IIA – Teaching Islam

Here are my notes on Karen Leonard’s keynote address. Please keep in mind that this is a stream of consciousness capture of my interpretation of what she had to say. (sorry for the terrible formatting – no time to fix it right now)

CNN is reporting on the desecration – after the murder – of US soldiers in Iraq. The Shi’ah condemn Yazid for his treatment of Imam Husayn in a similar fashion. In the Qur’an the word for hypocrites is munafiq, arguably a worst sin than shirk. For the Shi’ah responsible, damn you to hell. The Sunni base their actions solely on the traditions of the blessed Prophet Muhammad. If any of them dare to say he did such a thing, they are besmirching the name of beloved of God. They are apostates; damn them to hell. To kill in the name…

All news outlets today in the US issued an apology for calling Muqtada as-Sadr a cleric. The lack of clerics in the Islamic tradition clearly makes such a title incorrect. In addition, as-Sadr has no official standing in the hierarchy of Ithna’ashari religious scholars, making any title inappropriate and granting him an unwarranted level of legitimacy. If only the press would bother learning to read. Rhetorical question: Can one write without knowing how to read?