Friday, June 14, 2002

Vines calls founder of Islam a 'demon-possessed pedophile'

From staff and wire reports

ST. LOUIS - A former Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president drew fire from Muslims when he criticized the religion's founder.

"Christianity was founded by the virgin- born Jesus Christ. Islam was founded by Mohammed, a demon-possessed pedophile who had 12 wives, and his last one was a 9-year-old girl," Jerry Vines said to applause at the SBC Pastors' Conference.

"Allah is not Jehovah, either," said Vines, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. "Jehovah is not going to turn anyone into a terrorist that will try to bomb people and take the lives of thousands and thousands of people."

Jack Graham, a Texas pastor who was elected the convention's president, told Associated Press that Vines' comments about Islam were "accurate."

He cited two sources, including Unveiling Islam by Ergun and Emil Caner, former Muslims who now teach at Criswell College in Dallas, Texas, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The book says Mohammed was betrothed to a girl named Aishah when she was 6, and consummated the marriage when she was 9 (pp.59, 135), according to the Hodith (7:64), a commentary on the Qu'ran.

"I will not respond to Dr. Vines' statement, other than to say that anyone who follows any path who wants to go to heaven should look carefully at who they're following and what they believe," he said.

Outgoing SBC president James Merritt said he also supported Vines, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"Allah is not the equivalent of God of the New Testament," James Merritt said. "Allah is a god of work and fear. The Christian God is a god of grace and love and mercy."

But some conservatives who agree with Vines' assessment had reservations about his statements, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Richard Land, director of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said, "I agree with Dr. Vines: There is no way to salvation except through Jesus Christ." But Vines' language differed from what he would use, Land said.

Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said that Mohammed is a complex figure and that he did not know enough about his life to comment on the pedophile accusation.

Alan Neely, a Baptist and a leader of the Interfaith Alliance of Wake County, said he laments that Vines said what he did.

"It isn't contributing to understanding or a reduction in tension and fear that followed September 11," Neely said. "I deplore it because it is the word of someone who is ignorant and malicious (toward other faiths)."

Neely said a low mark for Baptists was set when Bailey Smith said in 1980 that "God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew." Smith later expressed "deep regret" for the comment.

Vines' statement reaches even lower, Neely said.

Predicting the affect Vines' comment will have on Christian-Muslim relations is difficult, Neely said.

He suggested the best way to reach a Muslim is to get to know one. "I wonder how many Muslims Jerry Vines has ever seen, much less entered into a relationship with."

Neely said a Muslim friend in Princeton, N.J., once told him how frightened he was to move to the United States to lead a mosque in New Orleans. The friend had heard about the violence and anti-immigrant attitudes among U.S. citizens through television, cinema and newspapers. When he arrived though he found a lot of open, friendly people.

George Braswell, an expert on Islam and professor of world religions at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said sensitivity to other religions is important even when someone is addressing a gathering of Southern Baptist pastors.

"You're building bridges first," Braswell said. In order to do that, humanity needs to be viewed as one family, he said.

Braswell, author of What You Need to Know About Islam and Muslims, said Mohammed lived in a patriarchal, tribal culture in which girls were often betrothed for marriage, sometimes before they were born. When they reached puberty the marriage was consummated. Mohammed probably had 11 brides and several concubines, he said. Although in our culture that lifestyle is viewed negatively, it was common in the 6th century Arab world.

"The Old Testament is full of that, too," he said. "If you're going to pick your issues, you pick them on theological foundations. ... You take on the issues that really count."

Those issues are the divinity, death and resurrection of Jesus, he said. "That's where we ought to take our issues. That's why we send out missionaries."

Targeting Mohammed as a demon- possessed pedophile is an argument on shaky ground, Braswell said.

"There's got to be tough love toward Muslims, but there's got to be some tender relationships," he said.

Braswell cited St. Francis of Assisi as someone who showed respect to Muslims and met their needs. That provided him the opportunity to meet with the sultan in Cairo, Egypt, and preach the message of Christ, he said.

Vines' comments might affect the relationship between Muslims and Christians both in the United States and abroad, Braswell said.

"Once you close certain doors ... it is difficult to open them back up."

A Muslim group called Vines' comments "bigoted" and "hate-filled."

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the Associated Press that the statements were outrageous.

"It's really unfortunate that a top leader in a mainstream Christian church ... would use such hate-filled and bigoted language in describing the faith of one-fifth of the world's population," he said. "This is the level of bigotry that requires a clear statement from the top leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention."

Hooper told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that the remarks were "completely irresponsible and deeply offensive."

"This hands a victory to terrorists who want to drive a wedge between Christians, Muslims and Jews," he said. "This could harm America's interests worldwide."

Syed Ahsani, chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, contested the account of Mohammed's wives given by Vines and Graham, according to the Dallas Morning News. He said Mohammed had nine wives, and the youngest was 18.

Frank Ruff, a representative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the SBC, predicted Vines' comments would hurt the SBC.

"It is shortsighted because they will have less credibility," Ruff told the Houston Chronicle. "I would expect the derogatory remarks about Islam would increase hostility of Muslims toward Christianity."

"When Vines seeks to discredit the Islamic faith, he opens the Christian faith to stinging criticism about its own flaws," said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Christian Ethics and columnist on the Web site EthicsDaily.com.

"The New Testament's list of heroes and heroines of the faith include Abraham, the polygamist; Moses, the murderer; and Rahab, the prostitute.

"It also includes David, the adulterer, who had his mistress' husband murdered. The same David became angry but did nothing when his son, Amnon, raped his sister and David's daughter, Tamar. These and others hardly provide the kind of storyline to describe the perfect traditional family."

Rather than casting stones at Mohammed, Christians should practice the Golden Rule, Parham said. "Just as we hope our own faith will not be disfigured by flawed biblical characters, we should avoid besmirching flawed characters in other religions."

Bishop George Wayne Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri denounced Vines' comments.

"In the name of God, we condemn the hateful statement made in our city about Islam and the prophet Mohammad, and we express our solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters," Smith said in a statement. "This (Vines') statement violates our understanding of the Christian faith, which proclaims a God who calls us to love one another, and to break down the barriers that separate us. The lesson of the Holocaust is that bigotry should never go unanswered, and that people of faith should speak out against it."

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