Understanding Islam
Submitted by International A... on December 28, 2006 - 7:05pm.
International Affairs
"Understanding Islam"
By Dan Juma
CAVEAT: I'm not a Muslim myself, so don't expect me to necessarily defend it. I'm just trying explain it
I. What is Islam, anyway?
What is most surprising to Americans about Islam is probably how close the religion is to Christianity, amounting almost to a form of Christianity itself.
Islam cannot be understood outside of its birth in the Judeo-Christian milieu. Indeed that milieu might better be termed the Judeo-Christian-Islamic milieu. All three of these religions, as well as smaller Middle Eastern religions such as the Mandeans, worship the same God. This is the ancient God El, famously worshiped by Abram (later Abraham) under the priesthood of Melchizedek, King of Salem (Genesis 14:18). The word "El" simply meant "God" in ancient Semitic, and "Allah" literally means "the god" in Arabic.
El- The father of the gods worshipped by the Canaanites of Israel, who is portrayed here in gold-covered bronze. Excavated at Megiddo, Israel, it dates to 1400-1200 B.C.
The Muslim profession of faith, "La Ilahu illa-llahu, Muhammadu rasulu-llah" literally means "There is no god other than The God, Muhammad is the messenger of the God." The Qur'an was presented by Muhammad as a final revelation to complement,
confirm and clarify the revelation of Jesus. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the Paraclete, (John 14:16) who was sent to Christians to be a comforter in their distress. As for Abraham, the Qur'an (3:67) states that he was neither a Jew, nor a Christian, but that in fact he was a Muslim. The views of people such as General Boykin,
that Muslims worship a different god than do Christians, are not only false, but today they are dangerous. The Qur'an in fact says that the closest in religion to Muslims are the Christians (Qur'an 5:82)
Muslims do not believe that Jesus was God, but they do believe that he was the Messiah (al-Masih, the anointed one, in Arabic) and they believe that he was born of a virgin (Qur'an 19:16-22). Most Muslims do not believe that he was resurrected because they believe that he never died (Qur'an 4:157-158, 5:110). Thus a devout Muslim could put a "Jesus lives!" bumper sticker on his car as easily as could any Christian. A minority of Muslims do believe that Jesus died after surviving the Crucifixion, although most believe that he is alive in heaven. There is also dispute over whether Jesus was crucified almost to death, or whether a substitute was crucified in his place. In short, there is almost as much dispute over the nature of Jesus among Muslims as there is among Christians, but there is also agreement that Jesus was a prophet of God, not God or the son of God himself, was born of a virgin, but did not die on the cross.
Ascension: "Allah took him up to Himself" Qur'an 4:158
Since Jesus was not God, according to Muslims, they do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. Does this make them a form of Unitarian Christianity?
Some of the first converts to Islam fled Mecca and sought refuge in the Christian Empire of Abbysinia, across the Red Sea in what is now Ethiopia. There is a story, probably fictional, but with such truth in it as fiction can hold, that Meccans followed them and demanded their deportation. Ethiopia had attacked Mecca in the year Muhammad was born (Qur'an 105), wanting to abolish the pagan sanctuary that was there, and was no friend of the Meccans. According to one version of the story, the Abbysinian Emperor, upon hearing the Meccans' accusations and the refugees defense of their beliefs-- explaining the differences between what Muhammad was teaching and what Christians professed-- supposedly drew a line in the dirt. He then told the Muslims that the difference between what they believed and what he believed was no more than the width of that line. All versions of this story end with the Emperor sending the Meccans back home without the refugees they sought to take back with them.
Islam arose in the Middle Ages, when Christian sects were persecuting each other as heretics. Thus Muslims preferred to be considered a different religion, and are often especially defensive about the "Christian heresy" interpretation of Islam.
Of course heresy is in the mind of the accuser- but, after a long discussion about this issue, a Muslim friend told me that considering Islam a kind of Christianity was like considering Christianity a kind of Judaism.
"It is." I answered without hesitation. "Christianity makes no sense without its Judaic origins."
"Then we have no argument." he replied.
II. But what IS Islam? How is it different from other forms of the El cult?
One of the most important differences between Islam and other religions is the intimate relation between Islam and the state. Of all world religions Islam is uniquely associated with the rise of a political state. Buddha was born a prince but withdrew from the world. Jesus famously said "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36) and "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." (Luke 20:25) The separation of church and state has almost always been implicit in Christendom, for even in the Middle Ages the church had one hierarchy with the Pope at the top, and the state had another, with the Emperor at the top. Muhammad was the only founder of a great religion who was also a head of state.
