The True Islam

On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 nineteen men affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners in the New York region. Two of the airliners were flown into the World Trade Center, one was flown into the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In addition to the nineteen hijackers, 2973 people died; another 24 are yet missing and presumed dead. It was the most deadly domestic attack by an outside foe in our Nation’s history. All nineteen of the hijackers were Islamic; or, that is to say, they were Muslims.

Six days after the attacks, President George W. Bush spoke at the Islamic Center of Washington, DC and said: "The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don’t represent peace. They represent evil and war."

Three days later, in the US Capital, President Bush addressed a Joint Session of Congress and the American people and asserted: "The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself. The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends; it is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every government that supports them."

Thus, quickly after 9/11, the President made it clear that he believed that the terrorist attack had nothing to do with the teachings of Islam but that - even though the act was done in the name of Allah - the terrorists were inspired by a belief-system that was contrary to the true Muslim Faith.

A year after 9/11, President Bush still promoted his belief -

"All Americans must recognize that the face of terror is not the true faith -- face of Islam. Islam is a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. It’s a faith that has made brothers and sisters of every race. It’s a faith based upon love, not hate."

President George W. Bush Holds Roundtable with Arab and Muslim-American Leaders

Afghanistan Embassy, Washington, D.C.

September 10, 2002

"Islam is a vibrant faith. Millions of our fellow citizens are Muslim. We respect the faith. We honor its traditions. Our enemy does not. Our enemy doesn’t follow the great traditions of Islam. They’ve hijacked a great religion."

Remarks by President George W. Bush on U.S. Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan

Presidential Hall, Dwight David Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C.

October 11, 2002

"Islam, as practiced by the vast majority of people, is a peaceful religion, a religion that respects others."

Remarks by President George W. Bush in a statement to reporters during a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan

The Oval Office, Washington, DC

November 13, 2002

The question is: which person is telling the truth - President Bush or Osama bin Ladin? Bush and many others say Islam is a religion of tolerance, love and peace. Osama bin Ladin says that he and his followers are the true followers of Islam and that they best represent what it means to be a good Muslim.

Today, I want to explore the true nature of Islam by looking at what is actually taught within the Scriptures of Islam - the Quoran. I want us to have a better understanding of the beliefs of what is the fastest growing of the world’s major religions.

First, there is no dispute that the so-called ‘Five Pillars of Islam’ are the foundation of Muslim life:

SHAHADAH or DECLARATION OF FAITH.

The Declaration or Testimony of faith is saying with conviction, “There is no true God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger (Prophet).” The significance of this declaration is the belief that the only purpose of life is to serve and obey Allah, and this is achieved through the teachings and practices of the Last Prophet, Muhammad. This Declaration of faith is a simple formula which should be said in order to convert to Islam. The Declaration of faith is the most important pillar of Islam.

SALAT or PRAYER

Salat is the name for the obligatory prayers that are performed five times a day. Each prayer does not take more than a few minutes to perform. Prayers are said at dawn, mid-day, late-afternoon, sunset and nightfall. The worshipper bows his head toward Mecca in Arabia while praying.

ZAKAH or CHARITABLE GIVING

An important principle of Islam is that everything belongs to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. Possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need and for the society in general. Each Muslim calculates his or her own ‘zakah’ individually. This involves the annual payment of a fortieth of one’s capital. A person may also give as much as he or she pleases as voluntary alms or charity.