Koranlore: Sequel to Biblelore
So far Biblelore has focused on fallacies of the books of the Bible, from Genesis of the Hebrew Torah to Revelation in the Christian New Testament. BibleloreLite illustrates some of the Bible verses that merit satire and ridicule.
The author has chosen to extend his observations to the next major religion of our time, Islam, and the teaching of Muhammad in a sequel entitled Koranlore, which refers to the traditional lore of The Koran. (The word "lore" means a body of knowledge, often traditional, on a given subject.) This sequel is dedicated to the memory of those who died on September 11, 2001 in the terrorist attack on U.S. landmarks by suicidal Islamic fundamentalists.
Koranlore will address the beliefs of Muhammad as expressed through his revelations in The Koran (Qur'an) and the record of his behavior and words, known as Traditions (Hadiths), which were preserved for the next generation and passed on both orally and in writing by his Companions, doing so
with emphasis on the truth about some of the issues facing Western society and culture posed by Muslims who preach the supremacy of Islam over all other religions and faiths. Koranlore will address a number of these issues, contrasting the beliefs and tenets of Muhammad with what his followers have put into practice since his death. Like BibleloreLite, KoranloreLite will present a more light-hearted take on The Koran which, in the opinion of this author, is taken far too seriously by its more credulous readers. KoranloreLite is a series of cartoons that illustrate as well some of the stories told in the Traditions of Muhammad, as described in A. Guillaume's The Life of Muhammad, a translation of Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah. KoranloreLite follows the Koranlore Reading Reference List. It is a work in progress, so please revisit it again.After the 2006 storm of protest among Muslims throughout the world over the cartoons of Muhammad published by a Danish newspaper, one could assume that it is anathema for any one to create images of The Prophet ever again. But history shows that early on Muhammad appeared in drawings of him with a blue background, with a cloud hovering over him, or as a clothed man with a white cloth covering his face (see PBS' documentary, "Islam, Empire of Faith"). However, it is unfair that members of the Muslim community claim the right to intimidate non-Muslims, Christians and Jews, taking license to portray their religious figures in unflattering and derogatory terms, whether in writing or graphic images. So in a measure of accommodation, the author of Koranlore and KoranloreLite will stay with the recorded facts of history and portray the prophet Muhammad through his own life, behavior and words inscribed in The Koran and the Traditions (Hadiths); and, in graphic images that may ensue as KoranloreLite evolves, will respect the prophet's physical appearance by rendering his presence with a cloud hovering over his location, or with an off-stage, out-of-view inclusion with other persons portrayed in scenes, or by the symbol @, used in cartoons arbitrarily as a substitute for the word "apostle." In a free society where freedom of expression is cherished and respected, we can do nothing less and we will not be intimidated.
al-Terego