Unlike Jesus and Buddha, Muhammad was not only a teacher and preacher of a religious doctrine but also a leader of a government, who ruled a territory and dispensed laws and justice, and made war against his enemies. In theory Islam not only requires a state, it requires a head of state (Caliph) who is not only head of state but also head of religion, Emperor and Pope in one person. Islamic law has many different variations and controversies, but the link between Islam and government is generally accepted, at least in theory.
I emphasize theory here because Islamic law is very theoretical. The only actual existing anarchy in the world today is Somalia, a failed state that, when it was a state, boasted that it was the sole 100% Muslim state in Africa. But many other stateless societies, or "tribal societies", have been Islamic as well, to the extent that the relation between these stateless societies and states is a major question for scholars. The theory of Islamic law, as drawn out by scholars, and the reality of Islamic society, as lived by Muslims, are in fact very different things. Islam is the civilization that gave the world the institution of the university, and Islamic law is not so much a creation of wild-eyed sword-waving fanatics chopping off hands as it is a creation of ivory tower intellectuals pouring over volume after volume of abstract legal arguments, fervently issuing legal opinions about improbable and even impossible events.
In fact Islamic law is probably uniquely flexible among the legal systems of the world.
In place of the two simple categories of most other legal systems, in which actions are either Forbidden or Permitted--
Islamic law recognizes five categories:
Forbidden, Reprehensible, Permitted, Recommended and Obligatory.
Thus the concept of the "lesser evil" is an important one in Islam, and many actions of both Islamic states and individual Muslims can be and often are justified on the grounds of their being lesser evils than the alternative.
Islamic law as developed by Islamic scholars of law is a complicated series of prescriptions about all details of human life, including not only criminal law and religious duties but even daily activities.
This "Sharia" law (as it is called) is based on not only the Qur'an, but on the reported sayings of Muhammad as passed down in oral tradition (hadith) and his reported behavior. So strong is the idea that Muhammad represented the ideal human being that many Muslims believe that since Muhammad wore a beard it is a religious obligation of all male Muslims to wear beards.
One controversy about local customs and Islamic law that has gotten much attention in recent years is the one of the veiling of women. The Qur'an merely says that women should cover themselves and be modest. At one extreme some Muslims interpret this to mean that women must cover every part of their bodies, even their faces, when they go out of their houses. At another extreme some Muslims interpret this to mean only that Muslim women should cover their breasts. (It is thought by some historians that women in the Mecca of Muhammad's day walked around with their breasts uncovered). More recently a consensus has been emerging among many Muslims that women are meant to cover the hair on their heads to show modesty. Perhaps not coincidentally, the classical Arabic word for "modesty" used in the Qur'anic passage in question is related to the modern Arabic word for “hairdresser”.
It is important also to remember that the styles of Islamic dress one sees among women on the street are outdoor wear. Clothing meant for inside the house is of course more relaxed. Such distinction between clothing meant for inside and for outside use is probably a cultural universal, but it is especially a characteristic of Islamic society, where
the contrast between the private (khass) sphere and the public (amma) sphere is perhaps as great as in any society in the world. The inner world of a Muslim family house is off limits to non-members, Muslim or not, and it is a rare privilege to be invited into a Muslim home.
We see that there are strong differences of opinion about and interpretation of Islamic law among Muslim lawyers. For example, Shi'ite lawyers recognize a category of marriage that is forbidden in Sunni Islam. In this type of marriage, known as temporary marriage, the marriage is contracted for a predetermined period of time, and divorce is automatic at the end of that period. This period may last for years or even decades, but it may also last for only a few hours. Sunni Muslims consider this form of marriage to be little more than a cover for prostitution, although Shi'ite societies also have forbidden prostitution, which they distinguish from temporary marriage. Temporary marriage is an old Arabian tribal custom that was not forbidden by Muhammad himself, but by one of his early successors who was not recognized by the Shi’ites.
Perhaps connected to the relation between Islam and the state is the fact that Islam is not only a religion but a civilization. Christianity and Buddhism have thriven in very different civilizations; European and Ethiopian (and even the matrilineal civilization of medieval Nubia) in the case of Christianity: India and China (and such Chinese influenced countries as Japan, Korea and Vietnam) in the case of Buddhism. Islam
carries its civilization with it, bringing not only a tradition of statecraft, but an alphabet, a calendar, and even styles of dress.
Of course all Muslim societies are not identical. In East Africa and Indonesia there are matrilineal Muslim societies, which trace descent through the mother's line. In Arab society, and even in west Africa, this would be anathema, yet the common intellectual discourse of Islamic learning in the classical Arabic language has never been broken, and the links between these societies have united them, at least sentimentally, into a common 'ummah’, (nation or community) since the days of Muhammad.
