More analysis - with correction

Submitted by Jay Linn (United States), Jun 28, 2005 at 22:56

Dear Mr. Pipes,

I am a evangelical Christian, so you may expect my disagreement with your article today.

And I disagree strongly. First, let me point out that this is a big subject for all religious people and it requires careful and broad analysis. I know you are incredibly busy person and you might not have done all the relevant research to weigh out the alternatives to address this all important question.

As a Born Again Christian, I have been pondering this same question for YEARS. So perhaps I can fill you in on some key points why we have trouble with your contention that Allah is the same God of the Bible - God of Christians and Jews. First we need to be careful to resist our natural urge to claim common ground for the sake of unity and peace. Such was my first yearning when I began dialogue with Islam some 6 year ago. Instead we need to look at hard historical facts and central religious aims to see whether such commonality is even possible. And we need to proceed LOGICALLY.

The question we are asking is : Who is Allah?

Here we are asking who Allah, the God of Islam is. We are asking who is the Allah god muslims worship to?

As you have pointed out well, The Koran claims that Allah is the same as the God of Jews and Christians ( "the People of Book") And muslims claim their faith as "the faith of Abraham" in one Creator God. So the question is settled? Well, not so fast!!!

As well meaning religious people, we like to see unity and peace. And we like to establish commonality with our neighbors. However to answer this key question, we need to be more objective. So let's clear up our mind and approach this question from the standpoint of a new muslim convert who is being introduced to Islam for the first time.

What is the most important statement of Islam? It is the Shahada: That there is no deity but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet. This all important pledge states that Allah is the only God there is and Mohammed is his prophet. If you say this before two witnesses, you become a muslim. I want to point out to you, Mr. Pipes, that this all important, central claim of Islam DEFINES Allah. Note that there is two parts to Shahada - "Allah is only God that exist" and "Mohammed is Allah's prophet". In other words, Shahada states "There is only Allah" but who is this god, Allah? "Allah is Mohammed's God" because Mohammed is his spokesman (prophet).

So the fundamental axiom of Islam DEFINES who Allah is. Allah is the God Mohammed worshipped! And this is a point that ALL MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, AND JEWS CAN AGREE ON. Do you follow me??

Allah is the god Mohammed worshipped. This is how we should clarify who Allah is. We should proceed logically instead of what you have done - through sundry evidences some agree while others may not.

This statement: "Allah is the God Mohammed worshipped daily" is a statement we can all agree on as to who this Allah god is.

Now we examine cold and hard historical facts.

Was Mohammed ever a Jew? Nope. Was Mohammed ever a Christian? Nope. In fact, historians would agree that Mohammed was an Arab pagan who worshipped at Kaaba temple of Mecca. And he worshipped the supreme deity of Arab paganism - Allah of Mecca.

We know that there is connection between the God of Christians and God of Jews BECAUSE JESUS HAS BEEN A JEW AND SO WERE ALL EARLY CHRISTIANS. We can safely say that Christianity is a branch, a cultic growth if you will, out of Judaism because all early Christians were Jews and Christians accept Jewish Old Testaments VERBATUM.

By the same key criteria, we cannot say that Islam is a growth out of Judaism nor Christianity. Mohammed had never been a Jew nor a Christian and muslims do not accept the Bible verbatum. Instead Islam AIMS TO REPLACE THE BIBLE WITH THE KORAN. Because they believe that the Bible is full of errors while the Koran is the perfect book from the Heaven.

So let us summarize above point why Allah is not same as the God of Christians and Jews.

1. "Allah is the God Mohammed worshipped." If you want to talk Islam, you have to start from the Shahada. If you are unwilling to see the meaning of Shahada, we are talking at cross purpose. Shahada says that Allah is the God Mohammed worshipped and he is the only God there is. It implies that all other deities are idols to be denied and oppressed. (That this is is the meaning of Shadaha is something all muslims, Christians, and Jews can agree on. )

2. Mohammed was an Arab pagan who worshipped at Kaaba temple of Mecca. (This also is a point that all can agree on. ) He was and never had been a Christian nor a Jew.

3. Therefore, Allah is NOT the God of Christians and Jews.


Mr Pipes, I urge you to ponder on this logical explanation of who Allah is. You are the most important person in America to explain Islam and Arab world to us. It is totally impotant that you understand why we Evanglicals do NOT affirm Allah, the god of Mohammed - and why we do not bow down towards Mecca (because we do not believe in the deity who supposedly reside in the Kaaba temple!!)


Thanks for listening.

My very best wishes for you. I am going to ask my fellow Christians to pray for you and your work.


May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bless you richly.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".