PRESENTS

JOIN US FOR SAPIENCE INSTITUTE’S INTENSIVE 1-DAY ACADEMIC CONFERENCE

Register your interest for the next conference

Subscription Form

George Mason University, Stearns Center Lecture Hall 1, Fairfax, Virginia

Empower Yourself to Engage Christians with Insight and Scholarly Depth

After you walk out of this academic conference you will be empowered to engage with Christians in an intelligent, academic, kind and meaningful way, in shā' Allāh.

Don’t think you need this?

Here is why this is important for YOU:

Because Christians:

… are YOUR Co-workers, Friends & Neighbors.

… make up 63% of the population (210 Million) of YOUR country.

… form a powerful voting bloc that can influence the situation of YOUR brothers and sisters in Gaza

… believe YOUR worldview is FALSE.

How effectively can YOU make an intelligent, academic & eloquent case for the Islamic worldview?

Special Session:

Interactive Dawah Training.

Sessions

The Najran Case Study - The Prophet's ﷺ Dawah to Christians

Dawah to Christians online has been relegated to the domain of debate across prominent youtube channels, instagram shorts of speaker’s corner debates, etc. Conversely, on-site, many masjids’ outreach programs center around innocuous interfaith discussions. With these polar opposite approaches, which one should a person employ? The obvious answer would be to look at how Christians were approached by the best da’ie to walk the face of the earth: The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

In this unique session, we analyze the dawah of the Prophet ﷺ to the Christians of Najran, not only studying the specific rational arguments that were presented in the Qur’an but also the minute points of emotional intelligence that were exhibited by the Prophet ﷺ.

Sex, Sin & Salvation: Early Christianity to Modernity

Today, the West is grappling with the ideological onslaught of the LGBTQ+ movement. This movement has been at the center of proliferating the use of puberty blockers in the form of chemical casterants in children, the breakdown of the traditional families and the dissipation of biological, psychological and spiritual gender roles. Is the solution to this onslaught a “return to Christian values”?

In this session, we take a look at the tumultuous relationship of Christianity with sex and sexuality predicated upon the philosophical and moral challenges presented by Christian concepts of soteriology (salvation) and hamartiology (sin). We will also look at the Islamic treatment of sex and sexuality and its claim to being “the middle path”.

Did the Trinity Exist before Nicaea?

Muslim Polemicists, whether seasoned or novices, are very familiar with the famous “Council of Nicaea” where Emperor Constantine gathered together bishops in the year 325 CE to settle the question, “is Jesus absolutely equal to the Father, always existing and of the very same substance, or not?” However, what is less known is what preceded the Council of Nicaea. This session will journey through the history and development of the doctrine of the Trinity and argue that Trinitarianism did not exist in the first few hundred years.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Missionaries - Mormonism Explained

You may have seen young men wearing short sleeve dress shirts, riding bikes, traveling in pairs to take the message of Joseph Smith to the masses. Perhaps they may have even knocked on your door and asked for a few minutes of your time. Who are they? What do they believe? What methods do they use in their missionary activities to Muslims?

A quick internet search will reveal that very little has been written and published by Muslims on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (i.e. Mormons). In this ground breaking session, we uncover the theology, praxis and familial structure of the Mormon faith and provide a much needed introduction to Mormonism from an Islamic lens.

The Philosophical Gymnastics of "Rationalizing" the Trinity

If we offered a pop quiz to our Christian friends with the question, “Which one is a heresy: a) Jesus is one nature - a single divine/human nature or b) Jesus is two natures - one divine nature and one human nature”, how many would get the right answer? Perhaps you are asking, “which one is the right answer?”

Understanding the nature of Jesus as part of a trinity has been a philosophical challenge right from its inception. In this session, we will explore the LPT (logical problem of the trinity) and interrogate responses from Christian theologians and philosophers both past and present.

Abraham Fulfilled: A Biblical Discourse on God's Plan for Ishmael & Arabia

Over the last few decades, Jewish and Christian apologists have become increasingly sophisticated in their objections to the notion of Muhammad ﷺ in the Bible. This session is based on the recently published book* of the same title and introduces new content dealing with those objections while building an accumulative case for Muhammad in the Bible that is dubbed “the Arabian Prophecies”.

* Don’t forget to get your copy of the book for the book signing by Adnan Rashid at the end of the conference!

The Fallacy of Christian Zionism

Evangelical voters make up roughly 25% of the electorate having considerable influence on the Republican party. Many Evangelicals have a distinct view on Palestinians, Muslims and Islam that is informed by Christian Zionism and this view is reinforced in church sermons Sunday after Sunday.

In this session, we venture through a brief history of Christian Zionism and unravel key fallacies in the movement that would help the da’ie in conversations with their Christian friends and neighbors.

"God is Love": The 2000 Year Old False Propaganda Campaign

In the collective American psyche it is assumed that the God of Islam is a fierce war-like deity, in contrast to the God of Christianity, who is one of love and mercy. In this session, we interrogate this assumption and present 5 cogent arguments to demonstrate that the opposite is true. Three initial arguments will be presented demonstrating that the Christian (Biblical) conception of God’s love is NOT maximally perfect, in other words it is deficient and flawed. We will follow this up with 2 arguments as to why the Islamic conception of God’s love IS maximally perfect.

Speaker Line-up

Fahad

Tasleem

Read Bio

Sh. Fahad Tasleem is a research fellow and instructor at The Sapience Institute. He is the author of the book, "No Doubt: Finding Certainty in an Age of Uncertainty". Fahad's research areas at Sapience focus on Islamic Theo-Philosophy & Spirituality.

