(Video recitation of Qur’anic Chapter: The Benificent)
Al-Qur’an – Literally translates to English as “The Recitation.” To start, it is a poetic work of art. If you listen to the recitation of its verses, you will quickly discover that.
It is comprised of “only the words of God” relayed through the angel Gabriel in a “first person conversation” to the Prophet Muhammad about situations happening “in his lifetime over 1,400 years ago.” The words of Muhammad are not in the Qur’an, only the words of God. Muhammad did not write the Qur’an, nor author it. He was unlettered. He relayed it from the Angel Gabriel, who is the angel in charge of relaying God’s many revelations to mankind throughout history (including the Torah of Moses and the Gospel of Jesus).
As Muhammad relayed it, it was written down by many hundreds of companions and memorised by many thousands more. An initial compilation was made under the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, shortly after the Prophet’s death. It was then standardised and distributed in its current form approximately 18 years after his death by the third Caliph, Uthman, with the work overseen by the Prophet’s personal secretary Zaid ibn Thabit. Original manuscripts from that era exist in museums today, allowing us to verify that the text has been preserved as authorised by the Prophet Muhammad.
Understanding the Qur’an: A Comparison
To understand what “only the words of God” means, consider this example from the Bible.
If you read Exodus 3:11-12, it says:
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.'”
The words of the narrator and of Moses do not count as the words of God. The only words of God here are: “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” So, you must learn context to understand the real meaning of this verse, or it may be misunderstood.
The Qur’an Is Not a “User’s Manual”
Likewise with the Qur’an. Historical context isn’t a suggestion—it is imperative to learn in order to understand its verses, and that context is not always evident in the text because there is no third-party narration. The Qur’an is not written in the third person as a set of stories like the Bible. It is not a “user’s manual” for Muslims like you would get with your new TV set. It is not an instruction book for every aspect of our lives.
It is a guide that we interpret meaning from in order to find a way to live righteous lives, using the example of the historical situations that the Prophet dealt with over 1,400 years ago. It is subject to a variety of interpretations, like any other ancient text, because it is an ancient text.
The Qur’an’s Authority
The Qur’an is our primary authoritative source of understanding Islam and extrapolating information that defines:
The Five Pillars of our faith (actions of a Muslim)
The Six Basic Beliefs (beliefs of a Muslim)
Ihsan (characteristics of a Muslim; working towards perfection)
Upon the end of the Crusades from Europe, Crusaders and their families saw conquered territories as lands “flowing with milk and honey.” Many of them chose to immigrate to these territories in the Middle East, Asia Minor, and North Africa.
The warring kings of Europe, formerly the Roman Empire, had stagnated their economies by wasting their resources in their bitter wars against each other and in the Crusade campaigns. The newly conquered territories were rich in food, raw materials, precious metals, and other resources valuable to Europe. It offered prime opportunity for the kings of Europe to establish “colonial” governments among the former Crusaders who had immigrated into these conquered territories, in order to tap the rich resources of the land and export them to Europe. After Europe revitalised its economies, colonialist expansion had begun.
The French Invasion of Egypt (1798–1801)
The three-year French occupation was too short to exert any lasting effects on Egypt, despite claims to the contrary. Its most important effect on Egypt internally was the rapid decline in the power of the Mamluks.
The major impact of the French invasion was the effect it had on Europe. Napoleon’s invasion revealed the Middle East as an area of immense strategic importance to the European powers, thus inaugurating the Anglo-French rivalry for influence in the region and bringing the British into the Mediterranean.
The Effects of Colonialism
The effects of colonialism on the Islamic State are quite evident. Territories rich in resources and populated by indigenous peoples were exploited by colonial governments. Innovative technology was brought in from Europe to exploit agriculture, demolish precious monuments, and enforce colonial rules and customs.
The once fertile lands began to succumb to famine, disease, and death. The Islamic State began to erode and become dependent on the colonial governments for aid and technological advances.
When, even as noted in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, the kings of Europe showed no mercy and refused aid, insurrections occurred demanding independence. For many, the extent of the damage had already occurred. Today, these former colonies established within the borders of the Islamic State struggle with the effects of colonialism.
Afghanistan: The Centre of Struggle
Then as now, Afghanistan was the centre of that struggle, offering Britain countless challenges until, in 1878, Lord Frederick Sleigh Roberts asserted control over Afghanistan. In 1880, he marched 10,000 troops from Kabul to Kandahar to the aid of a beleaguered British garrison. The battle left 600 Afghans and 35 British dead, a token of the bloodshed that has steeped the region’s wars and convinced outsiders of the perils of intervening there.
