Sally Bishai / Jun 30, 2007

The real problem with Islam is not the fact that it is, as some might call it, “Anti-female” or “Anti-Feminist.” (Because it could be said that protecting modesty, beauty, and the god-given role of women as care-givers and child-bearers is the most PRO-female thing out there.)

 

The real problem with Islam has nothing to do with the fact that one of Mohammed’s wives was 9 years old. (Because scholars can’t seem to agree on the “legal age of marriage” for the 7th Century, so it could actually have been THE thing to do.)

 

The real problem with Islam isn’t that some might call it a bloody religion, what with the notions of Instant Paradise and Jihad swirling through the minds of world-weary would-be terrorists. (Because many Muslims disagree with the whole “justified/excused/condoned killing” thing cited by Jihadists, Islamists, and other names ending in “ists.”)

 

The real problem with Islam has nothing to do with the fact that some find the consistency of Allah’s commands (to Mohammed, in the Qur’an) less than consistent.

 

The real problem with Islam isn’t about the lack of a centralized governing figure that ALL Muslims listen to, or even one for Shia and one for Sunni.

 

Neither is the real problem with Islam the lack of consensus, with regards to “which faction is the true one,” or even “which Islamic country’s level of strictness/devoutness/what-have-you-ness is the most correct in the eyes of Allah?”. (Since places such as Morocco and Algeria are (relatively) more “western” and less-constricting than are places like Saudi Arabia, among others.)

 

These issues could be called subjective and dismissed through discussion or other means, or else proven to be valid and correct.

 

But I’m no Islamic scholar, I’m not concerned with proving the truth or validity or silliness of the afore-mentioned arguments. In fact, you could say they don’t matter one bit.

 

Islam could be the parent of and inspiration behind some of the most generous, kind, and devout people alive.

 

To my mind, however, it has one shortcoming.

 

The real problem with Islam is that in it, Jesus Christ is reduced to the role of a mere prophet.

 

Not the bridge between a so-holy-He-can’t-look-at-you-in-your-unholiness type of God and a sinful, flawed and filth-ridden human who could never hope to clean his act up or  work his way to heaven (on his own steam, anyway).

 

Not the only One with the ability to forgive us our sins and make us into new creations.

 

Not the Son of God.

 

And that, then, is the REAL problem with Islam.

 

 ( of God.nd not the Son of Godly--physiologically on of Godh audi Arabia, among others.)ah"there.)As Muslims all over the world starve their bodies to feed their souls, pray that the love of the Lord Jesus Christ feeds their hungry hearts and seeking spirits this Ramadan.

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