One wrote

One of the distinctions that appears frequently in discussion of Islam is that between culture and religion. Even Muslims wish to draw the distinction and point out that some things attributed to Islam are actually not Islam at all, but cultural things confused with Islam. Even customs like the veiling of woman appear to impose cultural norms on notions of modesty.

Another responded:

Some Moslems (various spellings) certainly make this distinction. Others do not.

It seems to me, looking in from outside, that there is a far greater diversity of belief that goes by the name of “Islam” than anything that could claim to be Christian, even if we were to include the Mormons and the JWs who are offshoots but who no longer claim to be Christian.

On one extreme, we have the Baha’is, founded in Persia in the 19th century, who claim that they are “the true Islam” and insist that what we and all Moslems call “Islam” is “the religion of Mahommet” (various spellings). They deny that they are a sect of this religion. All of this is extremely offensive to most Moslems, and all Moslems reject these Baha’i claims, often with deadly force. I don’t personally think that the claims are at all helpful! But then I’m not a Baha’i, and I certainly can’t support those Moslems who regard them as crimes worthy of death. I also have a problem with the far greater number of Moslems who remain silent on this issue.

(In a modern society, it seems to me that to make this a crime of any sort is unacceptable. No Islamic country can claim to have implemented the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, in my opinion. I’ll go further: I fear that the failure of the UN to take action on this issue will, eventually, lead to its failure and irrelevance as an organisation if it is allowed to continue. We will see.)

On another extreme, we have the “Islamists” who seem to regard Islam as an Arab religion. Again, in calling themselves “Islamists” they imply that they alone are the real Islam.

And it is not a one-dimensional range. There are for example many local variations, often called “folk Islam”, which combine some sort of adherence to Islam with other religions, often animist, which were practised by the people-group before the arrival of Islam. One of my friends, a Christian missionary, was asked by some of these people whether he believed in one supreme God. When he said “yes”, they said, “then you are a Moslem like us”, and insisted on introducing him as a Moslem to others in the area. These people of course regard themselves as true Moslems too.

We have previously commented on the cultural history of the various forms of covering for women. All were already in existence before Mahommet, and some continue to be practiced by other groups to this day, for example by some orders of Christian nuns, and by lay people in some Orthodox and Coptic communities.

There’s a lot going on.

When I talk about Islam, or about people being Moslem, I tend to use three criteria. They must regard themselves as Moslems. They must have some allegience to Mahommet and to the Koran. And if male, they must be sufficently accepted by other Moslems to be able to participate in the Haj. If and only if all three of these criteria are met would I regard a person as being Moslem. By Islam, I simply mean the religion of the Moslems.

It seems to me that what is happening right now is a crisis within Islam. Most Moslems now are of neither Arab descent nor culture. I wonder whether that figure is rising or falling? I suspect it may be falling. In any case, there are enormous and significant differences of opinion within Islam.

The conflict with the West, and the USA in particular, is in my opinion an attempt to deal with these divisions. It is just the old ploy of finding an external enemy in order to unite a group.

It’s a great pity when people fall for it!

Food for thought?