In an age when one might expect Christians to stay away from the teachings of Islam through the Quran, this Archbishop not only studies it, but teaches it to others.
Michael Fitzgerald, retired Catholic Archbishop of Tunisia is one of the Catholic Church’s top experts on Islam.
He decided to be a missionary in Africa when he was just twelve years old. Eight years later, Fitzgerald studied theology and learned Arabic in Tunisia fulfilling his childhood dream.
Fitzgerald has served the Vatican in places such as a Vatican ambassador in Cairo, Tunisia, Egypt and Uganda, e and now is promoting interfaith understanding by teaching Jesuit students in Cleveland about the Quran and became the top Roman Catholic experts on Islam and has earned respect even from Muslim scholars.
In addition to lecturing and writing, he is spending this spring as a guest instructor at John Carroll University where he is teaching a course on the Quran to a small group of undergraduate and graduate students.
He took on the challenging job of encouraging fellow Christians to learn more about Islam and the Holy Quran at a time when non-Muslims’ understanding of Islam has become allied with violence, and scores of Muslims believe the West has declared war on their religion.
According to the Bishop:”The more you understand a religion, the better it is,” Fitzgerald says, “whether it’s Christians studying Islam or Christians studying Christianity or Muslims studying Christianity. I think this helps in your relations.”
Muslim scholar Zeki Saritoprak knew Archbishop Fitzgerald and his teachings for more than ten years.
“What is important here is knowledge,” says Zeki Saritoprak, who directs the Islamic studies program at John Caroll University.
Saritoprak stresses that, as the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, Muslims should gain wisdom no matter whom or where it comes from. “A well-informed Christian can teach Islam better than an ill-informed Muslim,” added Saritoprak.
And the Archbishop’s message for Christians is that Islam is religion worth respect as is Christianity.