Coptic SolidarityMuch of the curriculum of Al Azhar—the Islamic world’s most prestigious university, located in Cairo—is based on Islamic books written in the medieval era or earlier. These books—histories, biographies of Muhammad, hadith (words and deeds of the latter), tafsirs (Koran exegeses), etc.—are often criticized by more reform-minded Muslims for being too backwards, teaching things such as unrelenting jihad and hatred for non-Muslims.
During a recent televised interview, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Egypt’s highest authority on Islam and Grand Imam of Al Azhar, was asked about his university’s reliance on these books. His responses left many reformers disappointed.
Tayeb insisted that all books used by Al Azhar are fine: “Our heritage books are innocent and being abused by those ignorant or indecent among us—and that’s all they can be: either ignorant or indecent.”
Settling the question in such black and white terms completely overlooks the fact that many of these books are indeed loaded with problematic teachings. It is from these books—in this case, one of the histories of the prophet—that ISIS justifies burning people alive.
He continued his apologia: “Some say, do away with the other, ancillary books of Al Azhar. Okay, but then how can I understand the Koran and Sunna?” He explained that if Al Azhar got rid of the other books, every Muslim would be free to interpret the Koran any which way they want—claiming that that’s what ISIS does. Tayeb even attacked using one’s brain, or reason, to understand the Koran, claiming again that that is what ISIS does.
This was another strange assertion: it is ISIS that most criticizes the free use of the brain, and insists on slavishly following the teachings of those ancillary books—which teach anything from eating the flesh of infidel captives to selling women and children on slave markets.
But the most telling portion of the interview came when Al Azhar’s Grand Imam said:
When they [reformers] say that Al Azhar must change the religious discourse, change the religious discourse, this too is, I mean, I don’t know—a new windmill that just appeared, this “change religious discourse”—what change religious discourse? Al Azhar doesn’t change religious discourse—Al Azhar proclaims the true religious discourse, which we learned from our elders.
As all Egyptians know, the one man that made the phrase “change religious discourse” famous is President Sisi. He too has publicly called on Al Azhar to reconsider its usage of ancillary books—most notably on New Year’s Day, 2015—in an effort to change the international image of Islam, from one of war and enmity, to something more tolerant.
Now the highest Muslim authority in Egypt has made clear that Al Azhar never had any intention of changing anything, that the “religious discourse” articulated in the Medieval era—one of hostility and violence for the other, in a word, jihad—is the only “discourse” Muslims can accept.
Anything else is apparently quixotic—“tilting at windmills.”
Thank you Mr. Ibrahim for this article. The Church and the Western World is desperately in need of accessing the fact and the truth that you communicate: Islam is hostile to all that is not Muslim. And, any reformation of Islam yields entities like ISIS or The Muslim Brotherhood. A plain and normal reading of the Islamic texts is completely consistent with ISIS or any violent jihadi or sneaky subversive Islamic supremacist. In contrast, a plain reading of the Bible yields the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights or Mother Teresa. I’ve included a link to a Raymond Ibrahim article that all Christians should read to understand the true nature of Islamic “reformation” and its contrast with the Protestant Reformation.
http://raymondibrahim.com/2015/05/07/islams-reformation-is-already-here-and-its-called-isis/
Thank you Mr. Ibrahim for this article. The Church and the Western World is desperately in need of accessing the fact and the truth that you communicate: Islam is hostile to all that is not Muslim. And, any reformation of Islam yields entities like ISIS or The Muslim Brotherhood. A plain and normal reading of the Islamic texts is completely consistent with ISIS or any violent jihadi or sneaky subversive Islamic supremacist. In contrast, a plain reading of the Bible yields the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights or Mother Teresa. I’ve included a link to a Raymond Ibrahim article that all Christians should read to understand the true nature of Islamic “reformation” and its contrast with the Protestant Reformation.
http://raymondibrahim.com/2015/05/07/islams-reformation-is-already-here-and-its-called-isis/
Islam (sorry, I prefer the term PISSLAM) can only be “reformed” by a complete and RADICAL TRANSFORMATION! There is absolutely NOTHING about this CULT that can be “fixed”! YA CAN’T FIX STUPID and when “stupid” is compounded by hatred and violence, it must be ERADICATED AND EXPOSED for what it is–DEMONIC! This demonic cult originated in the mind of Satan and his demonically-possessed cohort, ‘mo-ham-DEAD’! LIES MUST BE EXPOSED!!!! Only the Truth will set you free–HIS NAME IS JESUS, THE CHRIST!!!!!
Amen Bro.
Here’s something for all the islamists to ponder–IF THEY DARE…. Ok, here goes…. It is common knowledge among both muslims and the majority of non-muslims, that islam stresses a doctrine of the person-hood of God, that I will call oneness, or unity. In other words, in plain English, muslims DO NOT believe in the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity, or in any other teaching that they commonly refer to as “polytheism”. Ok, that said, PLEASE TELL ME, (all of you “BRILLIANT SCHOLARS” of the koran), pray tell, what exactly is inferred or intended by the fact that, starting in verse (sura) 2.23 of the koran, mohammed quotes the words of his allah-god thusly: “WE have sent down upon OUR servant [obviously the narcissist, mohammed, himself, who couldn’t resist interjecting HIMSELF into his book of lies]…. Again, in verse (sura) 2.34: “WE said to the angels….” V. 2.35: And WE said, ‘O Adam….’ And on and on and on, ad infinitum, ad nauseam…. I counted over 40 (forty) such references to the allah-god using the PLURAL, PLURAL, PLURAL form in the second chapter alone–DIRECT QUOTATIONS, mind you, SPOKEN BY YOUR “SINGULAR” allah-god!!!!! “WE, OUR, US”…. You want more???? V. 43.78, “WE…brought you the truth…” V. 43.79, “WE are devising a plan….” V.43.80, “WE hear their private conversations, OUR messengers are with them recording….” Ok, so I just can’t help but wondering…. WHO GOT THIS THING CONFUSED??? How does a “SINGULAR” being, somehow refer to “himself” as a PLURALITY????? Not to mention, we’re talking about the all mighty, all powerful, all knowing god (supposedly GOD)!!!! So, please explain… Did mohammed MISQUOTE the allah-god and somehow turn “him” into a “them” or, pray tell, perhaps it was ALLAH, himself, who FORGOT WHO HE IS!!!! WOW–bet’cha can’t sort this one out, HUH????? Yeah, that’s ’cause your koran is a COMPLETE BOOK OF LIES, which originated in the mind of Satan, himself!!!!!
Informative article Raymond Ibrahim.
Please keep them coming.