Michael Ireland, ASSIST News Service, July 20, www.assistnews.net/Stories/2010/s10070112.htm
Since the 1960s large numbers of Muslims have been migrating to the West. Muslim migration is unusual because of radicals within the community who are deliberately seeking to create dramatic changes in their host societies; they want Islam to gain social, cultural, economic and political power.
This growth in the presence and power of Islam in the West provides Christians with unique opportunities. “For Christians, the growing Islamization of the West can be seen as both a challenge and an opportunity to sharpen our thinking and renew our evangelism,” says Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund.
“As we Christians see Muslim zeal, commitment, and willingness to sacrifice, we should be driven to repent, to pray for revival and act boldly for God in this generation. We need to stand firm on our Biblical foundations, beware of compromises and reach out in love to Muslims, offering them the Gospel of salvation in Christ.”
He quotes Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a popular Sunni Muslim cleric, head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, who said: “Islam entered Europe twice and left it… Perhaps the next conquest, Allah willing, will be by means of preaching and ideology. The conquest need not necessarily be by the sword… Perhaps we will conquer these lands without armies. We want an army of preachers and teachers who will present Islam in all languages and in all dialects.”