For seven years I have participated in a series of formal Muslim-Catholic dialogues sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. . . .
While there are, clearly, substantial doctrinal differences between Christianity and Islam, there are, nonetheless, parallels. Muslims have the same relationship to the Qur'an as the word of God as Christians do to Christ, the Word of God. On a more personal level, because I follow the Rule of St. Benedict, I know how it feels to revere a human founder and to follow that human founder's path. . . .
The challenge for me is to live my Christian way of life in such a way that my Muslim friends "catch" the spirit of Christ just as I believe I have "caught" their Muslim way of life. It is thus in this spirit that I set out my understanding of Islam — I have received the beauty of this noble path and hope to convey that beauty to you.
— Mary Margaret Funk, Islam Is