An Awkward Dialogue Between a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, and an Atheist

An Awkward Dialogue Between a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, and an Atheist

By
Hossam Badrawi

We were brought together in a remarkable meeting, the four of us, and decided to have an unconventional dialogue.

I said, “Let each of us present a challenge that we usually avoid discussing out of fear of embarrassment or upsetting others.”

The atheist friend began, “Before we set challenges, let’s agree on why we are friends and what binds us together, despite living in different countries and coming from varied backgrounds.”

I replied, “Perhaps it’s because we share a set of similar civilizational values. I see in each of you sincerity, wisdom, respect for our differences, open-mindedness, and cultural depth.”

The Christian friend added, “I would also say we possess a great deal of courage in expressing our opinions, as well as integrity and a sense of responsibility.”

The Jewish friend chimed in, “Let me add that we all come from respected academic backgrounds, value friendship, and strive to support it among ourselves.”

The atheist said, “What truly unites us is our reliance on reason and logic in our discussions and your commitment to prioritizing these over traditions, breaking through the walls of belief with science and knowledge.”

We all agreed on these commonalities, which gave us the courage to engage in a discussion about our differences without embarrassment.

The Jewish friend began, “I’ll start. As a member of a numerical minority in the world—our global population is just about 18 million—while atheists number around 1 billion, Muslims over 1.5 billion, and Christians nearly 2 billion.”

The Christian friend interjected, “So altogether, we represent only half of humanity, while about 3.5 billion people don’t belong to any of our religious groups. They share the earth, air, sunlight, and food with us.”

I smiled and said to the Jewish friend, “Then go ahead, as a numerical minority and a significant majority in the realms of finance, jewelry, diamonds, sin, and weapons.”

He smiled back and said, “We excel because we are God’s chosen people. We distinguish ourselves as the only religion that didn’t spread through wars, conquests, killings, or forcing others to believe. In fact, we don’t seek to expand at all; we aim for racial purity and non-intermingling. Even our prophet Moses, when he received the Torah, didn’t invite the Egyptians to follow it, not even Pharaoh. He only sought to lead his people out of Egypt. He wanted an exit visa, which was denied, so he escaped. He was a man of miracles, and he is the only person God spoke to directly, as acknowledged by your prophets.

We Jews were the first to have a written scripture. Jesus was one of us, and the Quran mentions Moses and the Children of Israel more than any other prophet.”

I asked, “What do you mean?”

He continued, “Moses is mentioned 136 times in the Quran. Any section of the Quran is likely to mention Moses 4-5 times. His story is told over ten times from different perspectives and in different contexts.

As for the Gospel, it’s essentially a development of the Torah, not a separate book.”

The Christian friend said, “You’re coming at us hard, forgetting that the Jews rejected Jesus, betrayed him, and were responsible for his crucifixion.”

I interjected, “We’ll come back to you, troublemaker. Historically, the Jews have caused problems for humanity, for Jesus, and for Muhammad and their followers.”

I added, “Islam came to affirm the messages of the previous prophets. We embrace this tolerance and acceptance of all prophets, even though you deny the prophethood of Muhammad. Even our atheist friend acknowledges that the Quran says, ‘Whoever wills, let them believe, and whoever wills, let them disbelieve.’ We recognize all prophets, but you don’t recognize us. Thus, Islam is more tolerant.

Moreover, Islam and the Quran are complete religions, addressing both worldly and spiritual matters. Its teachings encompass all aspects of life. Islam is the faith with which God completed His message to humanity, building on the messages of all previous prophets. We consider anyone who believes in God, unites Him, and upholds good morals to be a Muslim in spirit.”

The Christian friend responded, “Jesus Christ saved humanity, lifted its sin, and came as an unparalleled prophet with miracles unlike any before him—born of a virgin mother. He commanded us to practice forgiveness, brotherhood, mercy, and righteousness. All Christian teachings serve humanity. Doesn’t the fact that Christianity has more followers than any other religion show that God’s message continues to spread?”

The atheist interjected, “Are you done presenting your cases? Are you ready?”

I asked, “How so, philosopher?”

He replied, “Let me tell you that we, and by that, I mean a large segment of people who don’t adhere to any religion, have reached a set of honorable human values—values that align with the essence of all religions and their true messages—without needing a divine ‘menu’ dictated from the heavens. We do this not out of fear of punishment or desire for reward, but because it is best for humanity.

Values like honesty, integrity, responsibility, and not harming others—these were in the Ten Commandments of the Torah, which were borrowed from the ancient Egyptians, in the teachings of Christ, and in what I understand of the Quran. We practice them because they are the right thing to do, not because they are imposed upon us as they are on you.”

The atheist continued, “You know, of course, that humanity has existed for about 200,000 years, but civilization only began 12,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture. Why were there no prophets for the majority of human history? And why do you fight and kill each other over religions that fundamentally reject killing, stealing, and enslaving others?

I believe that the founders of religions were noble individuals who sought the betterment of humanity. However, throughout history, religion has been used for domination and control. You are all hypocrites among yourselves—saying what you don’t do—and you use your religions, clergy, and imams to terrify and manipulate humanity without logic or reason.”

The atheist concluded, “Our collective challenge is not about religion. It’s about living happily in peace, saving our planet from ourselves, and addressing the greed, power struggles, and conflicts we’ve invented. Wake up, and may your God have mercy on you—and perhaps on me, too.”