The basic principles and practices which unite Muslims may be summarized for the vast majority of Muslims (i.e. Sunnis) as—
The Five Pillars of the Faith:
1. Shahada;
The "profession of the faith" that there is no god but the God, and that Muhammad is his prophet. This also implies that the Qur'an is the revelation to Muhammad, given in Arabic, and that the rules of the Qur'an are divinely inspired and can only be learned by studying them in Arabic.
2. Salla;,
The formal prayers which Muslims are required to make towards Mecca five times per day. Less formal or voluntary prayers are known by another name, Du'a, which is also used for the prayers of Christians and others. Salla is uniquely Muslim.
3. Zakat;
The tithe that Muslims are to pay for social welfare, usually administered by scholars on behalf of the community. It is good to remember that though many conservatives argue that the generally low crime rates of Muslim societies are a result of their harsh punishments, the religious obligation of ensuring the welfare of all is likely to be at least as important.
4. Saum;
Or fasting during the month of Ramadan, from first light to sundown. This means not only no food-- but no water, sex or tobacco (for those Muslims who hold tobacco to be lawful). Breakfast at sundown is often a communal celebration during Ramadan, followed by traditional tafsir, or Qur'anic study.
5. Hajj;
Or the formal pilgrimage to Mecca, taken during the pilgrimage season each year is an obligation to Muslims, and thus also unites the Muslim world in a way that pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Bethlehem never really united the Judeo-Christian world. It is no longer possible for all Muslims to visit Mecca every year, and hasn't been for a long time. Most Muslim authorities say it is something that Muslims should try to do at least once in their lifetime, if they can.
The people of Caanan weren't Jewish. Abraham's father was an idol maker and Abraham broke the idols. He brought the notion that their is one G-D who is invisible to the world as we know it. Graven images are forbidden in both Judaism and Islam. The name for G-d wasn't to be spoken or couldn't be put into the form of a word. Judaism refers to "the still small voice" inside everyone.
and according to the Bible they were cursed by their grandfather Noah to be slaves, but not all of Abraham's descendants were Jewish, either. Certainly his descendants by Ishmael (Isma'il in Arabic) are not Jewish.
The El cult as practiced by Abraham may also have been different from the same cult as practiced by others at his time, and I suspect that monotheism may have been imported into the cult from Egypt, but the unspeakable name of God was not El (which just means "god") but YHWH, usually interpreted as "I am" but now thought to have been a causative, i.e. "that which causes to be" i.e. Creator.
BTW, has anyone heard anything about the discoveries of the El cult at Ebla in Syria? I don't trust anything the Syrians allow reported about those discoveries.
Syria has an enormous amount of these ancient things still intact. As for Abraham, I'm willing to say he had two wives and two sons. (I'e heard said maybe more) I don't think he was part of the El cult. He didn't believe in idols. The image pictured would qualify as such. As for Noah, never heard that before. Where is it written in which bible?
Abraham had, according to the Bible, a wife and an Egyptian slave girl. He had sons by each of them. It also says he was a follower of El Shaddai, and that Melchizedek was a priest of El Shaddai. I already cited chapter and verse above. What practices these two actually followed is another question. Even if you think the Torah was written by Moses, that was centuries after the fact, and historically monotheism (as best we can tell) started with the Pharoah Akhenaton during the Egyptian New Kingdom. The Syrians have a documentary I saw a few decades ago about Ebla and how its findings prove that the Jews didn't invent the worship of the God El, but I already knew that and the "documentary" just lapsed into anti-Semitic drivel after that. I wondered if anyone had any more recent information about Ebla.
Genesis uses both El(ohim) and YHWH for God, seemingly blending two creation stories and two traditions, with two authors, into one account.
Noah's drunkenness and his cursing of Canaan is in the 9th chapter of Genesis, 9:20-27 specifically. It's never repeated in the kiddy Bible story versions, but there's lots of stuff in the Bible that's not for kids. You can get more of that "adults only" Bible stuff at the Brick Testament (parental discretion advised). Noah's curse of Canaan is often erroneously used to curse Ham, the Biblical ancestor of all blacks, but in fact Ham was not cursed, only Canaan.
was handed down for centuries before the Torah. It actually wasn't supposed to be written down so it could be a "living religion." However, somebody decided to change the rules and wrote what they wrote. People have to go back to the original ancient languages and then quibble about what was written and how they translate. I suspect that the documentary you saw, if parts of it were blatantly anti-semetic, then probably the whole thing was, so I wouldn't consider it a source. It sounds more like a propaganda piece.
but if you know when Joseph was in Egypt it is more than I can. Neither the Pharoah who knew Joseph nor the Pharoah of the Exodus is mentioned in the Bible by name. It is impossible to reconcile the Biblical and Egyptian accounts of the Exodus, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm far from alone on that. I'd be curious how you think the Hyksos fit into the whole thing, but as a historian I'd take it all with a grain of salt.
