Program Particulars
*Times indicated refer to Web version of audio

(01:44–03:47) Music
"The Multiples of One" from Awakening, performed by Joseph Curiale

(01:50) Satirical Cartoons in Danish Press
The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten first published a series of 12 cartoons on September 30, 2005. After pursuing diplomatic channels to register their protest, the Danish umbrella group, the European Committee for Honoring the Prophet, appealed to a group of Muslim leaders from the Middle East in early December. The Committee submitted a dossier including the 12 cartoons and other images to these Islamic leaders. The group's representative, Ahmed Akkari, a Lebanese-born Danish citizen, flew to Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt and appeared on Hezbollah's television station Al Manar. "It's not the cartoons, it is the way he is being presented — negative, with a bomb on his head," Akkari said. "Prophet Muhammad represents Islam. The pictures are saying that Muslims are terrorists, because he is a Muslim and he has a bomb in his head … that every Muslim on earth is connected to this man, this criminal."

Danish government officials were summoned to meet with Egyptian diplomats. By mid-December the Committee's campaign had gained steam. Other Islamic groups and national governments condemned the cartoons, and a boycott of Danish goods was proposed. Then, on January 10, 2006, a Norwegian newspaper republished the cartoons as an expression of free speech. Libya and Saudi Arabia pulled key diplomats from Denmark, and Danish products were boycotted.

By February 1, papers in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain also reprinted the cartoons. Public protests by Muslims resulted in an attack on the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus. Violent protests spread from Palestine to Pakistan. As the New York Times reports subscription required, the debate over the satirical cartoons took center stage at the meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Mecca.

Carsten Juste, Jyllands-Posten's editor-in-chief, has publicly apologized for offending Muslims but stands by his decision to publish them, citing free speech. Meanwhile, respondents to a March 10, 2006 poll by Denmark's TV2 revealed that 58 percent of Danes blamed the violence on the Danish imams, and only 22 percent blamed the newspaper. Ahmed Abu Laban, the imam at Copenhagen's Central Mosque and the leader of the city's Islamic Cultural Center, responded, "These riots were not on our agenda; we did not mean to harm anyone. But it might be a good for the West to know what happens when you insult Muhammad."

Muslims in other parts of the world continue to respond, including England, Indonesia, and Pakistan, where the violence has resulted in the deaths of several protesters. The New York Times provides an extended timeline worth reviewing.

(04:13–04:47) Music
"Tales from the Ney" from Sufi Music of Turkey, performed by Kudsi and Suleyman Erguner

(05:05) Explanations of Cartoons
Speaking of Faith has decided to provide images of four of the cartoons — which Vincent Cornell prefers to call caricatures — accompanied by Cornell's descriptions and interpretations of them. He points out details and symbolism that made these images offensive even to a moderate and intellectual Muslim like him. These are details and symbols that non-Muslims — including many on the SOF staff — can simply fail to see or grasp without explanation. Sensitivity is important. Context is essential. You, the audience, must actively click the link to access the image, which will be accompanied by Cornell's description and a brief explanation to why Cornell and other Muslims view these images as offensive.

Lars Refn, the cartoonist who drew the image of Muhammad as a schoolboy with the words "reactionary provocateurs," agreed with Muslims who said the images were published with the intent to hurt and humiliate: "Of course we shouldn't let ourselves be censored by a few extremist Muslims, but Jyllands-Posten's only goal is to vent the fires as soon as they get the opportunity. There's nothing constructive in that."

(05:35) The "Mad Mullah"
Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah Hasan (1864–1920) was a Somali religious and nationalist leader who fought the imperialist forces of Great Britain, Italy, and Ethiopia. He often referred to the British as infidels and declared a holy war on occupiers of Somaliland. The British dismissed Hasan, to their detriment, and referred to him as the "Mad Mullah". He was considered an inspiring orator and is held in high esteem for his poetry.

(11:42) Muslim View of the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ibnu Abdillah (569–632 CE) was born in Mecca. When Muhammad turned 40, the angel Gabriel came to him with revelations that established him as the final and most beloved of Allah's prophets, in Arabic habibullah. He did not write but recited the Qur'an, which is understood to be the verbatim word of the one God, Allah. and eventually began spreading his message to others. He is considered the main interpreter of the Qur'an and an example of how each person should lead one's life. The Arabic word sunnah has come to denote the way Prophet Muhammad lived his life, and is a source of inspiration for practicing Islam.

