Cartoons and King Abdullah's Ancestor

February 2006

The world wide Muslim reaction to cartoons about Mohammed printed in European newspapers shows how much of a stronghold Islam is for its followers.

Two basic points must be kept in mind in order to understand just why there is such a strong reaction against the cartoons.

1. Islam is more than a religion.

2. Islam is submission to Mohammed.

Islam is more than a religion

Islam was established by Mohammed in 622 AD. During his 23 years of teaching, ruling, and fighting, Mohammed created an ideology.

This ideology met the social, political, economic and military needs of 7th century Arabia. Intertwined within the ideology are religious concepts and ideas. Civil law, military law, criminal law, and religious law are all one in Islam.

Islam has incorporated within it's system definite beliefs about Christians, Jews, idol worshippers and others. It's easy to "misunderestimate" Islam merely as a religion, but Islam is more than a religion.

Islam is submission to Mohammed

Islam means submission. The word Muslim refers to one who submits. This submission is focused entirely on Mohammed and the ideology he created.

The bedrock belief on which Islam is founded is contained in this simple phrase, "There is only one God and Mohammed is his prophet."

I prefer the above translation of the Muslim creed because it is in fact a statement that says God is one. It's not a statement that says Allah is the true God.

The creed describes the oneness of God taught by Mohammed. It is not a statement of which word to use when referring to deity. It's a descriptive statement about the nature of God. Too many people miss this simple but important point and get hung up on the Arabic word Allah.

Equally important as the description about the absolute oneness of God's nature is the statement that Mohammed is God's prophet. God and Mohammed are equally important in the ideology which Mohammed created.

And all Muslims follow this creed: moderates, extremists, or any other Muslim of whatever stripe.

Any offense against Mohammed is an offense against God and fellow Muslims.

And submission to Mohammed's teaching is what pleases God. Submission to Mohammed is the only path for Muslims to be right with God and right with fellow Muslims.

According to Islam, the way of the prophet is the right way.

King Abdullah of Jordan

On February 2, 2006, King Abdullah of Jordan spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. According to news reports, the King received a standing ovation for his remarks.

King Abdullah has been working hard to develop interfaith dialogue and he's an ally with the United States in the war on terrorism.

In his speech, King Abdullah referred to "our Judeo-Christian-Islamic heritage". This is an often heard phrase which has very little to do with truth.

Unfortunately, few Christian leaders are willing to take up the challenge of debunking this myth about "our Judeo-Christian-Islamic heritage". And it's promoted by both moderate Muslims and confused Christians.

At the breakfast, the King of Jordan spoke about the cartoons depicting Mohammed in Europe saying, "While we respect and revere freedom of speech, we condemn needless desecration and injury of Islamic sensibilities, such as the recent cartoons misrepresenting and vilifying my ancestor, the Prophet."

The articulate, friendly King Abdullah is a good representative for the moderate face of Islam. But, according to the king, cartoons depicting his ancestor Mohammed should be condemned.

Meanwhile, the question that must be asked this:

a) Are rioting Muslims who desecrate Christian symbols in response to cartoons

and

b) are Islamic courts in Jordan that punish those who convert to Christianity

both moderate expressions of Islam?

The Bottom Line

The United States Department of State issues reports about religious tolerance around the world. In the State Department report about Jordan, it's noted that the Sharia court system doesn't carry out the prescribed punishment for those who convert from Islam to Christianity. That is, they don't put converts to death in Jordan.

The report states, "Converts to Islam fall under the jurisdiction of Sharia courts. Sharia law prescribes the death penalty for Muslims who convert to another religion; however, such punishment has never been applied." Jordan's Sharia courts don't always pronounce Islamic justice according to the teachings of Mohammed, and to that extent Jordan and the king can be considered moderate.

And this is the bottom line: to the extent that Muslim societies do not adhere to Islamic law and to the extent that they do not submit to the teachings of Mohammed as recorded in the religious texts -- to that extent they can be considered moderates.

In other words, the further one gets away from Islam the better it is for freedom and democracy and religious tolerance.

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