Joseph lived during the time of the Hyksos thing, at least it was the same dynasty. The bible was written a very long time after actual events. It all comes through oral history. Abraham went from Ur to Egypt. Have you read the book about Abraham written by the same author who wrote walking the bible? He went to visit all these places. Must have been a fascinating trip. It's interesting. As for the bible, which language have you read? Currently the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit is in Kansas City through the winter and spring. Since I don't read Hebrew, I rely on others to translate for me as well. I just know from reading any book or watching any film in one language translated into English, much gets lost in translation or completely mixed up.
although I've read enough of Biblical (and Egyptological) scholarship to know that relating the Bible to other historical sources is problematic at best. I guess you have taken (or been given) one interpretation. Wikipedia notes several. There are others. As an undergraduate many decades ago I wrote a paper tracing the major interpretations of the past few centuries. I do not think it possible to reconcile the Biblical and Egyptian sources. Wikipedia has more on the historicity of Exodus, possible Pharaohs of Exodus, and attempts to date the Exodus. Archaeology provides another irreconcilable source. When and if I get to heaven I may ask God, or Joseph, or Moses, or whomever else I meet there. In the meantime . . .
I'll have to take your word for it, Dan Juma, 'cause you could put everything I know about Islam in a thimble and have room left over.
But I certainly know more now than I did before after reading your essay.
Thanks for doing this. I can just imagine the hours required to make such a crisp summary of a complicated subject.
Could you say a little more about the genesis of the split of Islam into the Shia and Sunnis?
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
What a great primer on a topic unfamiliar to many in our country. I learned a lot.
Proud to be an American.
...that leaves me feeling much better informed as a result of it, but reading this blog is the happy exception to that rule. It is a little embarrassing to realize how much of this I didn't know before.
Thank you for covering so much in a way that made it relatively simple to absorb. It is important for us all to learn more about Islam.
I too, know little about Islam, and this is so well put together and easy to understand I feel ready for the next installment! :D
It really is amazing that for all the similarities in religions that the differences have been the cause of conflict and wars since organized religion began.
I was most interested to learn about how Islam is so tied in to government. I guess it should have been obvious, but I thought it was more a factor of religion taking over government than being part of it.
It's scary that the fundamentalists here would like the same type of system.
Thank you for the time and effort you put in to this very nice presentation.
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right. - Hunter/Garcia
have already been linked in what's now the United States. Colonial Puritan Massachusetts and the Papal States (ironically sworn enemies) are probably Christianity's closest to theocracies that we've yet come. Yet Thomas Paine could quote the Bible to prove that God didn't approve of kings, citing the experience the Israelites had with state formation and the disapproving attitude Jehovah took to it, an attitude still taken by the Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Qur'an (like the Bible or even Karl Marx) can be quoted to prove almost anything. And is.
I learned something from this. Always welcome!
I saw a thing on C-SPAN awhile back where this lady had done some significant religious research. Her conclusion is that she found seven common characters that every major religion shares. Things such as generosity ect...
She is traveling around the country speaking at religious gatherings trying to foster understanding and emphasize that the core principles of every religion are basicly identical. Facinating work...
Thanks again.
Ron Esquerra
Alger County Democratic Party
Upper Peninsula Veterans Coordinator-
www.michigan4clark.com
I was thinking the other day... is there any religion that -- although I presume they ALL see themselves as "the way" and "the only God, the real God"... but is there any one of them that can actuall accept the others as maybe equally valid forms of worship? Could one be "big" enough to acknowledge that just maybe, possibly others might know "the way" too, even if it's a different way. And that the rest of the earth might not be merely deluded if they don't subscribe to their particular theory of God. Does that make any sense? These are the kinds of questions having the flu makes me ask myself! : )
I have this little fantasy that all of these 'Gods' sort of blend together at the enc of the day and end up as the same entity -- thereby making everyone right! But what a surprise that would be to those who've spent their lifetimes hating one religious group or another over their differences. Back to Advil...
...that God reveals him/herself in different ways to different cultures, in ways appropriate for the cultures, resulting in different manifestations of the one God.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
That's sort of what I was trying to say, Stan.... I like that theory.
(Wow, look at all my typos! I can blame the cough syrup for those I guess...)
I have a somewhat less defined view than most. I believe in God, yet I also believe that we are not cappable of understanding who/what God really is. So none of us are "right". I believe God exists on a level that we cannot comprehend.
