Because
Houghton Mifflin insists the quotes I gave from their textbook are out of context, and
that they have sufficiently included "Muslims believe...", I am
writing word for word what is in two pages from the textbook. There is
so much more stating Islam's religious beliefs
as fact, than at these two pages.
Because of copyright laws, I really must insert
a comment every couple of paragraphs. Please forgive these rude
interruptions in blue.
Across the Centuries
Unit 2, The Growth of Islam
Chapter 3
begins on page 58 with these words:
Lesson 2
Muhammad and Islam
Each year, a Meccan trader named Muhammad would spend a month in quiet
thought while inside a desert cave on Mount Hira. In the year A.D.
610, something extraordinary occurred. The first verses of the
Quran, believed by Muslims to be the written record of God's
words, were revealed to him at that time.
(Notice what Muslims believe. That the words are of
God, but "something extraordinary occurred" and "being revealed to him at that
time" are stated as fact).
The story of how Muhammad received these
messages was later told my his wife, Aisha (AY ee shah). Aisha was the
daughter of Abu Bakr, a wealthy trader who was the first person
outside Muhammad's family to become a Muslim.
Aisha tells that even before Muhammad's experience in the cave at Hira, he had had "good dreams which came true like bright daylight." Then, in the cave, something more far-reaching happened.
(If this is alright for the Islam section, can students read the Apostle John's account of Jesus as fact? And where are the statements of "Muslims believe???")
A being he later identified as the angel Gabriel, or Jibril (juhBREEL) in Arabic, came to him telling him to read, or recite. Trembling, Muhammad responded that he didn't know how to read or what to read. "Thereupon [the angel] caught me and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more." Three times the angel pressed Muhammad, finally commanding him to
Read!
In the name of your
Lord who created.
Created man from a clot
congealed blood.
Read! And your Lord is the Most
Bountiful.
He who has taught by the pen.
Taught man that which he
knew not.
Qur'an 96:1-5
(Fancy italics,
centering, etc., are all the same as the textbook)
End of first page. On
the far left column it says:
......
..T H I N K I N G....
..
...
....F O C U S..
....
Find details to support the statement, "Islam, like other religions, is not only a system of beliefs but also a way of life."
Key Terms
Qur'an monotheism Islam Muslim mosque Sunna
Then there is a picture of
people looking at a cave with the caption:
Today pilgrims visit the Prophet's
Cave on Mount Hira.
Chapter 3
Page 59:
The Life of the
Prophet
Muhammad was born into the Quraysh tribe around A.D.
570. Orphaned at an early age, he found work in the caravan trade. At
25, he married a wealthy widow in the trading business. This wealth
gave him the freedom to visit Mount Hira each year to think.
On one of these visits in 610, Muhammad is believed by
his followers to have had a vision of Gabriel. The angel told him to
recite in the name of God. Followers of Muhammad believe the angel
then told Muhammad the first of many messages from God.
So far on this page there are a couple of
"Muslims believe" which is good, except for the title.
Muhammad's followers believe that in another vision,
the angel Gabriel took Muhammad to meet Abraham, Moses, and Jesus in
Jerusalem. From Jerusalem, both Muhammad and Gabriel ascended into
heaven, where Muhammad spoke to God.
These revelations confirmed both Muhammad's belief in
one God, or monotheism, and his role as the last messenger in a
long line of prophets sent by God. The God he believed in--Allah--is
the same God of other monotheistic religions, Judaism and
Christianity. Allah, the Arabic word for God, is the word used
in the Qur'an.
How did Muslim beliefs of revelations CONFIRM Muhammad to be the last messenger? And Allah is NOT the God I worship, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob never told me to torture, terrorize, or cut off fingers, hands and heads of those who disbelieve in him (Quran, 8:12-17) or so many other Quran quotes.
Spreading the Word
Muhammad began to preach, first to members of his family, then to the leaders of his tribe and others. When members of some prominent families accepted Islam, the Meccan leaders became hostile. Failing to convince Muhammad and his followers to give up their beliefs, the Quraysh leaders refused to trade with them, causing the Muslims great suffering. Finally, when Arabs from outside Mecca became attracted to the message during the pilgrimage, the Quraysh leaders plotted to kill Muhammad.
End of page 59. There is a large picture of a beautiful ornate Mosque. Watch these words closely at the caption. Notice the statement states as fact that Muhammad ascended into heaven, what is "believed to be" is the place from where he supposedly ascended...
This monumental building, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, was completed by the Muslims in 691. The rock is believed to be the place from which Muhammad ascended into heaven.
These are every word written on pages 58 and 59 of my sons textbook, "Across the Centuries." Now let's look at how a description of Jesus is given, the "Christian" turn...
A Message of
Ancient Days
Page 315 begins with:
Lesson 3
Religious Developments
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and
departed leaving him half dead." So begins the parable of the good
Samaritan. Parables are stories that teach moral lessons. In
the first century A.D., a popular Jewish teacher named Jesus told this
parable to answer the question, "Who is my neighbor?"
(This is all true. But notice they limit the
stories of Jesus to what a mere man could do. This is what Islam
believes Jesus is limited to.)
According to this parable, told in the New Testament
of the Christian Bible, a priest came upon the beaten man, who was a
Jew, but did not stop to help him. Instead, he passed by on the other
side of the road. So did an assistant to a priest, also called a
Levite. Finally, a Samaritan came upon the man.
End of text. There is a picture of Jesus
surrounded by people and the captions reads:
The teacher called Jesus is shown
spreading his message in this Italian painting from the A.D. 1400s.
"The teacher called Jesus." Small
print. 19 times Jesus is referred to as teacher. Muhammad had headers,
MUHAMMAD AND ISLAM, THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET.
Side column:
......
..T H I N K I N G....
..
...
....F O C U S..
....
How are Judaism and Christianity related?
Key Terms
parable Diaspora disciple Resurrection Christianity rabbi synagogue