<OT> <TID> Re: Noteworthy News Item

[Roger Oberholtzer]

On Mon, 24 Jun 2002 13:18:10 -0400
Lee <rathaus at gtcom.net> wrote:

> Unfortunately, the current reigning religion in this part of the world
> has always been numbered with those who prefer not have the common man
> think. Don't think. Just believe what the shaman, priest, televanglist

Not just this part of the world. I was in Riyadh a while back and Saudi TV
has a segment where an Islamic scholar answers questions from letters. I
vividly recall one in which the viewer asked why they circled Mohammad's
'house' seven times (in Mecca - a very important thing to do). The person wanted to know because his non-islamic friends had asked and he had no answer. Instead of explaining why, the scholar strongly chastised the guy for attempting to answer questions. The, after all, was the job of scholars who are educated to know the reasons. It is not the job of an untrained believer. He went so far as to say that the person was getting involved in
things that the Koran specifically forbade - offering opinions about which wou know nothing. After finishing the tirade, he went to the next letter - never having answered the actual question! What I thought was most odd was that the letter writer did NOT offer an opinion to his non-islamic friends.
He consulted an islamic scholar for correct information. For which he wes
publicly chastised.

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