The British withdrew in 1881 after many battles and uprisings, leaving the country in the hands of a native ruler. He, in 1893, agreed to a division of tribal areas that became Afghanistan’s northeastern border with British India—and that is now its troublingly porous border with Pakistan.
The Carving of the Middle East
The British role in moulding the theatre of today’s regional conflicts was by no means just military. With World War I under way, Britain and France reached a secret deal to carve up the Middle East. And that deal—the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916—was central to the Western division of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1920s.
For Muslims worldwide, the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924 is mourned as the final passing of the Muslim Caliphate that dated to the Prophet Muhammad. It represents an episode of profound cultural and political loss—the severing of a unifying institution that had existed, in various forms, for over 1,300 years.
As for the modern contest of Israeli and Palestinian nationalisms, its seeds were sown by imperial British involvement in the Arab world, which has also shaped many of the borders and conflicts that endure to this day in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. In the so-called Balfour Declaration of 1917, Britain promised support to the Zionist project, even as British officials were manoeuvring to sponsor Arab independence.
The Post-Colonial Period: 1950s–Present
Many of the trends in Muslim countries are a result of this historical period, as Muslims, like much of the third world, struggle to define themselves in a post-colonial world.
After colonialism had left, very little stability remained, and the original Islamic State no longer existed. The Caliphate, which had been under the Ottomans (Sunni Muslims from Turkey), was abolished in 1924.
This led to the creation of a “ruling class” where the people are secondary to the dictator’s regime.
Disputes like we see today in Palestine, Kashmir, and elsewhere are lasting effects of the colonial period.
The former Islamic State has now been divided into various countries, and power has been given to those who continue to rule their nations in the same harsh colonialist fashion. Muslims struggle under sometimes brutal oppression from dictators, kings, and police states. Most are devoid of the values that existed in the Islamic State and are frequent violators of human rights.
The significant spread of Islam in early Arabia begins in 622 CE in Medina. The Prophet Muhammad and his followers were bitterly persecuted by the Arabs in Makkah and subsequently migrated to Medina. There, with treaties and alliances with local Jewish and Christian communities, the first Islamic State was established.
Rightly Guided Caliphs 632–661
Umayyad expansion 661–750
Abbasid expansion 750–1258
Safavid Empire mid-16th C.
Safavid & Uzbeks mid-16th C.
Mughal Empire mid-16th C.
Ottoman Empire 1683
Ottoman Empire 1923
Conquest-Occupation
The Nature of Early Islamic Governance
Islam, as a political system, was established as a government where Jews, Christians, Muslims, and pagans lived together under alliances that afforded peace and tolerance. The Prophet made many political alliances that allowed communities of peoples from other faiths and political systems to play an active role in the Islamic government.
During the terms of Abu Bakr and Umar, the Islamic government in Arabia was surrounded by two superpowers: the Byzantine Roman Empire and the Persian Sassanid Empire. With the help of key players (including Christians) within those empires who had long suffered under their rule, the early Caliphs liberated considerable portions of both empires, which made valuable additions to the state and established a sound system of justice.
The Islamic Golden Age
While Europe was going through the Dark Age, the Islamic State began to blossom into a Golden Age, offering freedom and opportunity for people of all ethnicities and faiths.
During the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 CE), particularly its early centuries, the state saw remarkable growth in the fields of the arts of literature and music, the sciences (especially astronomy), philosophy, mathematics, medicine, culture, commerce, and industry. Arabic, the language of the Qur’an, became the language of international scholarship. In addition to the capital, Baghdad, many provincial centres competed with each other in intellectual attainment. Modern cultural practices such as the use of napkins and dessert after meals originated from the Islamic State.
The Spread of Knowledge
In 751 CE, with the help of a few Chinese prisoners, the Abbasid governor of Samarqand founded the paper industry. In 800 CE, paper mills were established in Baghdad and Damascus. In 900 CE, one was established in Cairo. By 1150 CE, several were established in Morocco and Spain. As a result, Islamic learning spread rapidly into Europe, and much of today’s Western learning is based on this Islamic Golden Age.
Islamic Spain
In 756 CE, Amir Abd ar-Rahman came to power in Spain. His term also contributed to the Islamic Golden Age. He organised a system of law and justice and was very fond of knowledge and learning. Great architectural advancements came from his term as he built magnificent masjids and other buildings. Countries from all over Europe sought the knowledge and learning from Spain during his term. Islamic universities were the only educational institutions free of charge.
