For at least four years, Jamal Badawi, an Egyptian-born Canadian professor of management at St. Mary University in Halifax, Canada, who sidelines as an apologist for radical Islam, has made a standing offer: "a million dollars to anyone who finds the word of 'holy war' in the Qur'an." Of course, Badawi is right: the Islamic scripture includes neither the words harb muqaddasa nor any synonyms.
In the same spirit, I offer a million dollars to anyone who finds the name "Jerusalem" (Iliya, Al-Quds, Bayt al-Maqdis), in the Koran. Metaphors, similes, allegories, allusions, deductions, and implicit references do not count (and specifically, not 17:1), only an accepted proper name referring to that city, using the standard Egyptian text. Ar-ruh al-qudus in 5:110 and 16:102 may look like Al-Quds but it means holy spirit and has nothing to do with Jerusalem.
And, to be perfectly clear, I will be the one and only judge of all entries to this competition. (January 4, 2006)
Feb. 29, 2012 update: For an elaborate but failed attempt at the prize, see "Claiming Jerusalem is in the Koran."
Jan. 4, 2016 update: After a decade, it's time to close down this challenge. No claimants appeared for simple reason that there's no mention of Jerusalem in the Koran.
This is an opportune moment to note that while the word Isra'il appears many times in the Koran, Filastin never does.