I have a fairly dismal view of organized religion as it relates to man-made dogma getting turned in to law. However, that's another story...
Ron Esquerra
Alger County Democratic Party
Upper Peninsula Veterans Coordinator-
www.michigan4clark.com
especially those with a more "Universalist" bent. I was raised Unitarian and we spent a lot of time studying other religions in Sunday school.
However, one of the drawbacks of this is that there is very little sacred tradition and liturgy - it's an appeal to the intellect only, with a strong humanist bent. Which is why I am now a liberal Episcopalian who believes all traditions are sacred.
Our local Episcopalian Cathedral used to have interfaith services, particularly an Interfaith Day of Chant. That was one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced - Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, all gathered together to sing, dance and make music. We ended up dancing a hora at the end of the service - on one side of me was a Conservative Jewish woman, on another, a Muslim woman who is a local religious leader, and me, in the middle. It was incredible. A lot of people were crying after the service was over.
is an oxymoron. A similar problem happened to the Mu'tazilites, the rational sect of Islam. They died out, although there are Modernist Muslims who are heavily influenced by them. Unitarians, on the other hand, are starting to (re)discover religion. It will be interesting how they evolve, especially since their traditional theology is so close to Islam. We haven't had a Unitarian president since Taft, but the first Unitarian president, John Adams, negotiated the first United States treaty with a Muslim state.
for the work you put into this.
I'm glad you touched on the similarities between Islam and Christianity. I'm always struck by them. I guess specifically between Islam and Catholicism -- probably because Catholicism is the oldest form of Christianity.
Ramadan and Lent seem to be related concepts -- the idea of a period of fasting and special prayer.
Even the covering of the head. I can remember being educated in a convent school and being told that women should always wear hats or veils in church as a sign of modesty in front of God. Now, I know the Moslem attitude to covering the head is more extreme, and the idea has lapsed somewhat in Catholicism, but the whole idea that the hair is something that should be covered in the interest of modesty presumably came from the same origin.
It's even hard to ignore how similar the traditional dress of the Catholic nun is to the standard Moslem women's style of dress.
I was actually given an English translation of the Quran while in Doha -- got waylaid in a shopping centre by a couple of earnest young Moslem chaps who seemed like the Islamic equivalent to Mormons. They offered me a "Visitor to Qatar" pack which included some postcards of Mecca and a Q&A about Islam. I apparently showed enough interest that they offered me the added bonus of a small English/Arabic edition of the Quran. Haven't read any of it as yet, but I will at some stage.
You'd be taking them to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went into the war in Iraq. Wes Clark, CNN Aug 17 2003
Funny you should say that about Mormonism! I hope Dan will get a chance to answer you, but he has some very interesting passages he's written on that very subject that we just didn't have room for in this one. We may include in a follow up.
With this initial entry we wanted to also gauge what people were most curious about knowing about Islam and the general interest levels.
I never thought about it, but you're right about the Nun's habit and the veiling! And who knew you were schooled in a convent?!? : )
And who knew you were schooled in a convent?!? : )
Are you suggesting it doesn't show? :-)
You'd be taking them to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went into the war in Iraq. Wes Clark, CNN Aug 17 2003
Don't tell the Armenians (or the Ethiopians or the Greeks) that Catholicism is the oldest form of Christianity, but it is certainly very old.
Two other important points you mention are:
1) Islam is also a missionary religion, although many Muslims are suspicious of even the word "missionary" these days. "Da'wa" (calling [to Islam]) is a duty on all Muslims, although some take it more seriously than others.
2) Mormons also have a new book and a new prophet. Are they also a new religion, or a sect of the old one? Some would argue about size, but I think context is more important here. Islam arose in an environment when Christians were persecuting each other as heretics. Mormonism arose in an environment where no one questioned the right of different Protestant sects to flourish side by side, and Catholicism and Judaism were being accorded equal rights by many. Thus many Muslims are defensive about being considered Christians, while many Mormons are defensive about NOT being considered Christians. Objectively, there's not much difference in terms of their relation to others who accept Jesus as the Messiah, although their interpretations of Jesus and God are different from those of most others.
don't know much about the Armenian or Ethiopian versions of Christianity although the greek orthodox church is well represented in Australia.
While at the Asian Games I noticed a player with your family name 'Juma' representing Lebanon. Is that your family origin?
You'd be taking them to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went into the war in Iraq. Wes Clark, CNN Aug 17 2003
Not Lebanese American, in fact it's not even my name on my passport, driver's license, etc. Maybe more later, but I suppose I could tell you I was also raised Catholic.
says this Armenian! The original Christian Church was one entity until the fifth century, when the Oriental Orthodox churches split off after the Council of Chalcedon. The Oriental Orthodox churches are the Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Indian, Eritrean, and Syriac.
