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The fall of Iran’s ruler, Shah Reza Pahlevi, in 1979 marked a major shift in international relations. While Iran had been an ally of the West during his rule, the new ruler, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, initiated a radical change in governance by establishing the Islamic Republic of Iran. The new regime pursued a virulent anti-Western propaganda campaign using the slogan مرگ بر آمریکا (Marg bar Âmrikâ), “Death to America!”

Ayatollah Khomeini and his successors refused to engage in dialogue with the United States (“Big Satan”) or Israel (“Small Satan”). In a sense, the animosity toward Christians and Jews is beyond description, rendering the very idea of dialogue ridiculous! It wasn’t so in the past, as we may learn from history, since dialogues did happen.

Christian-Muslim encounters and “dialogues” have been ongoing for several centuries; they have centered on three crucial points, namely, the Bible, the Trinity, and the person and work of Jesus Christ.

A scholarly study of the historical context of Christian-Muslim discussions appears in the works of J. W. Sweetman, a British missionary who labored among Muslims in India before the Partition of 1947. I review his extensive writing on this topic in chapter 11 of my book, The Bible and Islam.