Author: David Klinghoffer
Publication: National Review Online
Date: December 19, 2002
URL: http://nationalreview.com/comment/comment-klinghoffer121902.asp
I wish I could crawl into the head
of British historian Karen Armstrong, whose comments about Islam
and the prophet Muhammad are astonishing. In good conscience, how does
she say the things she does?
My occasion for asking is a new
PBS documentary, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, that debuted Wednesday
night. The filmmakers take pains to show how cuddly and non-threatening
a religion Islam is, but the most mind-blowing words in the two hours of
footage are from Ms. Armstrong. She says, "Muhammad had nothing against
the Jewish people per se, or the Jewish religion. The Koran continues to
tell Muslims to honor the People of the Book."
Referring to Christians as well
as Jews, that famous phrase, "the People of the Book," comes up whenever
someone is trying to paint a friendly face on Islam. The truth is that
Muhammad typically means it not in praise but as an expression of bitter
irony, as if to say: These people have Scripture, yet they reject me! Author
of Mohammed: A Biography of the Prophet and Islam: A Short History, Armstrong
presumably has studied the Koran carefully enough to know this. Or has
she?
Muhammad takes a lively interest
in Jews and Christians, whom he deals with explicitly in many, many passages.
Here's a quick sample.
God is quoted by prophet as saying,
"The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall burn
forever in the fire of Hell. They are the vilest of all creatures." ".those
that disbelieve Our revelations and deny them are the heirs of Hell." Of
the Jews in particular: "God has cursed them in their unbelief."
As to how one is to deal with such
unbelievers, the Koran's message is vigorously expressed. "Muhammad is
God's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but
merciful to one another." "If you do not go to war, He will punish you
sternly." "Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal
firmly with them." "Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians
for your friends. They are friends to one another."
A couple of verses suggest a pacifistic
perspective: "Requite evil with good, and he who is your enemy will become
your dearest friend." But these are isolated thoughts. Much more representative
are the passages that describe, with satisfaction, the destruction of the
cities and nations of the unbelievers in the past, the ruin of their lives
and fortunes in the future.
"Prophet, make war on the unbelievers
and the hypocrites, and deal sternly with them. Hell shall be their home,
evil their fate." "God loves those who fight for His cause in ranks as
firm as a mighty edifice." In the surah titled "That Which Is Coming,"
we find verses that sound weirdly like 9/11: "They [the unbelievers] shall
dwell amidst scorching winds and seething water: in the shade of pitch-black
smoke, neither cool nor refreshing." "On that day woe betide the disbelievers!
Be gone to the Hell which you deny! Depart into the shadow that will rise
high in three columns, giving neither shade nor shelter from the flames,
and throwing up sparks as huge as towers, as bright as yellow camels!"
As I was making my way through the
text, occasionally I would read a particularly vivid passage aloud to my
wife. "But you're taking that out of context," she'd say. "You must be."
Actually, on page after page, sentiments
like these are the context.
Karen Armstrong is either one of
the biggest liars on the planet, or, more likely, self-deluded in the way
only professional scholars can be. She mystifies me.
(David Klinghoffer is the author
of a spiritual memoir, The Lord Will Gather Me In, as well as the forthcoming
The Discovery of God: Abraham and the Birth of Monotheism.)
