It's been many years since I've put my hands on a Reader's Digest magazine or its books-by-the-yard, aka condensed books; however, when reading that my favourite writer, James A. Michener, had been a regular contributors, I retrieved some of his articles.
He begins his contribution "Islam - The Misunderstood Religion", written in 1955, with the words, "One of the strangest facts in today's world is that Islam, a religion which in many ways is almost identical with Christianity and Judaism, should be so poorly understood in America and Europe. Since there are 350 million Muslims in the world, and since they control many strategic areas of the earth, it is essential that we understand them better."
That was written more than sixty years ago. Today, those 350 million Muslims have become an estimated 1.6 billion and the words "ISIS" and "terrorism" make headlines every day. Would the world be a better place if more than a mere handful of those fanatics received the ultimate treatment under Shariah Law? You bet! Do I believe that the unfettered "Islamisation" of Europe is heading for a spectacular disaster? I do!
And yet, having lived in Saudi Arabia, I have nothing but respect for and fond memories of my past employers, the Mofarrij family, for Abdul Hameed, Ali, and my then boss, Abdul Ghani (who's since, sadly, passed away), and I hope that one day we can all live in peace and harmony, not necessarily side by side but in our respective corners of the world, and leave religion where it belongs: inside the mosques and churches.
In the meantime, read Michener's somewhat romanticised article here. It is used by various Islamic websites such as www.islamweb.net and www.shariah.ws to create a more favourable image of Islam than it really deserves, given the present state of affairs.
