Mohammedans and Islamophobes

Muhammad pulling his chest open in William Blake's illustration of Dante's Inferno

When I was in school I learned that Muslims took great offence at being referred to as “Mohammedans.” They took offence because they do not worship Mohammed, they worship Allah. Mohammed was the prophet of Allah, the One God. The killings and attempted killings of cartoonists who depicted Mohammed make me wonder if that attitude has changed, or if there is something else going on. As I understand it, those who want to kill cartoonists for drawing disrespectful images of Mohammed wish to prevent or punish blasphemy.

Pamela Geller and her organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, made it clear that some Muslims are willing to kill and die to defend the honor of their prophet. I am struggling to understand this, because I have read arguments by Muslims against Christianity to the effect that Christians worship a man instead of God. They say that Christians worship Jesus as an idol. If a Muslim is willing to kill and die because he considers offensive cartoons blasphemous, then they also worship a man instead of God.They have turned Mohammed from a prophet to an idol, just as they say that Christians have turned Jesus of Nazareth into an idol.

I suspect that the young men who lost their lives in Texas, as well as the men who carried out the Charlie Hebdo attacks, were manipulated by leaders who cynically use religion to advance a political agenda. Religions have a long history of being abused for political or financial gain. I suspect that the men who died in Garland knew little more about Islam than the people we label as “Islamophobes.” One thing that leads me to believe this is a quote by the Prophet Mohammed that I heard on the network news shortly after 9/11: “The most excellent jihad (struggle) is that for the conquest of self.” This sounds like a cousin of something Jesus said: “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Matthew 7:5, (KJV) Another thing that leads me to this conclusion is conversations I have had with Muslims. They seemed like decent and reasonable people to me.

I have two requests:

Mohammedans - Please ask yourselves if you really want to prevent or punish blasphemy. The Jews of ancient Judea accused Jesus of blasphemy, which only helped to empower Christianity as a religion. Yes, the Christian church has a history just as bloody as Islam. This is why so many people now call themselves atheists.

Islamophobes - I don’t want to live under Sharia law either. My disagreement with you is over methodology more than philosophy or ideology. The two men who died in Garland thought they were going to Glory. They will probably inspire others to do the same. The cartoon contest helped to bring to light how determined some Muslims are to squelch freedom of expression, but it will lead to more violence and make some Muslims more determined to impose Sharia law upon us. Please consider some advice from the Old Testament: “ If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.” Proverbs, 25: 21-22, (KJV) Jesus of Nazareth demonstrated that this can actually work.

The Islamicists in our country may not need bread and water, but they need help to overcome brainwashing. Only kindness can do that.

That's Idolatry

I need to start this essay with a reminder to myself as I write words that could offend many who happen to read them:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

This is the first and great commandment. 

And the second is like unto it.  THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.  (Leviticus 19:18)

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Matthew 22: 36-40

I wish to obey these commandments as I write.  The citation has the word "prophets."  Many people around the world feel deeply offended because of an amateurish video that mocks a prophet.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  (Emphasis added)

The Arab League, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation and the prime minister of Pakistan have requested that the United Nations pass a resolution that would urge member nations to pass laws against blasphemy.  This latest effort has the support of the European Union and the Secretary General of the United Nations.  Muslims have been working on worldwide blasphemy laws since 1999, with little support outside of the Muslim world.  They were placated somewhat in late 2011 when the UN passed a resolution calling for an end to religious discrimination and religious profiling.

I may know more than most Americans about Islam, but that is not saying much.  I have known individuals who have converted to Islam.  I have seen the conversion bring about dramatic and positive changes in their lives.  It is important to keep in mind that a Muslim family holds the keys to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem because of continual squabbling among Christian sects.  I heard shortly after September 11, 2001 that the Prophet Mohammed said that the greatest jihad a man can conduct is a jihad against his own shortcomings.  These things lead me to believe that the teachings of Mohammed have been corrupted, just as the teachings of Buddha and Christ have been corrupted.

Defining blasphemy is part of the problem with blasphemy laws.  President Obama did a good job of addressing this point in his speech to the United Nations in September.  He pointed out that blasphemy can be so vaguely defined that blasphemy laws can be used to prosecute and oppress the powerless.

I would want to be confronted if I engaged in idolatry, so I say to my Muslim neighbors that they are idol worshipers.  Muslims are busy destroying idols in many parts of the world, but they worship the Prophet Mohammed as an idol.  The proof of this can be found in efforts to pass blasphemy laws and in killings of people who had nothing to do with the production of The Innocence of Muslims.  If people are willing to kill because a prophet was mocked, those people have turned a prophet into an idol.

Muslims will correctly state that we in the west have plenty of idols of our own:  Santa Claus, cats, bacon and celebrities.  Christians have shown great religious intolerance in centuries past by conducting crusades and inquisitions.  I hope that Muslims learn from these mistakes rather than imitate them.  I hope my Muslim neighbors keep in mind that many Christians regard the whole religion of Islam as blasphemous.  Many Jews might regard both Christianity and Islam as blasphemous.  The unintended consequences of blasphemy laws are difficult to imagine.  Jesus of Nazareth was accused of blasphemy and he started a whole new religion.

I used to think of the United Nations as an under-used vehicle for world peace.  If it takes positions on religion in the name of tolerance, I question whether the United States should be a member.