Chrislam
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“”"Lord Ivywood is very enthusiastic ... He was saying only the other day at the Flower Show here that the time had come for a full unity between Christianity and Islam."
"Something called Chrislam perhaps," said the Irishman, with a moody eye. |
| —G.K. Chesterton[1] |
Chrislam is, as the name implies, a curious blend of Christianity and Islam, with about 15,000 followers.
It is a cheesy title for an attempt to marry two doctrinally incompatible religions; clearly, Islamstianity would work much better. It was founded by a Nigerian named Tela Tella who, like so many others, fancies himself a prophet who received a divine telegram from God. Tella goes by the aphorism, "The same sun that dries the clothes of Muslims also dries the clothes of Christians;"[2] God apparently did not see fit to mention to him that disproportionate numbers of Christians use tumble-dryers for that purpose instead.
In more reality-based terms, Chrislam is a response to the current situation in Nigeria, where there is a good deal of intercommunal violence between Christians and Muslims, which each comprise about half of the country's population. Like many others facing the same situation, Tella has resorted to syncretism in an attempt to unify the two religions and make the fighting stop.
Supporters hope Chrislam will focus on the similarities between the two religions and reduce tensions. Others are more pessimistic, believing that any blending of Christianity and Islam will result in Islam coming out on top. One example they cite is of churches in London allowing the use of their buildings for Muslim services, which resulted in little change on the Islamic side;[3] however, this might not be applicable to the situation in Nigeria, specifically in that it fails to confirm the unfounded rumors that there are still practicing Christians within the Church of England.