Islam always seemed mysterious to me then, after the attacks on the World Trade Center, frightening.  Had this been a fair assessment?  Does Islam teach violence?

  Let me preface this blog by saying I’m not an expert on Islam. 

  I’m an open-minded person who wants to understand.  Nothing more.

  Let’s start with the basics.   Islam literally means “submission to God”.  (In Arabic God is translated as Allah). Islam is a religion believing in one God and a Muslim is a supporter of Islam.   

  Islam is articulated by the Quran, considered to be the word of God, (given to Muhammad by the angel, Gabriel), as well as by the Hadith, written by scholars between 844 and 874 CE about the life of Muhammad, who had been born in Mecca around 570.  Muslims deeply respect Muhammad as the embodiment of the perfect believer and model of ideal conduct.  The Five Pillars of Islam are five mandatory acts of worship for every Muslim.  These practices are taken from the Hadith.  

  Unlike Jesus, whom Christians believe was God’s son, Muhammad had been a mortal. 

  As nearly as I can tell, what makes Muslims most different from Christians is Muslims believe Jesus had been a prophet – and that Islamic law affects every aspect of life, from banking to war to the environment.  I don’t think Americans truly grasp this culture.e large number of

  The inhumanity of what has happened and continues to happen with Muslims in Iran demonstrates there are definitely different kinds of Muslims.

  Just as there are different kinds of Christians.

   Watch this video to hear what an Iranian citizen says after her city has been ravaged by Islam fundamentalists in power–>  VIDEO    (The voices you will hear in the background are citizens crying, “Allah-o Akbar” from their roofs, meaning “God is great”.  A simple, touching, courageous act of defiance and unity).

  “Fundamentalism” is a word not new to any American, nor is the concept of right wing extremism.  (Between 1984 and 1998,  95% of America’s terrorist acts were via domestic groups). 

  Religious fundamentalists believe one should adhere to sacred text verbatim.

  People can read the same page of ANY book and interpret what they’ve just read differently, however. 

  In fact, I’d like to share a couple paragraphs from “Deeper Grace” that demonstrate how people can read the same words yet perceive different meaning:

  WOMEN WITHOUT HER MAN IS NOTHING.

  Sarah looked quizzically at the words.

  “An English professor wrote this on his blackboard and instructed his class to rewrite the sentence with correct punctuation.”  Continuing to write, Jamie explained further, “When the professor walked around the room, he found the male students had written, ‘WOMAN, WITHOUT HER MAN, IS NOTHING’.”

  Sarah peered at the page and nodded.

  Writing in her book once more, Jamie continued, “The female students had written, ‘WOMAN! WITHOUT HER, MAN IS NOTHING’.”

  Sarah laughed.

  “Interpretation is tricky business,” Jamie pointed out.

  I became acutely aware of the presence of America’s fundamentalists once again when reading that Terry Jones had planned on burning Qurans to commemorate September 11.  On my Twitter page, I’d stated my opinion that what Mr. Jones had been planning had been nothing more than hate, wearing a different coat.

  A benign-enough looking gray-haired woman had responded, “have you even read the koran???don’t criticize unless you have its evil read surah 2 Al Baqarah verse 191″

  Evil?  That’s pretty darned strong. 

  Verse 191, which the benign-enough looking gray-haired woman had directed me to, says,  “And kill them wherever you find them.  And drive them out from whence they drove you out.  And persecution is severer than slaughter.”

  Yeah, that’s pretty harsh.  (Like parts of the Christian Bible).

  But the preceeding verse, verse 190 - one she hadn’t mentioned – had seemed a rather important lead-up:  “And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you.  And do not exceed the limits.  Surely Allah does not love those who exceeds the limits.”

  Fundamentalists of any religion expect us to interpret the meaning they’ve gotten from words - exactly the way they have. 

  Let’s consider words a moment.  

  If we take EVERY possible word and description for God – in every language – and put them in a gigantic pile, what will we have?                                                                                                                                                                

  If your entire experience with Divinity is words, then you don’t know God.  God is alive, not frozen in paper.

  God likes things simple; so simple a child can understand.  (There are only 10 commandments)! 

  Consider the lie detector.  It works because our own bodies react to our lies.  We were created to be true.  

Love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation.

~Tagore

  We know love when we see it – just as we know hate when we see it.

  “My husband didn’t stand for hate.”

  ~From Raina Wallens’s article,

condemning attacks on Muslims. 

Raina’s husband died at the World Trade Center 9/11

 The motivation of a Muslim who will fly a plane into a building filled with innocent citizens is the same motivation that will fuel a pastor from Gainesville who would burn the sacred text of 23% of the world’s population.  

  And it’s not love.

  On September 11, as we remember that horrible day, let’s remember the real enemy.  The enemy isn’t any religion.  The enemy is who it’s always been:  hate. 

  So, what do you choose?

“…I believe in an America that says to the world that we are a loving and generous people and if a bunch of murderers steal your religion from you and use it as their excuse to kill 3,000 souls, then I want to help you get your religion back.”

~Michael Moore