Reading a preview of last night's 'The Seeker', part 1 of BBC2's presentation The Life of Muhammad, I was surprised to read, "Perhaps owing to the sensitivity of the subject matter, the BBC were unable to provide preview tapes of this new three-part series presented by Rageh Omaar (above) which charts the life of Muhammad, messenger and final prophet of God worshipped by a billion-and-a-half Muslims across the globe. (My emphasis).
Messenger and final prophet of God? That bald statement implies a credibility not shared by Christians but how will others interpret it? What was actually said in the programme was that "for one-and-a-half billion Muslims, he is the last and greatest of that long line of prophets who have brought the word of God to humanity." Claimed to be "in the top three of world leaders" who "began a mission to give light to the world", one suicide bomber in the programme was able to claim that his martyrdom was "obedience to the one true god, Allah, following in the footsteps of the final prophet and messenger." It will be interesting to see in the remaining episodes how the prophet Muhammad is presented as "the ultimate role model".
As a Christian I find the implication offensive that Muhammad was the last in a line of Jewish prophets of which Jesus was just another. It was Jesus who said, "I am the light of the world" and "beware of false prophets". But there will be no outcry. No people on the streets. No book burning. That is in line with 'love your enemy' but what is the Anglican Church doing to address these issues? Not a lot. Not for the first time a Jew points the way!
Messenger and final prophet of God? That bald statement implies a credibility not shared by Christians but how will others interpret it? What was actually said in the programme was that "for one-and-a-half billion Muslims, he is the last and greatest of that long line of prophets who have brought the word of God to humanity." Claimed to be "in the top three of world leaders" who "began a mission to give light to the world", one suicide bomber in the programme was able to claim that his martyrdom was "obedience to the one true god, Allah, following in the footsteps of the final prophet and messenger." It will be interesting to see in the remaining episodes how the prophet Muhammad is presented as "the ultimate role model".
As a Christian I find the implication offensive that Muhammad was the last in a line of Jewish prophets of which Jesus was just another. It was Jesus who said, "I am the light of the world" and "beware of false prophets". But there will be no outcry. No people on the streets. No book burning. That is in line with 'love your enemy' but what is the Anglican Church doing to address these issues? Not a lot. Not for the first time a Jew points the way!
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