After that, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches continued in happy schism until the 11th century. This resulted in the formation of the Roman Catholic Church and the elevation of the Bishop (or Patriarch) of Rome, who had been considered "first among equals" into the position of Pope, amid a flurry of excommunications. The Eastern Orthodox churches include the Greek, Russian, Antiochan, and many of the other Balkan Churches.
Excuse this long Christian digression in this fascinating diary about Islam.
I've been a deep student though not a practicioner of Islam since 2003. And I must say this is a very well written blog covering most of the key points.
One of my closest friends is a British citizen of Pakistani hertitage so I have endeavored over the years to understand her culture better. It has certainly been a fascinating and enlightening journey that has given me a better grasp of not only her culture but a better understanding of the Islamic world at large.
James, study Islam... even if just a little, to counter some of that wall of propaganda currently being put out about it --with a little information.
I have several friends who are Muslim as well and I see no resemblance to most of the propagandized versions of Muslims amongst them ... whatsoever. But I feel so badly for them today and the attitudes they have to endure from the uninformed and undereducated about their religion and their lives. I'd like to know, for example, what percentage of Musims would fall into the "fundamentalism" we hear bandied about so much. I don't know personally any truly fundamental Muslims, but pretty westernized versions I suppose.
I guess I would really like to see the myth debunked about the Qu'ran encouraging violent acts of terror as a part of the practice of Islam. People read a passage or two out of context about a sword and an enemy and get carried away with mischaracterizations.
I wish everyone would learn more about this faith, as it's not going away anytime soon and plays such a large role in our own foreign policy today...
I'm glad that analysis stressed that Islam has, and continues to be bound to "the state" - government, etc. For a number of centuries when the Western World and the Muslim world were both dominated by religion Islamic civilization was the more advanced. Then in the late Middle Ages / Renaissance period the West was able to free its politics, science, and economics from control of the Church. Since that time the West has far outpaced the Islamic world in most every field. I don't think it's a coencidence. And that's obviously still very relevant today - because the reason we have Islamic terrorism is mainly due to the poverty and repressive regimes that many if not most Muslims live under. People who are free and materially comfortable don't usually strap bombs to themselves.
During the High Middle Ages there was a lot of intellectual exchange between the West and Islam (e.g. chess). Islamic thinkers (e.g. Averroes) introduced Aristotle to the West through Spain and Sicily, just as their own thought was coming to be dominated by neo-Platonism (specifically Sufism) as Western Christian thought had been previously. Aristotelian logical thought was critical to the rise of the scientific method, and thus Islamic thought stagnated and fell behind.
Many Muslim students in the West now believe they are doing just as Christians did in Spain many centuries ago, bringing their own societies up to date with the latest ideas and technology.
I may have more to say about the philosophical evolution of Islamic thought later.
Hagar was an Egyptian slave & became concubine to Abraham at the urging of his barren wife, Sarah. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael & these 2 were run off by Sarah, after she gave birth to Isaac, a "true heir" in her very old age.
Hagar & Ishmael wandered into Beersheba with the guidance of the same deity that Abraham & Sarah worshipped. The Koran views Ishmael as the head of all Arabic lineage & Mohammed is of this "tribe." When Muslim people perform the hajj, they are symbolically retracing the steps of Hagar in her pilgrimage from Canaan into the Southern desert.
In the Bible, Genesis 16 is the judeo-christian source for this story.
As for what the Koran may or may not say, 2 comments should caution the wary. First, there may be over a hundred varied "editions" or "versions" of this book. Second, Mohammed (570-632 c.e.) was illiterate & recited his revelations to people who memorized & wrote them down later [this is disputed & modified by some modern scholars].
Salmon Rushdie's Satanic Verses is a good overview of the Koran by a well-educated, fluent student of the book.
My comment about Mr. Rushdie's novel is intended to be satirical, not factual. His premises are extremely controversial, even though they seem valid from my point of view.
are not versions in the sense that Protestant and Catholic (and Ethiopian) Bibles are different, i.e. in that they have different chapters and even whole books in them. There are different translations (although Muslim scholars prefer to say "explanations" (tafsir) because the Qur'an allegedly cannot really be translated).
And yes, the history of early Islam is a fascinating topic these days as old assumptions are being challenged and new sources, especially Christian chronicles from the Middle East, are being used for the first time.
As for the Satanic Verses, I don't comment on books I haven't read, except to point out that it is intended as fiction, and thus perhaps can be compared to the Da Vinci code.