The House of Wisdom
In 830 CE, the seventh Abbasid Caliph, al-Ma’mun, established the famous House of Wisdom in Baghdad. The Greek language gave way to Arabic as a form of expression of scientific and philosophical ideas. Classical Greek literature was translated into Arabic, and Arabic-speaking scholars wrote a number of renowned commentaries.
At the awakening of Medieval Western Europe, the scholars first turned to Arabic translations of Aristotle, Euclid, Ptolemy, and many others. In order to enrich Christian Europe in scientific, medical, and philosophical studies, these works had to be retranslated into Latin. This was mainly done in Muslim Spain and Sicily, and these books served as textbooks in universities for centuries.
The Decline of Islamic Empire and Colonisation: 1700s–1950s
Upon the end of the Crusades from Europe, Crusaders and their families saw conquered territories as lands “flowing with milk and honey.” Many of them chose to immigrate to these territories in the Middle East, Asia Minor, and North Africa. The warring kings of Europe, formerly the Roman Empire, had stagnated their economies by wasting their resources in their bitter wars against each other and in the Crusade campaigns. The newly conquered territories were rich in food, raw materials, precious metals, and other resources valuable to Europe. It offered prime opportunity for the kings of Europe to establish “colonial” governments among the former Crusaders who had immigrated into these conquered territories, in order to tap the rich resources of the land and export them to Europe. After Europe revitalised its economies, colonialist expansion had begun.
The French Invasion of Egypt
The French invasion (1798–1801): The three-year French occupation was too short to exert any lasting effects on Egypt, despite claims to the contrary. Its most important effect on Egypt internally was the rapid decline in the power of the Mamluks. The major impact of the French invasion was the effect it had on Europe. Napoleon’s invasion revealed the Middle East as an area of immense strategic importance to the European powers, thus inaugurating the Anglo-French rivalry for influence in the region and bringing the British into the Mediterranean.
The Effects of Colonialism
The effects of colonialism on the Islamic State are quite evident. Territories rich in resources and populated by indigenous peoples were exploited by colonial governments. Innovative technology was brought in from Europe to exploit agriculture, demolish precious monuments, and enforce colonial rules and customs. The once fertile lands began to succumb to famine, disease, and death. The Islamic State began to erode and become dependent on the colonial governments for aid and technological advances. When, even as noted in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, the kings of Europe showed no mercy and refused aid, insurrections occurred demanding independence. For many, the extent of the damage had already occurred. Today, these former colonies established within the borders of the Islamic State struggle with the effects of colonialism.
Afghanistan: The Centre of Struggle
Then as now, Afghanistan was the centre of that struggle, offering Britain countless challenges until, in 1878, Lord Frederick Sleigh Roberts asserted control over Afghanistan. In 1880, he marched 10,000 troops from Kabul to Kandahar to the aid of a beleaguered British garrison. The battle left 600 Afghans and 35 British dead, a token of the bloodshed that has steeped the region’s wars and convinced outsiders of the perils of intervening there.
The British withdrew in 1881 after many battles and uprisings, leaving the country in the hands of a native ruler. He, in 1893, agreed to a division of tribal areas that became Afghanistan’s northeastern border with British India—and that is now its troublingly porous border with Pakistan.
The Carving of the Middle East
The British role in moulding the theatre of today’s regional conflicts was by no means just military. With World War I under way, Britain and France reached a secret deal to carve up the Middle East. And that deal—the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916—was central to the Western division of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1920s.
For Muslims worldwide, the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924 is mourned as the final passing of the Muslim Caliphate that dated to the Prophet Muhammad. It represents an episode of profound cultural and political loss—the severing of a unifying institution that had existed, in various forms, for over 1,300 years.
As for the modern contest of Israeli and Palestinian nationalisms, its seeds were sown by imperial British involvement in the Arab world, which has also shaped many of the borders and conflicts that endure to this day in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. In the so-called Balfour Declaration of 1917, Britain promised support to the Zionist project, even as British officials were manoeuvring to sponsor Arab independence.
The Post-Colonial Period: 1950s–Present
Many of the trends in Muslim countries are a result of this third historical period, as Muslims, like much of the third world, struggle to define themselves in a post-colonial world.
After colonialism had left, very little stability remained, and the original Islamic State no longer existed. The Caliphate, which had been under the Ottomans (Sunni Muslims from Turkey), was abolished in 1924.
This led to the creation of a “ruling class” where the people are secondary to the dictator’s regime.
Disputes like we see today in Palestine, Kashmir, and elsewhere are lasting effects of the colonial period.
