Yuen: A Twin Cities man is reading the Bible with 'Muslim goggles' and deepening ties with Christians

About a year ago, Tamim Saidi began a personal project — reading the four Gospels of the New Testament, documenting his observations on social media, and inviting Christian friends to join the discussion.

Right now he's halfway through the Book of John.

But Tamim admits, "John has been the toughest for me."

"John has a different personality," agrees his friend Jay Perske.

Tamim and Jay enjoy dissecting the scriptures over eggs at Perkins and coffee at Byerlys — they reckon they've spent hundreds of hours together over the past several years. But what makes their Bible study unique is that they come from differing faiths. Jay is an evangelical Christian, while Tamim is Muslim.

Despite their theological differences, Tamim says he decided to dive into the sacred text of his Christian neighbors and friends so he could better understand them. He says his project, which he calls "The Bible Through Muslim Goggles," has made him a better friend, and a better Muslim.

"One of the things that surprised me is how many beautiful things I found in the Bible," says Tamim, a volunteer imam from Maple Grove who hosts online discussions about his readings. "My most favorite part of the Gospel is the Sermon on the Mount. What spoke to me was the authenticity and the practical advice."

"As the Quran says, there is guidance and light to be found in the Injil," adds Jay, using the Arabic word for the Gospel.

I met the two suburban dads at an evangelical megachurch's coffee shop. They talked about how their paths crossed in a divided America, where religion has become politicized and weaponized. A 2019 national poll found that both Muslims and evangelical Christians see room for improvement in their relationship with the other group. But the study also found that evangelicals had little interest in interacting with or learning more about Muslims.

A part-time pastor with the Assemblies of God denomination, Jay has read the Quran and studied Arabic. He considers his ministry to bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims — without trying to convert anyone.

A pharmacist by day, Tamim has been building coalitions across faiths and educating Minnesotans about Islam ever since the Sept. 11 attacks.

A mutual friend introduced the two, and since then they've shared honest conversations about the mysteries of faith.

Tamim says of Jay: "He's like a brother. I really love him. I think he's a sincere person."

Jay taps the surface of our table. "This is the best tool we have for building bridges," he says. "When you drink tea, coffee, eat food, you talk to each other, you find out about each other's family, background and history. All of a sudden, it's not 'them.' It's somebody you know."

They've welcomed many others into their theological chats. When Tamim hosts in-person interfaith events, he likes to quiz the audience with a series of questions for both Christians and Muslims. Raise your hand, he says, if you believe:

Nearly everyone raises a hand, Tamim says.

"A lot of times people focus on how much we differ," he says, "but we forget how much we have in common in the big picture."

Although he does not worship Jesus, Tamim holds reverence for him, noting that the Quran refers to Jesus as a servant of God, as does the Bible. At Christmastime last year, Tamim produced 25 Facebook posts about his readings, proclaiming "Jesus is the reason for the season." About 90 Muslims and Christians are part of his online discussion group. Ground rules: You must be genuine, authentic, honest and respectful.

Tamim has been fascinated by religion for much of his life. He fled his native Afghanistan in the late 1980s following the Soviet invasion. He found refuge in Pakistan, then joined his aunts and uncles in Minnesota when he was a teenager. One of his aunts was Christian. Since Tamim's parents were still in Afghanistan, he lived with his relatives. Aunt Val became somewhat of a mom to him.

"People — and this is true for Christians and Muslims — will say, 'Well, these are those other people,' " Tamim says. "But if you're part of the family, it's different."

For Jay, his interest in Islam started literally with a collision.

"I rear-ended a Somali guy 13 years ago, and I got sued," he recalls.

Jay says that in the paperwork, the plaintiff, a man named Mohamed, said he prayed "judgment against Jay Perske in the name of Allah."

Jay was taken aback. It sounded harsh. But he said God told him to set aside his bitterness and pray for Mohamed. The insurance companies eventually settled the dispute, yet Jay was changed forever. The encounter led the Lakeville man on a journey to understand the Muslim community, to love his neighbors, and to advocate for them.

This election season and even into the holidays, some politicians, pundits and trolls will try to divide us, selling us a myth that we can't be friends. Think of Tamim and Jay, sharing a table, drinking their coffee, living by their ground rules of being genuine, authentic, honest and respectful.

"I hope we can get to know people as brothers," Tamim says, "not others."