Dr. Michael Ignatius Muluk - How Muhammad Inverted the Judeo-Christian Tradition (Book 2)

D o you know what Muslims pray for the most in their lives? I can tell you its not money, or health, or even Allah smiling upon their good deeds. Every Muslim inadvertently asks Allah a minimum of 17 times a day, that Allah wont let them become Jews or Christians.

What?

I kid you not. I didnt know that one myself while I was a Muslim. And ironically, I found out about it only after I became a Christian, years after I left Islam. Surahal-Fatihah, the Opening of the Quran is often equated as the Muslim Lords Prayer. It is recited several times during each of the daily prayers, a total of 17 times in a day. And it also serves as the prayer to start any other religious activity. Whenever a Muslim President is inaugurated, whenever a Muslim boy is circumcised, or whenever a Muslim prays to Allah before bed, Surah al-Fatihah is traditionally the prayer that is recited first. Dont call yourself a Muslim if you cant recite Surah al-Fatihah by heart!

The interesting part of the Surah al-Fatihah is in its last three verses:

It is You we worship and You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path. The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked Your anger or of those who are astray.

Quran 1:5-7 (Sahih International)

Who are these people who have evoked Allahs anger and those who are astray? Muhammad explains what Allah had in mind:

Narrated 'Adiyy bin Hatim: that the Prophet said: "The Jews are those who Allah is wrath with, and the Christians have strayed."

Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Volume 6, Book 46, Hadith 3954

Although I have my suspicions that I havent prayed hard enough to Allah to not let me become a Christian, most people who find out that I am an ex-Muslim dont come to such a conclusion. In fact, whenever, I tell people that I am an ex-Muslim who has converted to Christianity, the reactions are always three-fold.

Christians usually embrace me with open arms. For most, they see in me a long lost brother, who has finally made it back into the fold. That is exactly how I feel: It was a long and arduous road for me to follow the light of Jesus, but Im finally home.

Muslims will usually tell me that I have never been a real Muslim, to begin with. If I had known true Islam, I wouldve stayed a devout Muslim, they usually tell me. The only exception is if Im talking to Pakistani Muslims. Dont ask me why, but Pakistani Muslims typically accuse me of being paid by a Pastor or even the Vatican, to leave Islam. Thats literally the first reaction I get whenever people from that part of the world hear of my apostasy. Unfortunately, that is certainly not the reason for my conversion. And to this very day, I am still waiting to see that fabled check from the Pontifex.

Atheists, agnostics, Hindus, and Buddhists are usually those who can least understand my choices. After all, according to them, Islam and Christianity are teaching more or less the same things.

But is that even true?

I find this quite fascinating since there is a vastness of differences between Islam and Christianity. In fact, Islam is such a stunningly inverted version of the Judeo-Christian Faith, that anyone who studies both religions should come to the conclusion that this simply cannot be by accident. Even seen from a purely secular perspective, Christianitys and Islams foundersJesus and Muhammad are polar opposites. I believe that the atheist comparing the doctrines of Christianity vs. Islam could conclude that this might be more than just two competing religions locked in a doctrinal war. I would even suggest atheists to consider the existence of the Antichrist, based on this very peculiar theology vs. anti-theology dynamic.

I realized that the lack of this fundamental understanding might be a deciding factor, why the West has had such a hard time understanding the continuous opposition they face when coming in contact with Islam, Muslim societies, Muslim countries, and Muslim individuals in general. Islams animosity towards the Judeo-Christian world didnt start with 9/11, the founding of the modern state of Israel, or the Crusades. It starts way earlier than that.

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Continuing our journey from the first book, How Muhammad Stole the Judeo-Christian Tradition, we will explore how different Islam sees the world in comparison to the Judeo-Christian Tradition: starting from mans hierarchy in the cosmos and his relationship with the Creator, to how Islam deals with certain issues, such as sexuality or warfare. We will also explore why Islam cannot be separated from politics and nation-building, and what it means for the future of this world.