“There is No God Called ‘Allah’”?

February 26, 2013 By 14 Comments

 

Sigh.

 

I find this sort of thing exasperating.

 

I won’t respond here, now, to the other assertions made by this charming little contribution to world peace and community harmony, but I will say something about the declaration that “There is no God called Allah.”  (I imagine myself translating it into Arabic.  It would come out as “There is no God called God,” or, at best, “There is no god called God.”)

 

With my colleague Bill Hamblin, I wrote a Deseret News column on this very topic about a month and a half ago.

 

In the Facebook “conversation” that has recently followed someone’s posting of the ignorant image above, someone — probably a Latter-day Saint — provided a link to that column.  Of course, merely injecting actual historical and linguistic fact into such an exchange rarely changes the minds of militantly uninformed people, and this instance proved no exception.  One “Christian” lady, “replying” to me, announced that I was a “liar” and then offered the tantalizing suggestion that, if her audience would just consult “the website” about the “freemasons and Lummenatti” — by which I suppose she meant the “Illuminati” — they would learn all about me.  (Does anybody have the slightest idea what she was talking about?  I’m really curious to see this site myself.)

 

I hope that no Latter-day Saints are spreading or supporting this sort of nonsense.

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized 14 Comments
  • http://www.jrganymede.com Adam G.

    I guess ‘there is no god called God’ is something a convinced pagan could say.

  • https://mormonscriptureexplorations.wordpress.com/ William Hamblin

    I believe the Rabbi in the picture is crying because he is a Yemeni Jew, who regularly calls God “Allah.”

  • Michael Towns

    He’s probably crying because there are so few Yemeni Jews left.

  • http://plainandpreciousthing.blogspot.com/ Rozann

    Well, I guess technically it’s true because Heavenly Father’s name is Eloheim, or Man of Holiness, but one cannot expect the average Christian (or even Latter-day Saint) to know that.

  • MP

    I’m facepalming because of the comic sans.

  • Collin

    Dan Peterson, secretly pulling the strings and ruling the world. It’s all over, Mr. Peterson. Game’s up. (haha).

  • http://bethandherspinrad.blogspot.com Beth

    Sadly, there are plenty of LDS folks to love to spread this kind of bigotry, too. My Father-in-Law is one of them. I had to ask him to quit sending me ridiculous forwarded emails about how Obama is a Muslim, and a mosque in NYC would mark the end of Western Civilization as we know it.

    And I know a couple of other LDS people who think that because they read Fox News, they know everything there is to know about Islam, and that consequently my degree in Middle Eastern Studies was a waste of time. It’s good times.

    • danpeterson

      The funny thing is that I’m a political conservative who watches Fox News.

      That doesn’t mean that I tolerate bigotry or endorse ignorance.

  • Eric
  • David H

    I find this extremely similar to what we Latter-Day Saints often hear in the South Eastern U.S. – that we believe in a “different Jesus”, or that when we say “Jesus” we don’t mean the same one that they do. However, I have found hearts can be softened over time and sufficient exposure to actual Mormons in real life.

  • Allison

    The Adversary is always looking to divide people so they will not communicate and help one another in ways that would build the Lord’s kingdom. We should not only be aware of these efforts, but actively combat them through education and promotion of tolerance and understanding.

  • Good Will

    Bro. Peterson, I have a question (unrelated but tangential):

    What do you find “inspiring” in the Qu’ran? I’ve read much of it and, frankly, I just go “yuck!” and have to put it down. So repetitive! So mundane! So wrathful to the infidel! Can you please share with us those verses you find truly inspiring, on par with the best you’ve read from the Bible or other Judeo-Christian literature? What are you Qu’ranic “gems”?

    • danpeterson

      Excellent question. I’ll try to come up with a list of a dozen or so fine passages. It might make a good blog entry or even a good Saturday Hamblin/Peterson column.

  • Good Will

    Thank you. I’ll be looking forward to it!