When an Arabic speaking Muslim friend saw Mel Gibson’s movie Passion of the Christ with most of the dialogue in Aramaic, he was very surprised that he did not need most of the subtitles in English to understand the movie!

This connection is a critical bridge builder: sister languages, Arabic, and Aramaic, the written language which was once the global language, stretching from the Near East to Malabar in India and East China.

Dr. Sidney Griffith, a Catholic priest and noted Syriac scholar, states that, “neither Qur’anic nor Aramaic scholars have seen fit to make the linguistic connection and it is about time that connection was made.”

Western academia has been primarily concentrated on Biblical Greek. What we need to now consider is the Aramaic/Syriac New Testament, written in the language Jesus actually spoke, as an additional tool for comparative analysis. I have found this an invaluable tool working with the Islamic world in seeking bridges to the common ground.

Muslims respect the similarity of words, meanings, and relate to the Eastern traditions and idiomatic nuances of the Aramaic. They are very similar to the Arabic of the Qur’an and the Hebrew of the Torah; and can help unlock useful mysteries within the Eastern Holy Books.

The Prophet Muhammad and Aramaic

Some Islamic historians tell us that trusted Assyrian and Syriac speaking believers in Jesus interacted with the Prophet Muhammad and likely read to him from the Aramaic Eastern Text. The very word Qur’an, which means “The Recital,” is derived from an Aramaic/Syriac word qiriana.

Original Revelation of the Holy Books: Why the Aramaic has special meaning for Muslims

The most compelling logic for use of the Aramaic New Testament in building bridges to the Common Ground deals with the Muslim view of “original revelation.”

Islam holds that God, through the angel Gabriel, spoke the revelation to the Prophet Mohammed in Arabic and is considered the official language of “The Recital.” Thus, the only accepted written version is Arabic.

Since Jesus spoke Aramaic, Muslims believe (consistent with Islamic logic) the “Holy” written version of the Gospel would be in Aramaic.

It is helpful to note that Aramaic was the first written Semitic script of the three, followed by Hebrew and finally, Arabic. The ever widening “gulf” separating us is unfortunate, but it is my hope that studying the related Semitic languages of the East will serve as a key foundation, providing evidence that our faiths have more in common than we have believed in the past.

MAS/ICNA 8th Annual Convention

Mark and several friends were able to take part in the Muslim American Society’s 8th Annual Convention in Chicago this past weekend.  Watch Mark’s talk on the panel at his YouTube channel!

A panel of friends and fellow peacemakers was the focus for Saturday’s afternoon session hosted by Dr. Abdel Azim Elsiddig, including words from Dean Koldenhoven, former Mayor of Palos Heights, IL; Pastor Bill Devlin of Manhattan Bible Church; Jeff Burns, Founder of Peace on Earth Initiatives; Dr. Rick Love, Consultant for Christian-Muslim Relations at Vineyard USA and Founder of Peace Catalyst Intl.; Carl Medearis, author of “Muslims, Christians and Jesus”; Hal Runkel, author of “ScreamFree Parenting,” Rick Jackson, Colorado Springs businessman, developer and peacemaker in Sudan; and Jay Moses, Presbyterian Church USA and Muslim-Christian Coordinator at Wheaton College.

The speakers each shared from their life and journey as peacemakers and encouraged listeners to rise to the challenge of building bridges across the faith divide. Featuring such diverse stories and experiences all at once allowed a picture of God working in each one by means of the various and unique paths that each individual has taken in their life.

Speakers were also invited to attend a dinner that evening where others shared from their work, including Islamic Relief, a worldwide leader in alleviating poverty.  Mark was invited as the keynote speaker and offered encouragement and examples of the common ground that can be found between Muslims and Christians, but also issued a challenge that we must move beyond niceties and cultivate an openness and willingness to discuss and wrestle with areas of difference.

Many thanks for the generous hospitality of the Muslim American Society’s staff and organizers for hosting this delegation, especially to Dr. Elsiddig who has personally befriended each panel speaker, and to Convention Chairman, Mr. Hussein Ata.

Thousands gathered in Khartoum today in an interfaith effort to see unity between the North and South of Sudan.  Mark Siljander presented a lecture “Spiritual Values that Lead to National Unity” at the event where Muslims and Christians gathered to show their support towards peace.  The public rally concluded with prayers with President Al Bashir for the peace of Sudan. The event then continued on with top scholars presenting papers to an audience of several hundred.

Mark’s lecture opened with these words:

A Salaam alechum. In the name of God who is compassionate and merciful, I want to thank the Ministry of Guidance and Bridges International for their courage in sponsoring this event, particularly in light of the momentous events surrounding this occasion. The Obama Administration has announced a new direction in dealing with Sudan, Darfurian rebels are seriously considering a willingness to engage in meaningful negotiations in Doha and critical aspects of the CPA are poised to be implemented. While this event was not planned around these historic events it is amazingly fortuitous; elhamdulillah!

