Perceptions of Muslim identity: A case study among Muslim-born persons in Metro New York

This dissertation addresses the Insider Movement paradigm in ministry to Muslims by assessing to what extent Muslims who come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ may permanently retain Muslim identity. This research presents data from Islamic literature on Muslim identity, as well as New Testament data on the impact of the gospel on individual and collective identity as it entered various communities. The field research features interviews with forty Muslim-born persons in Metro New York who come from eighteen different countries. Half of the interviewees are themselves believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The field data confirms the theological research that Muslims who come to believe the biblical narrative about the Lord Jesus Christ are no longer Muslims in the eyes of the Muslim community. Since affirmation of the prophethood of Muhammad is the key requirement for retaining Muslim identity and since Muhammad's prophetic input regarding Jesus Christ was of such an anti-biblical trajectory, those who seek to retain Muslim identity permanently will not be able to find their individual identity in Christ or their collective identity in the Body of Christ.