52 FEATURE

The devotion in Islam to Mary may be surprising for many

Catholics. FR THOMAS CASEY SJ offers some insights on
this devotion that may be a starting point for our dialogue
with Islam.

THE VIRGIN MARY: A BRIDGE WITH ISLAM

In September 2014 the Ahmadiyya
Muslim community opened a
mosque in Galway named after the
Mother of Jesus: the Masjid Maryam
(Mosque of Mary). Although this
mosque near the Galway racecourse
in Ballybrit is one of the few mosques
in the world named after Mary, she
nevertheless plays an important role
in Islam.
It’s good that we become aware of
the enormous respect that Muslims
hold for Mary. Precisely because
there are fundamental differences
between Christianity and Islam,
we’ve all the more reason for finding
common ground. Indeed, global
peace may depend upon it. And the
most sensitive way to build a bridge
to Islam is through the most sensitive
woman of all time, Our Lady, whom
many Muslims admire as the best
woman who ever lived. On the basis
of a shared love for the Virgin Mary,
we could end up sharing a lot more
as well.
Any of the more than one billion
Muslims who read the central sacred
book of Islam attentively – the Koran
or Qur’an – will come across many
references to Mary. Amazingly,
Mary is mentioned more often in
the Qur’an than she is in the entire
New Testament, over thirty times in
fact. Only one chapter (surah) of the
Quran is dedicated to a woman, and
that chapter – chapter nineteen – is
dedicated to the Mother of Jesus: it
is called Surah Maryam or the ‘surah
of Mary’. No other woman is men-
tioned by name in the entire Qur’an.
The sacred book of Islam does not
mention Aminah, the mother of the
prophet Muhammad; it does not
mention his first wife Khadijah; it
does not mention any of his other
dozen wives; it doesn’t even mention
his daughter Fatima (maybe it’s no
accident that Our Lady appeared in a
town named after his daughter!).
It’s amazing to think that the
holiest book in Islam gives such a
privileged position to the mother of
Jesus, whom we Christians regard as
the Son of God. Although Muslims
don’t see Jesus as the Son of God,
and therefore don’t see Mary as the
Mother of God, but only the moth-
er of a great prophet, their sacred
book is nevertheless full of praise for
her holiness and purity. Because of
this veneration, Mary could be the
gentlest of keys with which to unlock
the often stubbornly closed door
between Christians and Muslims.
Muslim respect for Mary is not
simply confined to the most sacred
book of Islam, it is also found in their
religious practice. For instance, at
some times during the year, almost

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FEATURE
Interior of the Mosque of Pasha Gazi Kassim in Pecs
as many Muslims as Christians come
to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon
in the village of Harissa, near Beirut –
and not just Lebanese Muslims. Each
year, thousands of Iranian Muslim
pilgrims come to this Lebanese
shrine dedicated to Our Lady.
While Catholics and Muslims
believe different things about Mary,
we do agree on her perpetual
virginity, her purity and on the fact
that she was the holiest woman who
ever walked this earth. All these
astonishing Marian qualities provide
a marvellous starting point for
deeper mutual respect.
Even though there are problematic
issues between Catholicism and
Islam, Vatican II sought to underline
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53
what we have in common. In the
landmark 1965 document from this
council, Nostra Aetate (The Relation
of the Church to Non-Christian
Religions), we find these positive
words about Muslims, ‘They also
honour Mary, his virgin mother; at
times they even call on her with
devotion’. While Nostra Aetate is by
far the shortest of Vatican II’s sixteen
documents, not quite 1,200 words
(less than twice the length of this
article), it has had a huge impact on
interfaith relations.
Perhaps the next time you’re
talking with a Muslim, you could ask
your conversation partner how they
honour Our Lady, and see where the
conversation takes you!