The former Islamic State has now been divided into various countries, and power has been given to those who continue to rule their nations in the same harsh colonialist fashion. Muslims struggle under sometimes brutal oppression from dictators, kings, and police states. Most are devoid of the values that existed in the Islamic State and are frequent violators of human rights.
In 2003, Ahmed Ali of The Saudi Institute, a watchdog organization in Washington DC targeting the Saudi government was behind a vicious hate campaign in a series of articles and media outlets. He based his erroneous claim on one of the speakers who was invited to speak via teleconference from the the Saudi Kingdom. The claims were that the Texas Dawah Conference was Saudi funded, supported Osama bin Laden and promoted antisemitism. Mr. Ali provided to the media a dubious translation that he made up of a supposed secretly recorded tape of the speaker, Allamah ibn Jibreen, inside a Saudi mosque. The Houston Chronicle’s independent arabic translator could not verify what Mr. Ali was claiming or to what the translation was referring because it was such a poor quality recording.
Later, due to a lot of bad press we were getting in the news and on the radio, I called up local Houston radio KTRH to discuss the matter. The conservative talk show host demanded to get to the bottom of this and thought he would roast me alive on air. So, I took him up on his offer and he brought live on air Mr. Ahmed Ali and myself, Sheikh Waleed Basyouni and the hosts own independent translator. The translator agreed with myself and Shiekh Waleed that the audio was too poor of a quality to distiguish the exact translation and who the voice was speaking about. It became clear to everyone on air that Mr. Ali made up the translation. He became enraged on air and hung up in shame. The radio host never brought up the issue again.
Interacting with the American Muslim Community is a program that I designed, managed and taught. It was a highly successful program that received rave reviews from attendees and was in the news media multiple times. It was approved by two prominent scholars in Houston, the leadership at the Islamic Circle of North America and the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. Houston police officers were invited to attend these monthly Houston Police Academy accredited classes to further department elective ongoing education at the Islamic Dawah Center founded by Houston Rockets basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon in downtown Houston.
The video contains two news clips resulting from press releases that I sent out telling about my police department program. The first interview was held a couple months after the success of our pilot program. The pilot was held with members of the Houston community including leaders from the Jewish community, the Houston mayor’s office, the US Department of Justice and many more attending. Shortly after, a second press release was sent and I invited Hakeem Olajuwon to attend to help publicize the program. The interview with Hakeem Olajuwon on Fox News is seen in the second half of the video.
The newspaper clipping below is a second appearance by Hakeem Olajuwan to visit the officers attending the program.
The article below that (Badge & Gun) is one of two articles by the Houston Police Officers Union to discuss the groundbreaking program.
Law enforcement program designed and implemented by James Coates
Hakeem Olajuwon kicks off the pilot program for us. Houston Chronicle City & State Apr 17 2003
Badge & Gun: April 2003
HPD is working with the Jewish and Muslim communities to educate a growing number of officers about hate crime causes and methods of prevention
BY TOM KENNEDY
Susan Llanes-Myers put into words what every police officer must have figured out a long time ago.
“Police officers,” she said, “are the first responders to hate crimes.”
Llanes-Myers, the daughter of a Texas Ranger, deals with hate education every workday. She is executive director of the Holocaust Museum Houston, where exhibits and educational programs are dedicated to teaching each visitor how hate can intensify and destroy millions of human beings.
The Houston Police Department has been taking a very productive advantage of the Museum’s educational program and continues to use the police-friendly facility to teach officers more and more about hate and hate crimes.
Several years ago, the Houston Police Academy’s Bill Hoffman saw the need to develop a partnership with the Holocaust Museum to teach Houston police officers more about hate. He figured, correctly, that officers were open to an off-site location for such an educational opportunity.
The Subject of Hate
Llanes-Myers worked with him and the HPD to set up an eight-hour course entitled Hate Crimes and Hate Groups – a Holocaust Perspective. Now the once-a-month elective usually draws a capacity crowd (60 persons).
Llanes-Myers is the lead teacher and includes a student session with a Holocaust survivor and concludes with a Museum tour.
“Our mission is to use the Holocaust Museum as a backdrop to hate in society,” the former public school teacher explained. She describes the course as “a marriage of past historical events and current events that uses the Holocaust to branch out to the hate groups of today.”
Adolph Hitler strongly pounded home hate on European soil 60-something years ago. Today, Llanes-Myers contends hate goes a long way and will intensify if more people are not educated on the subject.
Her course, for example, produces facts showing that there are at least 3,000 hate sites on the Internet.
