It’s a warm Saturday afternoon in Melbourne as trams and people criss-cross the city. At one of the busiest junctions, people swarm around shops and buskers. But amidst the continuous foot traffic stand two street stalls.

The first is run by Muslims from the Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia (IISNA). Handing out pamphlets and having conversations, they are doing what they call “street da’wah”—calling people to the way of Islam. The most prominent of their signs reads: “Jesus: A beloved prophet of Islam”.

On the other side of the street, a stall is run by a group of Christians led by Dr Bernie Power, a lecturer at the Melbourne School of Theology. They too are doing street evangelism—handing out tracts and speaking to people about Christianity. Their sign says “Jesus loves Muslims. So do we”.

The story of the two stalls goes back to some Christian street preachers who set up on the same corner of the city in 2012. Their preaching attracted opposition from some Muslims and the conflict escalated to the point where the police were called, and the Christians were asked to stop preaching.

According to Bernie, a few weeks later, the Muslims set up a stall on the same corner of the city, handing out pamphlets. Frustrated with their lack of voice, the next year, some Christians sought to have their own stall.

“After some prayer and consultation, we contacted the Melbourne City Council to ask permission to set up our table,” says Bernie. “They told us that no permission was required if we were giving away religious or political materials, due to freedom of speech requirements. However we should not block the traffic or cause trouble.”

The Jesus loves Muslims stand has been there since August last year. The day I visit, I meet Nadia, a recent convert to Christianity—she’s handing out tracts and speaking to people passing by. Originally from Iran, Nadia knows her decision to convert from Islam puts her in great danger if she ever returned to Iran, where apostasy can see you executed. And yet she says she is not afraid, because of the certainty of her hope in Jesus.

“It is really dangerous, but I will never go back to Islam, because I grew up with Islamic teaching, so I know what it is like. Even, I would die because of my new faith. Because Jesus is the only one who says he will forgive my sins. I know that after death, I will have peace,” Nadia tells me. She says few Muslims are brave enough to speak to her, but for those who stop to chat, she tells them her story.

“Many Muslims, visiting or studying in Australia, have requested and taken Christian literature because it is not available in their own countries,” says Bernie.

“Street outreach can be hard work—most of the passers-by, intent on shopping or sight-seeing, are totally uninterested and they ignore us. But every Saturday, we have dozens of spiritual conversations with those who stop and talk.”

“Amazingly people will open up about their deepest questions and needs, and we often pray for and with them. Since August last year, three people have committed their lives to Christ at our table.”

You can find Bernie, Nadia and their friends on the corner of Bourke and Swanston Streets in Melbourne CBD every Saturday from 10am.