Allah of Islam = God of Judaism/Christianity?

Submitted by Michael E. Allison (United States), Jun 28, 2005 at 17:41

Dr. Pipes,

While playing a semantic game with the word, Allah/God, may seem to end up with common ground amongst believers, is it worth giving up the truth?

I have a couple of problems with your short explanation of the etymology of, "Allah". Since the religion of islam begain around 600 AD, perhaps Judaism and Christianity have a little more validity concerning their scriptural history. Revisionism is common amongst nations that want to control history to their advantage, and the nation of Islam is no exception. How flagrantly they pick and choose their favorite Biblical heroes and disgard the rest.

Jesus, the Jewish messiah, spoke the language of his people, the Israelis, and more specifically, the Jews, of which tribe he was derived. He spoke Hebrew as his country's language. He may well have spoken Aramaic and Greek and/or Latin, but not as his main tongue. What language is spoken in Israel today? Do you think the Jews of Jesus' day any more willing to yield the language of their fathers in deference to the languages of their occupiers?

The Hebrew word for God is Eloha, singular, Elohim, plural. The name of God is YHWH, the tetragrammaton, he who was and is and is to come. Ask the Muslims if they worship YHWH, or believe in messiah; I doubt whether many would say that they do.

They may derive from Ismail and Esau etc., but they worship the moon God, not the true God. Neither do they believe that YHWH sent his son to die for mankind.

If you are unaware of any of the above, which I kind of doubt, and would like to access some solid, scholarly depth which would greatly enhance any gaps in your understanding, or solidify any not solid, check out Bridges for Peace on line, or The Center for Judaic/Christian Studies. Clarence Wagner, David Bivin, Halvor Ronning, Brad Young, Dwight Pryor, and many other top-notch scholars will be more than happy to assist any area that you may lack knowledge.

I enjoy and agree with your overall positions,

Sincerely,

Michael E. Allison

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