Voices behind the Veil: the World of Islam Through the Eyes of Women
Ergun Mehmet Caner, gen. ed., Kregel Publishers, 2003; 218 pages; $12.99, softcover.
By A. Karen Davis

More than a half billion women are Muslims. Many of them live in our neighborhoods, yet they seem mysterious and incredibly foreign to our Western way of thinking. The purpose of Voices behind the Veil is to enable Christian women to enter the lives of Islamic women and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. To this end, 12 women each wrote about a facet of a woman’s Islamic life. These writers include authors, missionaries to Muslim countries, homemakers, and speakers.

Intriguing stories of renowned Islamic women captured my interest. The authors related the information so that it clearly shows the reader how to open conversations on the good news of Jesus Christ.

Here is an abbreviated tale of a famous eighth-century mystic, Rabi’a, who was called the friend of God. Her life story includes encounters with Allah and miracle stories such as one in which she raised a dead mule to life. She was consulted by Sufi masters eager to gain knowledge from her. Yet carefully read her heart’s cry in her reason for not marrying: “At the moment of death will my faith be sound or not? Which group will I be in on that hour when they lead a group to the right to paradise and a group to the left to hell?

It is clear that devout Rabi’a “was plagued with desperate uncertainty about her eternal destiny. How much more must the average Muslim woman fear the coming judgment of Allah?” The exquisite peace a Christian may offer is that heaven is sure for those who trust in Jesus Christ. “By grace are you saved through faith…it is the gift of God.”

Discussions of twelve significant issues are presented in depth by this compelling and readable book. For example, chapter 4 discusses the view of womanhood as revealed in holy books of Islam. Chapter 5 helps the reader understand the meaning of the veil to an Islamic woman. Chapter 6 addresses differences in Islamic practice from country to country and Chapter 9 shows the relationship between mother and child.

This book is a call to prayer and a call to witness that may change forever the way we relate to people significantly different from ourselves.