Peace be unto you. That is how Muslims great each other. Muslim clerics are making the news these days for teaching anything but peace. From violent outrage towards newspapers that commissioned caricatures of the holy prophet Muhammad, to the last calls to tear a man to pieces should he not be executed for his conversion to Christianity.

A quick search on the meaning of the Muslim greeting brought me to a site where you can read the following words from the Quran:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

All praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds. The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee (alone) we worship; of Thee (alone) we seek help. Show us the straight path. The path of those whom Thou hast favored; Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. (A'meen) - QURAN: The Opening (Chapter 1), Verse 1-7

Those to whom the people said, "Surely men have gathered against you, therefore fear them." But this (warning) increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient for us and most excellent is the Protector. -QURAN: The Family of 'Imran (Chapter 3), Verse 173

Surely, a religion that professes to have faith in Allah against all fear, to worship a God that is the most merciful, would not want his people to tear others to pieces. Islam was only created in 610 A.D, when the angel Gabriel was said to have appeared before the prophet Muhammad and dictated the Qur'an to him. Even the Qur'an accepts the previous works of the Bible and the Torah as being divinely inspired, so why should a man be killed for wanting to believe in another divinely inspired article of faith? I would not condone such an action if I were Muslim, much like I would not condone the action if a Christian would change religions, but I would leave the judgment in the hands of our Creator.

I had the opportunity to work with Muslims when I was "trying to find myself" during that awkward period between teenager and adulthood. I saw a calmness and peace in the eyes of my fellow workers that I had rarely seen in the few Churches I had been to. They had a strength of belief, and a sense of purpose, despite not being given fare wages in a Jewish run warehouse. They were not of the Nation of Islam that one of my high school friends became a part of (I would run into him occasionally for a few years on the streets as he preached his version of the Qur'an). These people were color blind, and not interested in acts of violence or aggression. They wanted to be respected as human beings, and would respect you in return.

Is Islam alone is it's creation of fanatical religious extremists? How often has the IRA sent members on suicide missions? How often did Israel retaliate brutally against Palestine, killing 10 people for every one Jew hurt. Every race and religion continues, even today, to kill in the name of a higher power. The KKK still exists, and while they may no longer be actively killing blacks, they still advocate the use of violence against minorities. Before North Americans sit and judge Muslims from their high horse, realize that we have our own backyard to clean up. I read the Qur'an recently, because I was inspired by the integrity of it's people. I consider Allah, God, and Jehovah to be one and the same, which the only difference being certain rituals put in place to confirm us in one segment versus another, with each segment claiming full ownership of our creator. But if all 3 Holy Writs are of God, than why can we not be free to choose any of those 3 paths? Once you get past the rituals, each teaches us to love and respect others, and put their needs ahead of your own.

I would hope to engage us all in dialog on this issue, without the need for racial or ethnic slurs or threats. If you truly believe in either of the 3 paths to God, then let me know what you think can be done to start changing our divisive attitudes towards Him.

About the Author
Gary Whittaker is the editor of www.tenwebzine.com, a counter-culture blog with balls!