The greatest conflict of the past century has not been between Communism and Democracy. It has not been between Liberalism and Conservatism. It has not been between Socialism and Capitalism. It has not been between Rich and Poor, Proletariat and Bourgeoisie, Industrialism and Agrarianism, Nationalism and Colonialism, Management and Labour, First World and Third World, East and West, North and South, Allied and Axis, or NATO and Soviet. All of these conflicts have been important, of course. All of them helped to define the modern era significantly. None of them should be in any way underestimated.

But while every one of these conflicts has pitted ardent foes against one another and as a result, has actually altered the course and character of recent history, none of them could be characterized as the most convulsive conflict of the past century. The most convulsive conflict of the past century, and indeed the most convulsive conflict of the past, millennium, has undoubtedly been between Islam and Civilization; it has been between Islam and Freedom; it has been between Islam and Order; it has been between Islam and Progress; it has been between Islam and Hope. While every other conflict pitting men and nations against one another has inevitably waxed and waned, this furious struggle has remained all too consistent. The tension between Islam and every aspiration and yearning of man intrudes on every issue, every discipline, every epoch, and every locale - a fact that is more evident today than perhaps ever before.

Despite this inescapable fact, most people today actually know very little about Islam. Certainly, most Christians know only the most rudimentary facts about this extraordinarily potent adversary, this extreme cultural threat to everything they hold to be good and right and true. The conflict between Islam and the rest of the world may dominate the headlines, define our foreign policy, and give new urgency to the day-to-day mission of our churches, but why that is the case, is still not very well understood.

It is for that reason that Frontline Fellowship has produced this vital new study of one of the most neglected aspects of Islam. Born out of the difficult experience of missionaries on the front lines of the battle for the soul of Africa and indeed, the world this book is designed to present the ideas, history, and aspirations of Islam through the lens of a Biblical worldview perspective. It is designed to equip ordinary Christians from every walk of life to wisely and Scripturally minster in a world where the conflict between Islam and civilization is all too obvious.

I am grateful for the commitment of Peter Hammond, and the entire team of Frontline Fellowship to make this practical and understandable study available. In this day and time we most assuredly need to understand rather than simply emote; we need to lay firm foundations rather than simply react; we need to be ready, willing, and able to present the eternal truths of Scripture in the context of the temporal realities of our poor fallen world. And that is just what this study enables us to do. May God be pleased to use it to that end and for His glory.

George Grant, PhD
Kingsmeadow