This item, from the Messengers of Hope Collection, is a small booklet entitled "God in Islam". The booklet is printed in Chinese characters and reads from right to left. There is also a small Arabic phrase (possibly the title) on the cover.;The Messengers of Hope were an organization of Hope College alumni that existed formally from about 1907-1915. They had a relatively small membership of 25-50 individuals, who traveled around the world doing missionary work. Messengers of Hope worked in Asia, India, Africa, and the Middle East. One notable member of the group was Dr. John Otte who worked as a doctor and missionary in China for several years, eventually dieing there in 1910. Many of Otte's writings about his experiences are preserved at the Joint Archives of Holland, in Holland Michigan. The missionaries regularly collected items from the communities in which they worked, and sent them back to Hope College for a museum intended to inspire others to take up missionary work. Otte is likely the person who collected this item. Over the years the small museum was moved around campus and many items were lost or borrowed and never returned. The Grand Rapids Public Museum has collected a small representative sample of these items, in order to tell the story of the Messengers of Hope.;This group of items was part of a small museum at Hope College in the early twentieth century. The items were collected by the Messengers of Hope, a group of Hope alumni engaged in missionary work all over the world. As part of their organization's mission the Messengers of Hope collected items from the various cultures they worked with and sent them back to the college in the hope of inspiring future generations of missionaries.;Members of the Messengers of Hope were known to be particularly interested in converting Chinese Muslims to Christianity. Chinese Muslims have played a significant role in that country's history since their arrival in the seventh century. By the early twentieth century, when the Messengers of Hope arrived, the Qing Dynasty was actively persecuting these groups, perhaps making them a high priority for Christian missionaries. Literature of this type was a common tool used by missionaries around the world to make converts. The material is in the convert's native language (Chinese) and is specifically targeted at their current religion (Islam).