In the following passage, Muhammad's magnamity and mercy during and after war is recounted:

But in pure self-defense, after repeated efforts of conciliation had utterly failed, circumstances dragged him into the battlefield. But the prophet of Islam changed the whole strategy of the battlefield. The total number of casualties in all the wars that took place during his lifetime when the whole Arabian Peninsula came under his banner, does not exceed a few hundreds in all. But even on the battlefield he taught the Arab barbarians to pray, to pray not individually, but in congregation to God the Almighty. During the dust and storm of warfare whenever the time for prayer came, and it comes five times a every day, the congregation prayer had not to be postponed even on the battlefield. A party had to be engaged in bowing their heads before God while other was engaged with the enemy. After finishing the prayers, the two parties had to exchange their positions.

To the Arabs, who would fight for forty years on the slight provocation that a camel belonging to the guest of one tribe had strayed into the grazing land belonging to other tribe and both sides had fought till they lost 70,000 lives in all; threatening the extinction of both the tribes to such furious Arabs, the Prophet of Islam taught self-control and discipline to the extent of praying even on the battlefield. In an age of barbarism, the Battlefield itself was humanized and strict instructions were issued not to cheat, not to break trust, not to mutilate, not to kill a child or woman or an old man, not to hew down date palm nor burn it, not to cut a fruit tree, not to molest any person engaged in worship. His own treatment with his bitterest enemies is the noblest example for his followers. At the conquest of Mecca, he stood at the zenith of his power. The city which had refused to listen to his mission, which had tortured him and his followers, which had driven him and his people into exile and which had unrelentingly persecuted and boycotted him even when he had taken refuge in a place more than 200 miles away, that city now lay at his feet. By the laws of war he could have justly avenged all the cruelties inflicted on him and his people. But what treatment did he accord to them? Mohammad's heart flowed with affection and he declared, "This day, there is no reproof against you and you are all free." "This day" he proclaimed, "I trample under my feet all distinctions between man and man, all hatred between man and man." This was one of the chief objects why he permitted war in self defense, that is to unite human beings. And when once this object was achieved, even his worst enemies were pardoned.

This Islamic blog contains a number of beautiful verses and posts about the Prophet.

(12:24) Explanation of Hadith (plural Ahadith)
Ahadith are a collection of the Prophet's deeds and sayings. As Cornell writes in World Eras, Volume 2: Rise and Spread of Islam, hadith is the most important of the four sources of the Sunnah. They are orally transmitted traditions, which literally mean "saying" or "event." Ahadith are second only to the Qur'an in significance and authority as a source of Islamic knowledge. In some collections, ahadith are paired with accounts of the actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad's Companions and the first generation of Muslim leaders.

Sunni Muslims consider ahadith a legitimate body of descriptions of the actions of the Prophet: how he ate and slept, the manner in which he treated his neighbors and practiced hygiene, and so forth. To Shiite Muslims, the tradition of their imams — spiritual leaders who are considered direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad — are regarded to be equal in importance to the Prophet.

In general, hadith is lived out in daily practice; each prescription or statement complements one or more verses in the Qur'an. While ahadith tend to provide a law-centered view of Islam, the Qur'an provides a word-centered approach that allows human consciousness to experience the knowledge of God.

(12:45) Sufi Tradition
Sufism is the mystical expression of Islam. It emphasizes a contemplative life focused on obeying and experiencing god. Sufism is comprised of many differing orders within the Muslim community. The Arabic term tariqa is a Sufi brotherhood and devotional tradition that literally means "path."

The concept of tariqa Muhammadiyya can be difficult to grasp. In an article examining an important Sufi manuscript, German scholar Bernd Radtke provides a lucid and a comprehensible explanation of the nature of Sufism, the reverence for Muhammad, and a careful definition of tariqa Muhammadiyya:

…the tariqa Muhammadiyya is not a Sufi order but a path, a form of spiritual concentration. It is the mystical intensification of the traditional conformity to the sunna of the Prophet which involves replacing the authority of the written word by a living experience — by beholding the Prophet and communicating with him directly. Beholding the Prophet is the greatest pleasure (ladhdha) that a human being can experience. It is even greater than the joys of Paradise, for it leads the mystic to the final goal, the vision of God — mushahada.