He holds a BA in Economics from Michigan State University, an MSc in Business from the University of Southern California and Graduate Studies in Middle Eastern Studies with a focus on Islamic Theology from the University of Texas at Austin. Fahad is a student, researcher teacher of various Islamic sciences and is currently pursuing his Phd in Islamic Thought from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Adnan

Rashid

Read Bio

Adnan Rashid is a distinguished historian with a specialisation in the history of Islamic civilisation, comparative religion, and Hadith literature. Having earned both an honors and masters degree in history, he is currently pursuing further studies. His academic work on the history of Tipu Sultan has been published by Cambridge Unviersity Press.

Yassir

Fazaga

Read Bio

Sh. Yassir Fazaga has done numerous interviews about Islam on television and radio stations around the globe. He speaks on Islam and related topics for conferences, churches, high schools, colleges and universities. He served on the advisory board of the Islamic Studies program at Claremont Graduate School and is listed on the “Who is Who among America’s Teachers” where the best students choose their best teachers and was featured on the Today Show on “Spirituality in America”. He was one of the co-hosts of weekly “WiseLiving” TV program and a regular guest speaker on Peace TV.

Jake

Brancatella

Read Bio

Jake Brancatella aka The Muslim Metaphysician is a revert to Islam from Catholicism. Jake holds a Bachelor's degree in philosophy and is trained in Analytic philosophy. He also has studied various Islamic sciences such as fiqh, usul al fiqh, and aqeedah with traditional ulema. Jake is also a public speaker and debator that typically debates Christian scholars on the highest level.

Anwar

Arafat

Read Bio

Anwar Arafat is an Imam for the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis. In Memphis since 2014, he moved here from Salt Lake City, UT, where he was born and raised, and served as an imam for several years. Arafat has traveled and lived overseas, completing his religious education locally and abroad, earning a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies, and most recently finishing a master’s degree in Islamic Leadership at the Islamic Seminary of America (TISA) in Dallas, Texas. He’s the U.S. Outreach Specialist for iERA, an international Dawah organization.

Hamza

Tzortzis

Read Bio

Hamza Andreas Tzortzis is the founder and CEO of Sapience Institute. He is the author of the best-selling book: ‘The Divine Reality: God, Islam and The Mirage of Atheism’. It has been translated into over 10 languages. He has an MRes, MA and a PgCert in Philosophy from the University of London. He is currently pursuing his PhD on the Qur’ān and its verses pertaining to nature. He has studied Islamic Thought and Theology under qualified scholars.

Hamza has a professional background in project and programme management, charity governance and operations, and has worked as a consultant for the public and private sector. He was the CEO of iERA from April 2017 until February 2020, where he and his team developed sector-leading robust systems, processes and procedures. He grew the organisation by over 500%, with an international operational growth of over 1000%.

10 -  5 -  24

Empower Yourself to Engage Christians with Insight and Scholarly Depth

GET YOUR TICKET

Insightful lectures by a variety of speakers.

Learn how the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ engaged with Christians.

Understand the historical and theological development of the Trinity.

Examine evidence of the Prophet in Christian scriptures.

Online ticket sales are closed, you can pay on entry to the event

FAQ

The "Christianity Through an Islamic Lens" conference is a one-day academic event organized by Sapience Institute, designed to equip Muslims with the knowledge and tools to engage in meaningful and academic discussions with Christians. The event focuses on exploring Christianity from an Islamic perspective, covering various historical, theological, and contemporary topics.
This conference is ideal for Muslims interested in understanding Christianity more deeply, whether for personal knowledge or to engage with Christian co-workers, friends, and neighbors. It's particularly useful for those involved in dawah, interfaith dialogue, or anyone who wants to make an eloquent and academic case for the Islamic worldview.
The conference will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
The conference features a variety of sessions that explore different aspects of Christian theology and history from an Islamic perspective. Topics include: The Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ dawah to Christians Christian views on sex, sin, and salvation versus Islamic perspectives The historical development of the Trinity before and after Nicaea The influence of Christian Zionism on modern political dynamics An examination of Mormonism and its missionary efforts The role of Paul in shaping modern Christianity and its divergence from the teachings of Jesus (as)
The event features distinguished speakers with expertise in Islamic and Christian theology, including: Fahad Tasleem – Presenting on the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ approach to dawah with Christians. Jake Brancatella – Discussing the historical and theological development of the Trinity. Anwar Arafat – Explaining the beliefs and practices of Mormon missionaries. Adnan Rashid – Speaking on Muhammad ﷺ in the Bible and exploring Pauline Christianity. Hamza Andreas Tzortzis – Addressing the concept of God’s love in Christianity versus Islam.
This conference addresses the need for Muslims to engage with Christians—who make up a large portion of society—in an informed, kind, and intellectual manner. Given the significant role Christians play in shaping societal views and policies, understanding their beliefs is crucial. The sessions aim to empower attendees with knowledge to communicate the Islamic worldview effectively and respectfully.
Yes, the conference is structured to benefit individuals at all levels, from beginners to those with advanced knowledge of Christian and Islamic theology. The sessions will offer both foundational insights and in-depth academic discussions.
Yes, the conference includes sessions that address contemporary ideological issues, such as the rise of the LGBTQ+ movement and its challenges to Christian and Islamic values, as well as the political influence of Christian Zionism on Muslim communities.
Unfortunately, tickets are non-refundable. However, since we are a non-profit organization, all funds collected are used to support the work of Sapience Institute which is committed to developing, supporting and empowering individuals and organizations to intellectually share and defend Islam.
cross