The Mind Set of Intolerance

There are approximately one billion Muslims in the world. While not as numerous as Christians, Muslims certainly come in second in terms of numbers. In comparison, there are 12 million Jews in the world (1.2% of the Muslims.)

For the last five years, we have been subjected to a constant barrage of negative press about Islam. The latest is a reaffirmation of a blatantly intolerant stand by Franklin Graham, the son of the famous Billy Graham.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, who outraged Muslims in 2001 when he said that Islam "is a very evil and wicked religion," told an interviewer for Wednesday's edition of ABC News "Nightline" that he hasn't changed his mind about the faith.

snip....

The younger Graham angered Muslims following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks when he told NBC News: "We're not attacking Islam but Islam has attacked us. The God of Islam is not the same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It's a different God, and I believe it is a very evil and wicked religion."

One has to wonder where exactly Mr. Graham gets his inside knowledge about a Deity that has remained silent for at least the last millenium (unless you accept the Book of Mormon). In my reading, most recently of Karen Armstrongs short book on Islam (see below), it seems that Islam considers Christians and Jews both to be "People of the Book." As for being evil, Mr. Graham sounds like he escaped from a 12th century Crusader's bad dream.

Mind you, we in the West have been so politicized over the past few years that even I succumbed at first to The End of Faith by Sam Harris. This diatribe against all religion, which has its points, reserved its real venom for Islam, absolving the Jews. Why the world has turned into a hotbed of sectarian conflict at the beginning of the 21st century some historian is going to have to sort out. It makes no sense to me now.

I really do think that there needs to be some reality testing. Again, I would recommend Karen Armstrong's Islam: A Short History:

The picture of Islam as a violent, backward, and insular tradition should be laid to rest, says Karen Armstrong, bestselling author of Muhammad and A History of God. Delving deep into Islamic history, Armstrong sketches the arc of a story that begins with the stirring of revelation in an Arab businessman named Muhammad. His concern with the poor who were being left behind in the blush of his society's new prosperity sets the tone for the tale of a culture that values community as a manifestation of God. Muhammad's ideas catch fire, quickly blossoming into a political empire. As the empire expands and the once fractured Arabs subdue and overtake the vast Persian domain, the story of a community becomes a panoramic drama. With great dexterity, Armstrong narrates the Sunni-Shi'ite schism, the rise of Persian influence, the clashes with Western crusaders and Mongolian conquerors, and the spiritual explorations that traced the route to God. Armstrong brings us through the debacle of European colonialism right up to the present day, putting Islamic fundamentalism into context as part of a worldwide phenomenon.

Mr. Graham has not done us a service.