For an in-depth exploration of the heart of Islam and Sufism, visit the Web site for "The Spirit of Islam." It features the observations of Islamic and Sufi scholar Omid Safi, the poetry of Rumi, and Qur'anic recitations by Seemi Bushra Ghazi.

(13:22–14:26) Music
"Vision" from L'Eprise De Dieu (Enamored of God, A Soufi Oratorio), performed by Abou Nidaa Mrad

(15:00) Artwork: "Piss Christ"
Andres Serrano exhibited "Piss Christ", a compositional photograph of a plastic crucifix immersed in urine, in 1987 at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. The artwork provoked protests from Christians and the exhibit was closed early in response. The poet Andrew Hudgins had a different response.

(15:45) Enlightenment Term of "Religious Enthusiasm"
The philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) strongly opposed what he called "religious enthusiasm," which he thought substituted emotion for reason and true revelation. In An Essay on Human Understanding, Locke writes:

Enthusiasm accepts its supposed illumination without search and proof. Though the odd opinions and extravagant actions enthusiasm has run men into were enough to warn them against this wrong principle, so apt to misguide them both in their belief and conduct: yet the love of something extraordinary, the ease and glory it is to be inspired, and be above the common and natural ways of knowledge, so flatters many men's laziness, ignorance, and vanity, that, when once they are got into this way of immediate revelation, of illumination without search, and of certainty without proof and without examination, it is a hard matter to get them out of it. Reason is lost upon them, they are above it: they see the light infused into their understandings, and cannot be mistaken; it is clear and visible there, like the light of bright sunshine; shows itself, and needs no other proof but its own evidence: they feel the hand of God moving them within, and the impulses of the Spirit, and cannot be mistaken in what they feel. Thus they support themselves, and are sure reasoning hath nothing to do with what they see and feel in themselves: what they have a sensible experience of admits no doubt, needs no probation. Would he not be ridiculous, who should require to have it proved to him that the light shines, and that he sees it? It is its own proof, and can have no other. When the Spirit brings light into our minds, it dispels darkness. We see it as we do that of the sun at noon, and need not the twilight of reason to show it us. This light from heaven is strong, clear, and pure; carries its own demonstration with it: and we may as naturally take a glow-worm to assist us to discover the sun, as to examine the celestial ray by our dim candle, reason.

(16:05) Imagery in Islam
Historically, images of Muhammad have been created depicting him with a veil and without. Although the Qur'an doesn't explicitly forbid the figurative or descriptive portrayal of Muhammad, passages from hadith indicate a negative attitude toward anthropomorphic images in places of worship, viewing the practice as a form of idolatry. The issue came up in 1997 when a group of Muslims objected to the frieze of Muhammad within the building of the U.S. Supreme Court.

(18:20) Reference to The Last Temptation of Christ
Nikos Kazantzakis' 1955 novel, The Last Temptation of Christ, portrays Jesus as an uncertain, frustrated young man who is confused and uncertain of his future — torn between his duty and his human needs. His "last temptation" is to abandon the cross for the life of an ordinary man who marries and has children. Kazantzakis' book gained much attention in 1988 when Martin Scorsese produced a film based on his novel. Many Christian organizations objected and protested to its release.

(20:50) Gibson's The Passion of the Christ
Visit the site for the Speaking of Faith program, "The Jewish Roots of the Christian Story," in which we use Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, as a starting point in putting New Testament writings in context and looking for meaning in the story that popular culture can't convey.

(21:31–21:52) Music
"Hicaz Taksimi" from Suleyman the Magnificent (soundtrack), performed by Brian Keane

(22:32) Colonialism in Africa
For a personal reflection on the impact of European colonialism and missionary work in Africa, listen to "Sacred Wilderness, an African Story." Here, Isabel Mukonyora, a native Zimbabwean scholar of religious studies tells her story and discusses the Christian movement known as the Masowe Apostles.

(25:12–27:55) Music
"Sabura" from Heaven's Dust, performed by Ekova

(28:44–29:56) Music
"Rast Medhal" from Suleyman the Magnificent (soundtrack), performed by Brian Keane

(29:08) Reference to Wahhabism
The Wahhabi movement is an ultra-conservative, puritanical movement of Islam. It was fonded in the Arabian peninsula in the 18th century as a reform movement, by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahab. A proponent of al-Wahab's teachings, the tribal leader Muhammad ibn Saud championed the movement and from then on the Saudi ruling family have been the movement's main supporters. Wahhabism is the dominant school of Islam in Saudi Arabia today.

