While I continue to be annoyed with Islam’s status as the modern day ‘boogeyman’, I also recognized long ago that the definition of the word ignorance comes out of people just not knowing what something is.  And human nature is to fear what you don’t know or understand or control.

So with that in mind, I decided to do a quick post to either teach or clarify some basic things people either don’t know or don’t have their facts straight about.  Any further research I leave in your hands, I’m not an imam or a minister, just a ‘concerned citizen.’

1. Muhammad is not ‘the Muslim Jesus’.

On the outside looking in though I get where this one comes from at least.  But Islam doesn’t teach Muhammad as ‘the son of God’, but the prophet who corrects and clarifies ‘the word of God’ when Man started to twist the teachings around for his own purpose.

(As a side note, let me add that I’ll try to keep all my explanations to a couple sentences.  That last sentence alone leads directly to two Pandora’s Boxes: ‘religion vs. spirituality’ and ‘church vs. state’.  And you can find whole blogs devoted to both of those debates).

Back on topic.  Speaking of the Son of Mary…

2. Muslims believe in Jesus…

Specifically as the prophet who came before Muhammad.  ‘The Prophet of Love.’  Yes, Jesus is not only in the Qu’ran, but referred to in the highest regard given to Man.  Shocking isn’t it?  Where the religions differ is Islam teaches that, like Muhammad, Jesus is a man who taught the word, lived and died.  A prophet but still a man.  The concept of the ‘Holy Trinity’ goes against the concept of the ‘One God’ that Islam teaches.  Along those lines…

3. 90 percent of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is the same.

Islam doesn’t just refer to Jesus, but to Adam, Abraham, Moses (i.e. the Old Testament).  According to the letter of the law, Judaism and Islam are actually probably more like 95 percent similar.  I won’t completely ignore the elephant in the room (coughIsraelcough), because it leads me to my next point…

4. Muslims come from every background imaginable.

I know that seems like a ‘Duh’ statement, but as an American it’s really noticeable.  There’s a noticeable Middle Eastern influence of course, but I’ve met Asians, Indians, Europeans, the ‘world’ as it were.  I’ve been mistaken for an African numerous times myself because of my name.  As it relates to points 1 and 3, because there are so many different cultures involved, you can meet two Muslims and get completely opposite opinions on any topic (just like anybody else, which is my point).    What brings the cultures together goes back to the meaning of the word…

5. Islam, translated, means ‘submission to God’.  So a ‘Muslim’ is ‘one who submits to God’.

So technically if you believe in a higher power at all that makes you a Muslim!  That’s right!!!  Suck it!!!

And on that note, have a good weekend!