The purpose of this blog is to explore the scripture and texts of the religion of Islam primarily as they relate to relations with non-Muslims and the maintenance of orthodoxy within Islam.  From time to time I will post passages from the Koran (Qur'an) and hadith (collections of examples and sayings about Muhammad, who styled himself the final prophet in a line from Adam through Moses and Jesus and the nearly perfect person who should be emulated in every way) and their meaning according to mainstream islamic sources.

The religion of Islam is a hot topic right now in America.  But paradoxically, it seems to most Americans so alien and opaque that almost all discussion of it has been carried on in the media and around water coolers based on hearsay and opinions almost entirely devoid of facts.  There even seems to be a tendency to eschew concrete facts when they are hard to accept at face value and to turn toward soft platitudes and choose opinions that we like that fit into the world most of us know.

Many take the view that the face of Islam can be inferred from the actions of ordinary Muslims.  I reject that view.  At the individual level, people do not always follow or even fully understand the tenets they claim or espouse.  And at the organization and country level, common beliefs are often distorted to serve venal interests.

I take the view that a religion is what it says it is and not what people do with it.  I also realize that words can be taken out of  context.  Therefore I allow and invite comments to my entries, hopefully from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, which I plan to respond to whenever possible in an ongoing dialogue.

I plan to post and explain Islamic texts in the words of the Koran and hadiths themselves (translated into English) and those of primary Muslim scholars and very few of my own views and interpretations as to their meaning.  The texts are self-explanitory or they mean nothing, so there is little need for my views except to try to point readers to their context for their own investigation.

That said, I have reached certain conclusions and have the point of view of a non-believer in Islam.  I will also post my opinion of the islamic texts and compare the words of Islam to those in the Bible in order to highlight their commonalities and their differences which are often a source of friction.

I expect this blog will present information that may be revelatory not only to non-Muslims but also to nominal, cafeteria and neophyte Muslims.  I also expect often opposite reactions to the same texts depending on your point of view.  Those reactions in the comments sections should be as helpful understanding relations in the real world as the texts themselves.