Sheikh Imran Hosein: Answering the UK Column interview's detractors

Due to the nature of this outdoor recording, it is recommended to listen using headphones.

The long interview with Sheikh Imran Hosein (Part I | Part II | Part III) which UK Column conducted in summer 2022 netted not just appreciation but also a good deal of criticism, some of it acerbic indeed, from Christian viewers, both by e-mail and on Alex's Telegram channel. We interviewed Sheikh Imran for various reasons, including a substantial shared audience, the Sheikh's pioneering status in Islamic eschatology, his independence of geopolitical analysis, his resolute condemnation of monetary fraud, and his keen interest in peace between Muslims and Christians.

In this retrospective, recorded by the banks of the Tay, David Scott and Alex Thomson tackle the fundamental errors evident in much of that criticism: misplaced certainty, the assumption of bad faith, and a Disneyfied creed. The hit-and-run critics learned nothing from our engagement with Sheikh Imran, but appear to have walked away feeling superior. Some of them are quite prepared to admit that there is no room for refinement in their worldview.

David and Alex consider from various angles why it is that an Islamic sheikh is more ready, willing and able to talk about the contents of the Bible and the nature of government than almost anyone in Christendom, and what this implies in the quest for truth. Where are the Christians with consistent, coherent discourse that is as rational and as fearless as Sheikh Imran's? Why have we come across many Christians, but no Muslims, who are content to accept a religious persuasion while fully cognisant that it has many errors? Who understands the difference between evangelism and journalism? Could it be that some of the audience were disappointed that the discussion was boringly non-confrontational?

Nineteen minutes in, find out the relevance of the setting of this discussion: the North Inch, a location that testifies to man's depravity when he fails to use his mind. UK Column will talk to anybody who maintains a modicum of rationality and decent conduct. Be not fractious, but fraternal.