Serving in politics at three levels (local, state, and federal) and as a diplomat at the United Nations, my new paradigm led to an approach which begins with building a spiritual camaraderie, which can lead to practical resolution of conflict and political challenges. It is called the “Fifth Track of Engagement.”

The “Fifth Track” approach works through facilitating the sharing of a multicultural spiritual paradigm powerful enough to foster trust, and empower influential leaders to replace radicalism with reconciliation and peace.

Fifth Track works to bridge cultures by following a successful and proven peacemaking model based on the teachings of the Holy Books, drawing on the thoughts of Jesus of Nazareth. Why? His teachings regarding reconciliation of offended parties are some of the most powerful in human history.

We hope to share audio and video of the conference soon!

If you would like to read what Aljazeera posted for the show,

LINK TO: Mark on Aljazeera.net Min Washington website in Arabic

Along with the recent Al Jazeera coverage in Qatar, Mark was interviewed by Sharmila Devi, who writes for Abu Dhabi English language paper, The National, covering the United Arab Emirates and the world.  Her article focused on the struggles Mark has encountered as a result of his work, but doesn’t fail to highlight what he considers an essential calling, to send a message to all that much of what divides us is a result of being “consumed with cultural traditions.”

Mark will also be an upcoming guest on Al Jazeera Arabic’s current events show, Min (From) Washington, with host Washington D.C. Bureau Chief Abderrahim Foukara. As a former U.N. Correspondent for Al Jazeera, Mr. Foukara interviewed senior U.S. and U.N. officials as well as senior U.S. correspondents, columnists and writers. More details on our itinerary page.

Reviewer David Pendleton of Spectrum Magazine, a publication of the Seventh Day Adventist community, highlighted five books that feed the discussion on the way towards Peace in the Middle East and the understanding of Islam (or lack of) in the West.  One of those five was A Deadly Misunderstanding:

Siljander’s summoning contribution is not so much his linguistic discussion but the clarion call to seeking ways to bridge cultural divides. He points out that the three monotheistic faiths share not only an Abrahamic lineage but a commitment to life and peace.

The conscientious diplomat in Siljander can be heard in his earnest plea: “if we’re going to find any viable common ground between our faiths, cultures, and nations, if we are going to build workable bridges across the Muslim-Christian divide, it has to be personal. … Negotiating with an enemy may be a professional act; loving one’s enemy is personal.” click here for more

Mark will be a guest speaker at the Seventh Day Adventist Muslim Summit in Riverside, CA, September 25, 2009. More information available here.

Join ReadTheSpirit editor David Crumm for a conversation with Mark discussing his global activism and hope for reconciliation.  Crumm faces head-on the Google searches that equate Mark Siljander with “indictment” by bringing his transparent and balanced inquiry to bear:

Google Mark Siljander, the evangelical Christian writer and global activist — and you’ll feel a jolt. Right near the top of the online “hit list” are disturbing news items like this one from the Los Angeles Times: “Mark Siljander vehemently denies the allegations in the indictment …”
What indictment?!
This is a conservative, evangelical, Republican who formerly served in the U.S. Congress and now travels the world working on peaceful development projects. When he’s not working on commercial projects (like a green, bio-fuels project in Kenya at the moment), then he’s working on nonprofit projects in trying to build peaceful relations between Western (mostly Christian) and Eastern (mostly Muslim) governments.
Not only that, but HarperOne has just published his book, “A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman’s Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide” — a terrific book that Americans should be reading and discussing in small groups.
Plus, the book carries endorsements from Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, former Secretary of State James Baker — and the hottest writer in emergent-Christian circles, Brian McLaren.

So, what indictment?!

Read on for ReadtheSpirit’s take on the indictment and further discussion of Mark’s work…

Conversation With Mark Siljander on his “Deadly Misunderstanding”

DAVID: You’ve served several terms in Congress. You’ve served at the United Nations. You’ve traveled the world. And still — still you tell readers that there’s hope for peace and reconciliation. There are a lot of people who are sounding pretty hopeless right now about global conflict. You’re not only refreshing in your promotion of serious, peaceful dialogue between devout Christians and Muslims. You’re also refreshing in saying that we should be hopeful about world peace.
MARK: In the middle of the last century, who ever thought the world could defeat the massive empire of communism? Communist leaders even had nuclear weapons! Who thought that could be overcome? But it was.
I’m saying that the practical way to engender hope in the world is to support the vast majority of Muslims and work with them to undermine the small number of radicals out there. This isn’t a big Einstein theory. It’s just common sense.

We were glad to see that Lynn Green, the International Chairman for Youth With a Mission, recently recommended ADM on his website.  YWAM is a widespread network of ministries around the world, we hope our paths will continue to cross.  In his review Lynn references the Reconciliation Walk that YWAM began in 1996, which entailed teams of Christians walking the path of the crusades and offering apology and reconciliation as they went.  This effort resulted in overwhelmingly positive responses from the Muslims and Jews the teams encountered.  Read more here.