A casual reader of history will not fail to note the great and ferocious animosity of Islam to Christianity. One would ask why is this so, since both religions are supposed to worship the same God? The crux of the matter lies in focusing on the originators of these two religions, since followers of one or the other religion have a wide range of virtues or vices, resulting in complex and inscrutable historical developments.
Therefore let us concentrate on the two leaders, Jesus Christ and Muhammad. Let us look at their lives, what they both said and more importantly what they did. Which one of the two was forgiving, a peacemaker, kind, magnanimous? Which one would you trust more to be your friend? Which one was self-serving? Which one gave of himself and even his life for others? It is a relatively simple comparison, and the differences are obvious from their respective biographies. Which one of the two was interested in earthly power, a legalistic worldly empire, many wives and concubines? (in the Quran, Muhammad blesses the union of a man with four wives, except for himself, where he is blessed to have eight). Did Muhammad love his enemies or kill them?
We have many historically well documented witnesses who testify who Jesus is, who recorded His life, teachings, and deeds in the Gospels and Epistles, and who died martyrs' deaths for Him, without gaining any material benefits in return from a worldly point of view. There are also secular historians who are outsiders to the Christian tradition, such as the Jews Josephus and Philo, and the pagans Tacitus, Pliny, and Suetoneus, who have recorded corroborating facts about Jesus and his followers. In fact, during the first three centuries of the rise of Christianity, being a follower of Christ usually resulted in great hardship, persecution, and often martyrdom. All the apostles died as martyrs except St. John the Evangelist. A great many of the early Church leaders died as martyrs. Why would any of these intelligent and eloquent people, many highly educated, be ready to die for the cause of Christ if they were not convinced that He is True?
