American Messianic Jew, radio host and author Michael Brown strongly believes that Islam is a false religion and Muhammad is a false prophet, but at the same time he also believes that people should not condone Islamophobia.
"As a follower of Jesus who affirms the Bible as God's Word, I do not believe Muhammad received revelation from God since the information he allegedly received contradicts fundamental truths of the Bible," he writes in an article for The Christian Post. "Muhammad's revelations were therefore demonic, not angelic, and since the Quran denies that Jesus is the Son of God and denies that He died for our sins and rose from the dead, Islam is an anti-Christ religion and Muhammad is a false prophet."
The 1.5 billion people who practice Islam have been "deceived," according to Brown.
However, he says he cannot deny that Islam has some pretty "lofty ethical principles and beautiful spiritual maxims." He also acknowledges that Islam has made significant contributions in the last 1,400 years.
Nevertheless, Brown says Islam is misleading its believers despite its shared values with Christianity.
"Lest these words strike you as overly harsh, remember that Islam claims to have the only true revelation, it claims that Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were all Muslims, and it claims that the Bible, not the Quran, is corrupt," he says. "Islam also claims emphatically that God has no Son and that belief in the Trinity is blasphemous."
But despite Islam's misleading beliefs, Brown says it is wrong to be prejudiced against those who believe in Islam. "We can declare war on Islamic terrorism and reject Islam as a false religion without fearing all Muslims," he explains.
"I'm simply saying that there is a happy medium between the two extremes of a blind philo-Islamism, on the one hand, and full blown Islamophobia, on the other hand," Brown adds.
He says he strongly encourages people to make friends with non-radical Muslims and try to find out why they believe in Islam, so that they will understand that there is no need for Islamophobia. "And, if you're a follower of Jesus, seek to love your neighbor as yourself," he says.
