Allah and Muhammad: Choir Quitter Gets it Wrong

If singing an Islamic song violates Harper's personal, religious convictions, quitting the choir is a fine decision. It's not unlike athletes who elect not to attend practices on their Sabbath days or would-be cheerleaders who don't try out over objections to revealing uniforms.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Yahoo! Contributor Network
By  Kary James | February 16, 2012


COMMENTARY | Maybe Colorado high school student James Harper should have paid more attention in his world religions class. Harper is making headlines for quitting the school choir to protest an Islamic hymn. Harper, in an interview with KREX Channel 5, states that he is a Christian, and he feels that the song's message about Allah is inappropriate for a public school choir. "This is worshiping another God, and even worshiping another prophet ..." said Harper.

Here's what Harper doesn't understand.

Allah -- a God by any other name

Allah isn't a name, it's a word. Specifically, it's the Arabic word for God. Arabic-speaking Christians pray to Allah. Allah is the God of Abraham and the God of the Old Testament, which means that Allah is just another word for the God worshipped by Jews and Christians. There is an Islamic saying that Jews, Christians and Muslims are all "People of The Book." The book in question is the Old Testament, also known as The Bible. So if Harper is a Christian, as he says in his interview, he would be singing to the same God he ostensibly worships himself.

Muslims don't worship Muhammad

Harper's second error has to do with the nature of prophets. The Old Testament is full of prophets such as Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Neither Jews nor Christians worship these prophets, though they often revere them as divinely inspired. Similarly, Muslims do not worship Muhammad; they revere him for being the bearer God's word. For the record, Jesus is also considered a prophet in Islam.

Religious objections: fine for personal choice, not fine as musical censorship

If singing an Islamic song violates Harper's personal, religious convictions, quitting the choir is a fine decision. It's not unlike athletes who elect not to attend practices on their Sabbath days or would-be cheerleaders who don't try out over objections to revealing uniforms. The school choir is an after-school extracurricular activity, not a required class, so quitting won't affect Harper's grades or credits. His religious convictions, however, should not dictate what other students may sing.

Harper's characterization of Islam is incorrect at best, and shows a complete ignorance of that faith at worst. So while Harper might say he doesn't wish to look like a racist or a bigot, he does appear to be playing one on TV.


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