990s, John built a multimillion-dollar sales/distribution organization of over 100,000 people. He was cofounder and senior editor of the legendary journal Upline and editor in chief of Networking Times. He is married to Ana Gabriel Mann and considers himself the luckiest mann in the world. You can visit him at www.johndavidmann.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Original Endorsements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Introduction: On the Green Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Hostage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Paradigm Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Secret Language of the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
The Other Holy Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Miracle in the Sahara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
To Love Thine Enemies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
The Path of Ananias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
My Apology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Full Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Pillars and Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
A Hug from His Holiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Jesus, the Ruhallah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
To Walk in Another Man's Sandals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Jihad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Scrutiny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
On the Green Line Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Path of Peace in a Time of War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Appendix 1
Jesus in the Qur'an:
A List of Qur'anic References to Isa (Jesus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Appendix 2
Linguistic Similarities:
Key Terms in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Appendix 3
Examples of Aramaic Terms that Clarify Long-standing
Biblical Misinterpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Index . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Editorial Reviews

POLITICAL / MILITARY As President George W. Bush has said, the West has no quarrel with the faithful followers of Islam, but rather with radical fundamentalists who have distorted a well-respected religion and, as a result, want to do us harm. Mark Siljander's insightful book offers a sensible and compassionate explanation for this deadly discord between cultures. Recognizing that there is controversy surrounding Mr. Siljander and this book, does not diminish the importance of his central theme: a key to reconciling the East and West is to clear up the historic misunderstandings that define the Muslim-Christian divide. His book offers a blueprint for breaking this logjam of dissention that contributes to so much conflict today. Hon. James A. Baker III 61st U.S. Secretary of State & Chairman Iraq Group I cannot overstate the importance of Mark's strategic efforts to defuse the activities of radical Muslims worldwide. Many are convinced that he is on the cusp of what will prove literally to be the tipping point in realigning radical terrorist enemies... These unique activities, which are crucial to our national security, have received enthusiastic support from Members of Congress, the Vatican, Oxford University, the UN Secretary General and a host of others. His acceptance and favorable response is derived in large measure from a mastery of the Muslim mind and culture. Hon. Edwin Meese Former U.S. Attorney General, Fellow at the Heritage Foundation CHRISTIAN Mark Siljander's belief that ancient "holy books" have been mistranslated and that warring factions don't really know what they are fighting about - in fact, shouldn't be fighting at all - is the most fascinating proposition I've read since Muslims, Jews and Christians started killing each other nearly two millennia ago. It warrants serious study and detailed analysis. Cal Thomas # 1 syndicated columnist Fox News contributor, radio commentator & author Anyone involved in Christian-Muslim relations knows that both sides too frequently inflame distrust and misunderstanding. Thank God for peacemakers like Mark Siljander, who are working for mutual understanding and respect. Christians who read A Deadly Misunderstanding will gain insight not only into Islam but into the way of Jesus as well. They'll also find themselves unable to put the book down: it's a real page-turner, and its message is revolutionary. Rev. Brian McLaren Author, Time magazine's "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America" MUSLIM A Deadly Misunderstanding is an astonishing piece of work. A self-described "conservative Republican and Evangelical Christian," Siljander's faith was literally burst wide-open amid rockets and rifles in the Middle East. The former congressman and ambassador began to study the Bible and Koran and came to realize that Islam and Christianity were "not contradictory at their core." Siljander calls for a "friendship diplomacy" so that religions can become paths to love, paths to peace, and therefore paths to God. In a quietly passionate voice that speaks to our hearts, Siljander shows us how we can go from diversity to unity and from conflict to peace. Ayatollah Ahmad Iravani, Ph.D. Catholic University, Washington, DC While the prophets of doom and gloom are busy promoting the cataclysmic philosophy of clash of civilizations, we now have a whole band of committed thinkers, leaders, and writers who are working hard to promote dialogue and reconciliation, building on our shared beliefs and interpreting our religious scriptures to give a message of hope and confidence. Mark Siljander is one of these bridge-builders. His book teaches us how to transform barriers into bridges and promote respect and understanding between Muslim and Christian believers. Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed National Director Islamic Society of North America

From the Publisher