Rushdie's book does several of the same things that Brown's book shows us.
Satanic Verses is based on the observation that there are a few extremely complex, allegedly "evil" passages in the Koran, which Rushdie employs or exploits (point of view) in his novel. He fictionalizes an explanation for these passages. He was probably very much on topic because powerful leaders of Islam issued several different fatwas on Rushdie. And some fanatics did kill the French publisher, wound the Swedish editor & Rushdie was given asylum & protection in Great Britain [from my memory, so these factoids may be jumbled or a bit off the mark].
When scholars of Islamic texts use "explanations" where I use "versions" they have quite specific reasons for doing so.
The word "taliban" sort of means "seeker." In the contexts now common to the word, it probably describes a group of vehement EXPLAINERS of the Koran from the country of Afghanistan--who's language is Pashtun. In many places, Muslims are illiterate. So they go to schools where the Koran is recited to them. In my opinion, and the views of many others, these recitations are from quite questionable "versions" with unusually distorted "explanations." For several reasons, that become politically obvious, Muslim scholars choose not to condemn these possibly (probably) misleading or false teachings.
Many Islamic scholars dispute all of these variants & they insist that only the words of Mohammed in his Arabic can be valid. In reality, it is very difficult for impoverished people around the globe to learn the somewhat "classical" language of the scholars. So translations occur. They are often very poorly done. People who are not believers may describe these as different versions.
My comment on this thread was intended to slightly expand the discussion about Islam so that readers can see how that faith is splintered by disagreements about their holy book.
to harbor xenophobic hatred in these Afghan children have been published and created right here in the United States-- in Nebraska of all places. Since the Soviet Afghan war days and continuing still with some minor modifications today.
The images and text were designed to excite a warring anti-infidel mentality. Look it up. I had files on this but not at my fingertips at the moment.
We have not been just victims of some twisted interpretations of the Q'uran... we've also been victims of the very seed we helped to plant years ago, and continue to do so today.
You would be surprised at what goes on quietly in Nebraska. It's a most interesting state to research.
discussing Islam and the various discrenencies between the sects as well as with the western world is called, The Malady of Islam, by Abdelwahab Meddeb, which is translated from the French, so some of it doesn't read smoothly. Still, you get the main idea. He makes the point that if everyone could accept Isaac and Ishmael has half-brothers and sons of Abraham's two wives, that would be a real start toward peace. Apparently after Sarah's death Abraham had other children. I've even heard it said that some of them may have gone to India and part of the religion taught there may well be included in some of the Hindu beliefs and customs. Some of them are very similar to the way Hassidich Jews view the world and religion, especially as it pertains to Kaballah. It's very similar to eastern religions. What matters is that no matter what religion people practice, in the end, it takes a person to the same place. The rest is sibling rivalry.
on this subject say that the only woman G-D spoke to directly was Hagar after Abraham took her with Ishmael to the new place. They said he would go to visit them, much like divorced father's do now. I'm willing to say that Abraham had two wives and two sons at that point in time. Nobody can say he loved one son more than the other. It's like people in current times who have two families. I'm sure if we all could come to this realization and respect Ishmael and Hagar as part of Abraham's true family, some of the hatred would be deminished. It's a real sticking point for Muslims. As for the old testament, I understand Muslims aren't really taught that one or the history that takes place in it.
Saddam is executed on the holy day of the Hajj... some suspect the date was not an accident.
FROM AL JAZEERA
Iraq's Saddam-era penal code bars executions on religious holidays. Eid al-Adha, coinciding with the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, runs from Friday until work resumes on January 7.
From the UPI
Additionally, this would all be taking place at the same time when several tens of millions of Muslims converge on Saudi Arabia to perform one of the seven pillars of Islam, the sacred pilgrimage -- or the hajj -- to Mecca. The news of Saddam's hanging would more likely than not stir emotions among the large numbers of worshipers gathered in the Saudi Arabian holy city. It wouldn't take much of a spark to ignite a riot among the millions of pilgrims gathered in Islam's holiest of cities.
It's hard to imagine that the powers that be in Iraq, both Iraqis and Americans failed to take into account the Hajj and the Eid. If they did take the feast of Ahda into consideration and still chose to proceed with the execution, then they are either completely ignorant of local customs and norms, or if they did not consider the potent mixture of the Hajj, the Eid and the sentencing, then they are total fools. And fools can be dangerous.
Maybe they wanted to set off that spark? That kind of outrage and disturbance on the heels of his excecution could give Bush the cover he needs to say "I told you so." and send in more troops. Would fit perfectly in to his characterizing the "Enemy" as an "Idealogy of evil." and all that...
