Issue 20 | August 13,2012 | critic.co.nz

“it wasn’t until after Muhammad boosted off to
paradise that islam really took off. Within 120
years the Muslim Caliphate was in charge in
central asia, the Middle east, northern africa,
and all the way to the border of france.”
in NZ. There were more Jedis in Dunedin than anywhere else
in the country.
A common misconception about Jesus is that he possibly
didn’t exist at all. Jesus definitely lived; there is a wealth of
historical knowledge about him. The other common misconception
is that Jesus was a Christian. Jesus was born, lived,
and died a Jew. Jesus never heard the word Christian, and he
definitely wasn’t trying to form a new religion during his life.
He was simply trying to reform the political system of the
Jewish people. Probably the saddest thing about Christianity
is that the original message of loving your neighbour, taking
care of the poor, and living a simple life has been lost, or at
best perverted. Jesus was a pretty good sort, and a lot of sad
horrible shit has been done in his name. Just look at “Bishop”
Brian Tamaki.
islam
Islam is the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon
Him), who lived in the Arabian desert during the Seventh
Century. According to Muslims he was the last messenger
of Allah (which just translates as God), and received the
word of God to finalise the message (and correct a few mistakes)
that had been sent through all the other prophets.
Muhammad’s message was written down by his followers
in a text that became the Holy Qur’an, which is the base holy
document of Islam. The Qur’an can only be written in Arabic,
and provides the basic rulebook for being a good Muslim.
Interestingly, Muslims think that Jesus, Moses, and even
Buddha according to some rulings were also messengers
from God, and that Muhammad is simply the last in a long line.
Anyway. After Muhammad turned up with his message, he
wasn’t very warmly received, as he was arguing once again
for monotheism (just one god). He had to hightail it to Medina
before eventually raising an army and retaking the city of
Mecca, which today remains the centre of the Muslim faith.
There are five main tenets, or pillars, of the Islamic faith. First
up is the basic creed, which states that there is no god but
God and that Muhammad is his messenger. Say that (and
mean it), and you’re a Muslim. Second are the ritual prayers
that are supposed to be performed five times a day. Third is
alms giving to the poor, which Muhammad was pretty big
on (very similar to Jesus). Fourth up is fasting during the
month of Ramadan (happening now). All food and drink
must be abstained from during daylight hours in an effort to
bring the individual closer to God. Last is pilgrimage: every
Muslim who is able has to travel to Mecca once in their lifetime.
It wasn’t until after Muhammad boosted off to paradise that
Islam really took off. Within 120 years the Muslim Caliphate
was in charge in central Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa,
and all the way to the border of France. Islam fractured into
the Sunni and Shi’a over an argument over who should
succeed Muhammad as the ruler of the Islamic community.
Today it is estimated that nearly 25% of the world’s population
is Muslim, making it the second-largest (and fastest-growing)
religion in the world. Sadly, in the 21st Century Islam has
become synonymous with terrorism. I’m going to steal a
great analogy from the West Wing here: Islam is to terrorism
as the Ku Klux Klan is to Christianity. Those people running
around blowing people up in the name of Islam are extremist
adherents of Islamic sects called Wahhabism and Salafism.
And their actions are more about politics than anything to do
with religion. They’re trying to overthrow the secular rulers
of the Middle East to install theocracies that will enforce their
interpretation of Sharia (or Muslim) law. Mainstream Muslims
are perfectly peaceable and happy to get on with their lives,
even if they do have issues with American foreign policy.
FAithFul
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