A Deadly Misunderstanding A Congressmans Quest to Bridge the Muslim Christian Divide
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.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A Must-Read … but Only if You can Handle the Truth…!
I first heard about this book through an article Siljander wrote about the misunderstanding of the word "Jihad". I knew I had to read this book … partly because we knew Mark, over a decade ago, when we were involved in a ministry in the Washington, DC area. I knew him then as a staunchly conservative, Republican Christian — as were we.
But that label doesn't apply to any of us anymore. Jesus has ways of busting us out of the boxes we try to safely contain ourselves in … as well as the boxes we try to keep HIM in…!
This book is astonishing — it cuts through all the misunderstandings I've long held about Islam, and Muslims, about the Qur'an. It enables me to see them, as human beings, beloved of God, just like me. I had NO idea of the very many things we hold in common with them … the examples of Mark's encounters with various Muslims around the world come straight from the headlines of our newspapers, and even more profoundly, straight from the heart of the Savior of the World.
His encounter with Qaddafi's regime, with the Dalai Lama, had me gasping, praising God, and even rolling on the floor with laughter…!
I honestly believe that this is a book that all Christians, Muslims (& Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and Other Humans) need to read…! It goes beyond politics, beyond religion, beyond philosophy … and does what only Jesus can do … to be the bridge between us and God, and between us and each other.
Shalom, Dena
"The unanswered questions aren't nearly as dangerous as the unquestioned answers."
5 Stars Hopeful and Creative
One of the things I most enjoy in life is having my stereotypes dashed. Reading this wonderful book destroyed another stereotype. I thought most people who are very conservative will never change – Mark proved me wrong, wrong as I have ever been.
Decades ago, Mark Siljander and I probably would've disagreed on virtually everything. In fact the Mark Silijander of 2009 would probably disagree with many of the beliefs that he held back then as well. That's what makes Mark's transformation so profound, amazing and inspiring.
Many times while reading this book, I got choked up with the stories in courage of his journey. His travel from ultraconservative evangelical Christian to a major peacemaker makes this one of the most powerful books I've ever read.
You've probably heard the expression "Blessed are the peacemakers" – well, Mark should be blessed for the hopeful work he's done, and his book deserves a truly wide readership.
Reading a book from an ex-Congressman on Christian Muslim relations does not seem as appealing as the latest Malcolm Gladwell or a good mystery. But, this is a thrilling piece of writing. It's got twists, turns, drama, passion and it's all real. And it's as good as any book you will read this year.
I spent a year writing The Power of Giving: how giving back enriches us all with my good friend, Azim Jamal, who is a Muslim. My background is Christian. Our similarities are strong. Our differences are minimal. (I know a lot more jokes than he does).
This experience has been fun, positive, and rewarding. Befriending people from cultures different than your own is something that benefits us all and enhances our humanity.
Given the widespread mistrust between Muslims and Christians, we need positive, hopeful and creative ways to bridge the gaps. Mark proved to me that many of the fundamental disagreements are based on misunderstandings of language. (Obviously, not all the conflict resides in interpretation of words.) But this is a book that can unite people, stop wars, and make the world a better place.
Thank you Mark, and I commit to passing on your message.
5 Stars A Bridge to Peace
For someone who has studied biblical languages, A DEADLY UNDERSTANDING is a fresh challenge to look at the commonalities in the sacred books of Christianity and of Islam. The author has woven together theological and word-meaning studies with a story of his using his studies through interactions with Christians and Muslims.
5 Stars I could not put the book down
I am 15 years old and not one to read, but when I started reading A Deadly Misunderstanding I could not put it down. It took me one day to read the book, I loved it! I would recommend that all teenagers read this book so they would have a better understanding of the Middle East and the intertwined faiths. From the moment I started reading the book, I was intrigued by the powerful writing of Mr. Siljander. Reading about his journey to understand, learn, and tell others about the similarities between the Muslim and Christian faith was very fascinating and inspiring. It's amazing to think of the many wars that have been fought in the Middle East over religion, when the truth is; each side has been serving and worshiping the same God. One of the many points that Mr. Siljander stresses in his book is the second greatest commandment of the Bible and the Qur' an; Love your neighbor as yourself. When it comes down to this simple law of the Lord, nothing is more important than following it and helping others to follow it as well. The author has helped me walk the bridge between these two renowned faiths and I am grateful for his insights.
5 Stars Jesus Diplomacy
This is an amazing account of ex-Congressman Mark Siljander's attempt to make friends with leaders of nations hostile to America. To relate to Muslims, he familiarized himself with common beliefs about Jesus in the Quran and the Bible. In the spirit of Jesus, he was able to break down the hostility of leaders like Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, P.L.O. leader Yasser Arafat (who once had a contract to kill him), al-Bashir of Sudan,
General Musharraf of Indonesia, and others. Members of parliament from India, impressed with the prayer groups in the U.S. Senate, wanted to try something similar in their country. But their parliamentarians — Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians, could never get together without arguing. Siljander suggested they study the teachings of Jesus, which they did with great benefit. The Dalai Lama even joined the group and revealed that he loved Jesus. Impulsively, Siljander said to him, "Your holiness, in the spirit of Jesus whom you love, I'm going to tell you, I love you." The Dalai Lama (who is not supposed to touch or be touched)reached over and wrapped Siljander in a big bear hug.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in promoting peace in a very troubled world.
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Hello! Thanks for the post reviewing Mark's book and sharing these user reviews.. Your readers might also be interested in knowing there are great video segments of highlights from each chapter of the book hosted on Mark's website, http://www.adeadlymisunderstanding.com/videos.php
Thank you!
Good info – thanks Amber!