Hope I'm wrong, but it would politicaly fit.
Ron Esquerra
Alger County Democratic Party
Upper Peninsula Veterans Coordinator-
www.michigan4clark.com
It had occurred to me...
We are all just conditioned to think this way after six years of being lied to and manipulated. You come to expect it at every turn.
Nice hat. : )
Thanks, Dan for the time and effort put into research for this blog. As others have commented, I learned many new and interesting facts and am now determined to no longer put off reading Mr. Rushdie's novel
Although pretty much an atheist myself, I'm fascinated by the history of it all.
I think what sets Islam apart is it's complete domination of every part of their daily life. I blogged a piece by one of our special forces some time back that illustrates this:
I spray tobacco-scented air freshener, kiss cheeks three times or more, allow the Iraqi on the right to pass through the doorway first. I know never to inquire on the health of a wife or elder daughter. I even hold hands with other men.
I proclaim my submission to God and my relationship to reality by saying "God willing" when referring to any future event. I say "God bless you" every time someone takes a seat. I eat with my hands, standing up, taking food from communal bowls. I attend work meetings where socializing is always the first priority. I hear the expressions "upon my mustache" or "by my eyes" or "over my head"--signifying the most binding and heartfelt of oaths. One day, I ask an Iraqi friend how many relatives he has and he answers, "In the city, maybe a thousand." I have slowly come to realize that in Islam, and in Iraq, every action is worship. Every single thing that a person does--not just prayer or the time spent in a mosque but every action--is in fact an act of veneration.
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/10025
Run Wes Run!
is another mu'allim's 'urf.
Bid'ah is (unauthorized) innovation that is forbidden. 'Urf is a local custom that is permitted as long as it does not contradict Islamic belief. Where one ends and the other begins is a matter of dispute to the point of war. I have to remember not to make the particular forms of Islam that I have experienced paradigmatic for Islam everywhere. Many non-Muslims, and even Arab Muslims, make Arab, especially Saudi, Islam the norm, and judge other Muslims by how far they deviate from that. I won't because I don't want Muslims to start telling me that Catholics, or Jehovah's Witnesses, or Unitarians, or Ethiopians, or any other church, are the real Christians. Besides, the Qur'an says Arabs are evil and there are anti-Arab Muslims, just as there are anti-Semitic Christians, who take their cue from the Biblical denunciations of the Israelites.
I really appreciate all the thanks I have gotten for this. I won't thank you all individually because too many of you thanked me, but I do appreciate that everyone who read this liked it and found it well written and informative.
Do let me know what else you want me to write about here. Divisions within the Islamic world seem to be mentioned already. How about something about Islam and terrorism? What is happening in the Islamic world today? Why they hate us? DO they hate us? Or better, which ones hate us and why?
Hello Dan! What an amazing post - so well done, with the graphics and all. Thanks so much!
Camille
...and it's nice to be missed! Thank you as always, LJM! I had a really hard time during the war last summer on a personal level (I'm not Muslim either, by the way, Dan), and then in the fall, I kept putting off some much needed surgery that I finally had this past December. Lots of things kept getting in the way!
Phoebe - I did see your posting from Doha, and wanted to read it in full and respond. Thanks for writing!
Dan, I remember trying to find your bio on your blog page, but gave up after delving through it. I was wondering how or why you know so much! Yes, and I meant to answer your questions about Unified Arabic, but it got quite lengthy, so perhaps we could take the discussion off line.
If you do have a bio on this site, perhaps you could point me to it.
Camille
Call me paranoid, or call me an extremist about "blind peer review" but my bio is irrelevant for the time being. The whole discussion we started about Arabic is also probably irrelevant and boring for most others here, but there is an interesting article about some of the latest developments in Arabic that you might be interested in at the History News Network.
Been wondering if you were still around. Glad you've dropped in.
I know it's poor etiquitte to plug my own blog on someone else's, but I'd love you to check out my report on a month in Doha. (It's the latest post on my blog.)
You'd be taking them to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went into the war in Iraq. Wes Clark, CNN Aug 17 2003
and very badly needed. Thank you so much for writing this!
to launch our International Series on Islam on the first day of the Hajj...
Found this at a site on the Hajj--
"Entrance to Mecca itself is forbidden to non-Muslims, and punishible by death."
I did not know that!
And in a few days time they will culminate by engaging in the "stoning of the devil" ritual, which is where there were the trampling and stampeding incidents last Hajj. The whole pilgrimage and rituals are fascinating....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoning_of_the_Devil
Thanks to Dan Juma for doing such a thorough examination for us here. I'll be back later- have to go eat dinner!