In 2012, during a mosque open house, Ustadh Dr. Ali Ataie answers an audience question: “How does the Islamic faith define infidels? Are other people of the book – Jews, Christians considered infidels?”

Dr. Ataie explains that in the Qur’an, the word ‘Kafir’ is used in the literal sense referring to someone who physically covers something. This has been used in the Qur’an to refer to farmers, who cover seeds in the earth when they till (e.g. Quran 57:20).

Ustadh Ataie further explains that the Qur’an uses ‘Kafir’ in the Theological sense to refer to those who will be judged in the hereafter as disbelievers, who were insincere in their life and deliberately rejected the truth which they covered despite knowing it was true. This also includes those who refused to question what they were taught (i.e. blind followers) and did not search for the truth when they became aware of their beliefs uncertainty. This meaning includes any person guilty of such insincerity whether they label themselves as Muslim or non-Muslim on earth;

This is clip in the MCC Gems Series from a talk Dr. Ataie participated in when he speaks about Islamic Biblical Hermeneutics:    • Reading the Bible in the Context of t...  

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Dr. Ali spoke as part of an interfaith panel titled "Children of Abraham" at the Muslim Community Center - East Bay (MCC East Bay) in Pleasanton, California on December 16, 2012.

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Ustadh Dr. Ali Ataie
Ali Ataie is a perennial student and researcher who has been involved in interfaith activities for over two decades. He holds a Masters in biblical studies with a focus on New Testament and biblical languages. He also holds a PhD in cultural and historical studies in religion from the Graduate Theological Union. His doctoral work focused on Muslim hermeneutics of Biblical texts, especially the Gospel of John. He lives in San Ramon, CA with his wife Roya and three daughters.

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