Devout Wahhabis believe that other Muslims, particularly the Shiites, have abandoned their faith in one God, tawhid, and have distorted Islam. The Wahhabis accept only the Qur'an and the authentic Sunna, customary practices of living modeled on the life and teachings of the prophet Muhammad. Vincent Cornell and others, however, point out that the Wahhabi teach "radically simplified" versions of the Qur'an and Sunna. They reject 1,400 years of the development and interpretation of Islamic theology and mysticism. They oppose veneration of saints and relics, prohibit decorating of mosques, and ban luxury. Anyone who does not accept these tenets is considered a heretic.

(31:15) Social Gospel Movements in Christianity
For a more in-depth discussion of liberation theology in Latin America, visit the site for the SOF program, "Globalizing the Sacred" with Manuel Vásquez. A Salvadoran-American religious scholar, Vá discusses growing up in this time and explains the meaning of religion and transnationalism in our global world.

(33:16) Know-Nothing Populism
The American Party, commonly known as the Know-Nothing Party, was a populist political movement of the mid-nineteenth century. The party held a strong anti-immigrant, anti-Roman Catholic stance. The party got its start in local organizations of native-born citizens who would reply that they "knew nothing" when asked about their activities. At its peak in 1855, the party claimed 43 representatives in Congress.

As its membership and importance grew in the 1850s, the group slowly shed its clandestine character and took the official name American Party. As a national political entity, it called for restrictions on immigration, the exclusion of the foreign-born from voting or holding public office in the United States, and for a 21-year residency requirement for citizenship. The defeat of Millard Fillmore in the 1856 presidential election signaled its demise with abolitionist members joining the Republican Party and pro-slavery members by the Democratic Party.

(36:10) Fatah Movement
Fatah — a reverse acronym for Harekat at-Tahrir al-Wataniyyeh al-Falastiniyyeh, the Movement for the National Liberation of Palestine — was founded in the early 1960s by Yasser Arafat and others. Fatah initially opposed the founding of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), but would later assume control of the PLO in 1968. Fatah carried out terrorist attacks on Israeli targets for nearly 30 years until Arafat signed the Declaration of Principles with Israel in 1993 and officially renounced terrorism. In January 2006, the fundamentalist Islamic movement, Hamas, won a majority of seats on the legislative council and unseated Fatah as the ruling party of Palestine.

(36:37–37:46) Music
"Semai" from Sufi Music of Turkey, performed by Kudsi and Suleyman Erguner

(37:02) 2005 Pew Polls
As part of the Pew Global Attitudes Project, a July 2005 poll entitled "Islamic Extremism: Common Concern for Muslim and Western Publics" revealed that support for terror waned in Islamic countries. A majority of Morroccans and Pakistanis view Islamic extremism as a threat to their country. The polling also found that in most majority-Muslim countries surveyed, support for suicide bombings and other acts of violence in defense of Islam has declined significantly.

A Pew Forum poll in July 2005 found that the terrorist bombings in London raised fears of another attack in the U.S., but these concerns did not translate into less favorable opinions of either Muslim-Americans or Islam. Although 39 percent of those polled had a favorable opinion of Islam, over 55 percent had a favorable opinion of Muslim-Americans. And, when asked if Islam encourages violence, a significant drop occurred: only 36 percent said "yes" as compared to 44 percent in 2003.

(45:21–46:01) Music
"Hicaz Taksimi" from Suleyman the Magnificent (soundtrack), performed by Brian Keane

(48:55) Comparison to the Hundred Years War
Cornell inadvertently referred to the Hundred Years War instead of the Thirty Years' War that took place from 1618–1648. Although there are myriad factors for the Thirty Years War, it was fought primarily as a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics in central Europe. For a brief introduction, view this timeline. For a more in-depth exploration, read The History of the Thirty Years War by Johann Cristoph Friedrich von Schiller.

(49:13–52:42) Music
"Tales from the Ney" from Sufi Music of Turkey, performed by Kudsi and Suleyman Erguner