Hate also is an educational subject that has drawn the intense interest of HPD Officer Steve Smith, assigned to the human relations unit at the Houston Police Academy since 1993.
Smith, a primary believer, supporter and encourager in the HPD/Holocaust Museum courses, said the course inspired him to envision a similar concept. Instead of just focusing on educating officers about the Jewish targets of hate over the centuries, Smith successfully sought to set up a course featuring the Muslim community.
Muslims everywhere have been targets of hate ever since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Although Osama Bin Laden’s ruthless band of 5,000 Al-Qaeda followers in no way represent the Muslim faith, sincere believers bore the brunt of often violent and hateful reactions.
“In November of last year,” Smith recalled, “it came to mind that maybe we need to do some training with the Muslim community.”
Smith’s Productive Efforts
He contacted the Islamic Circle of North America, a local group, and the Islamic Da’wah and soon got strong support from none other than Houston basketball legend Akeem Olajuwon. The Da’wah is located in an historic bank building in the 200 block of Main Street and receives strong financial backing from Akeem.
“Officer Roman Chavez, who works at the academy, told me about Akeem,” Smith said. “I visited with Akeem and asked if he would be interested. He said it would be a great thing to do. He wants to do more education about the Muslim community.
“It took the efforts of both Akeem and the HPD to develop this training.”
Smith also had the support and dedication of Llanes-Myers and the Holocaust Museum, as well as local Muslim spokesman Jim Coates.
Coates is a former Baptist Christian married to a woman who has been a Muslim since birth. He reverted to Islam when he met Fatimah Bhutan in his hometown of Chicago and the couple moved to Houston, which had been Fatimah’s home in past years.
Coates became a spokesman for the local Muslim community several months after 9/11 when hate crimes against Muslims were rampant because what American society didn’t know was unjustly hurting a religion.
He said Houston’s Muslim leaders decided to launch an unprecedented education campaign. Part of the ensuing process included a billboard on the North Freeway advertising a telephone number to call for information about Islam.
Smith saw the billboard, called the number and got to know Coates. After meeting with Coates and Llanes-Myers to develop the course, Smith followed their advice.
“We had the Muslim and Jewish communities kind of assisting each other in the development of this training, both having the same concerns about hate crimes or hate in the community,” Smith explained, “and you’ve got HPD in the middle facilitating, trying to bring these two communities together.”
A Success Story
It worked. Today’s story is a success, with HPD developing stronger ties to both communities as well as an improved understanding of the hate crimes that affect them.
Llanes-Myers said, “When HPD realized there was a problem, they turned to us to see how they could do it.”
She and the Museum were gracious about providing start-up help. She monitored the first class in January, led by Coates at Akeem’s Da’wah.
Coates, a truck driver for a Houston Chronicle contractor, quickly tried to clarify basic myths. Muslims, for instance, don’t meet in “mosques,” but rather in masjids.
By far his highest priority was – and still is – to stress that Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda followers do not represent the Muslim faith at all but use Muslims to further their terrorist goals.
As far as the course, Coates said, “We didn’t want to be teaching religion. We geared it to teaching law enforcement officers how to react to Muslims and understanding their culture, which is directly linked to their religion.
“Steve helped refine it and our pilot took place in January.”
Smith said the course teaches many basic lessons and could provide many suggestions of ways to better deal with the cultural ramifications.
Example?
Muslims are required to pray at least specified five times every day. They are not always the exact time each and every day.
There have been reports of Muslims acting suspiciously, such as kneeling on small carpets in a parking lot near a vehicle – a situation that seems suspicious. They are not planning to bomb a building; they are praying.
“HPD must work to have a stronger relationship with the Muslim community,” Smith said. “If Dispatch knows the prayer times, they (dispatchers) will know and the officers will know (the reason for kneeling on carpets in parking lots) and have a better understanding.
The Benefits
“As we have classes we’re learning more things that might be of use,” he said.
Coates sees the course as one very effective method to prevent hateful acts against an often-misunderstood religion. He is optimistic about Houston overall, calling it “different.”
“Muslim communities around the country have undergone great harassment,” he explained. “But here we have had a lot of good support from communities, particularly the Jewish community, and we haven’t had that many hate crimes.
“It is very important to get this course up and running at this time in order to help solve the problem of terrorism. Our relationship with law enforcement will be better and I think that’s very important to both sides.
“If you decided to isolate the Muslims, you will always have a problem trying to police that community. You will always be looked upon as an outsider.”
But for police officers to reach out to them and learn about them in places like the Da’wah is a step in the opposite direction – a positive direction, not a hateful one.
James S. Coates 
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