Thomas Jefferson’s Quran: How Islam Shaped the Founders...
One of the nastiest aspects of modern culture wars is the controversy raging over the place of Islam and Muslims in Western society. Too many Americans say things about Islam and Muslims that would horrify and offend them if they heard such things said about Christianity or Judaism, Christians or Jews. Unfortunately, those people won’t open Denise A. Spellberg’s Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders. This enlightening book might cause them to rethink what they’re saying. Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an examines the intersection during the nation’s founding era of two contentious themes in the culture wars—the relationship of Islam to America, and the proper relationship between church and state. The story that it tells ought to be familiar to most...
Our Founding Fathers Included Islam
[He] sais “neither Pagan nor Mahamedan [Muslim] nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the Commonwealth because of his religion.” — Thomas Jefferson, quoting John Locke, 1776 At a time when most Americans were uninformed, misinformed, or simply afraid of Islam, Thomas Jefferson imagined Muslims as future citizens of his new nation. His engagement with the faith began with the purchase of a Qur’an eleven years before he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson’s Qur’an survives still in the Library of Congress, serving as a symbol of his and early America’s complex relationship with Islam and its adherents. That relationship remains of signal importance to this day. That he owned a Qur’an reveals Jefferson’s...
1,200-year-old Qur’an Discovered in Bodrum, Turkey...
(ANSAmed) – ANKARA, SEPTEMBER 16 – A 1,200 year-old handwritten Quran has been found in the basement of a mosque in the Aegean resort town of Bodrum as Cihan news agency reported. The imam Yuksel Kilicaslan found the holy Quran and some tafsir (the interpretation of the Quran) books which was being kept in a prayer rug and immediately reported Bodrum’s Mufti Emin Arik. After a series of examinations by historians, it has been confirmed that the Quran dated back more than a thousand year. The manuscripts were handed in the officials from The Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning and Underwater Archaeology Museum....
Those Defending US Constitution from Sharia Must Have Failed High School Civics...
There are those who would have you believe that Islamic law, or sharia, is taking over America. They seem to allege that the 1 percent of the American population that is Muslim is on the verge of a total takeover of the United States, and if Americans are not vigilant, soon we’ll all be stoning adulterers and chopping off the hands of thieves. Take Rep. Allen West (R) of Florida, who recently alleged that, “there is an infiltration of the shariapractice into all of our operating systems in our country as well as across Western civilization. So we must be willing to recognize that enemy.” If that kind of hyperbolic statement sounds ludicrous, it’s because it is. Yet nearly two-dozen states have...
The Role of Merchants in Spreading Message of Islam...
To call people to Allah is the duty of every responsible and conscientious Muslim. Since there is no priesthood in Islam or sacerdotal class among Muslims, the duty of the call to Allah cannot be limited to an ill-conceived and imaginary group called the “men of religion as is the case with other religions.” In Islam, everyone is a man (or woman) of religion and everyone will be accountable to Allah as to whether or not one fulfilled their obligations sincerely and to the best of their abilities. Urging Muslims to own up to their responsibilities in this respect, Almighty Allah says: “And who is better in speech than one who calls to Allah and does righteousness and...
The First Jewish Rabbi Convert to Islam: Abdullah ibn Salam...
Al-Husayn ibn Salam was a Jewish rabbi in Yathrib [Madinah] who was widely respected and honored by the people of the city, even by those who were not Jewish. He was known for his piety and goodness, his upright conduct, and his truthfulness. Al-Husayn lived a peaceful and gentle life but he was serious, purposeful and organized in the way he spent his time. For a fixed period each day, he would worship, teach and preach in the temple. Then he would spend some time in his orchard, looking after date palms, pruning and pollinating. Thereafter, to increase his understanding and knowledge of his religion, he would devote himself to the study of the Torah. In this study,...
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