Islam taught by unenlightened Christian

Last evening, I had the good fortune of being able to lead a small group Bible study for a group of about 15 junior high girls. Good fortune you say? Yes. They listen a little bit better than their counterparts--and I think they're smarter, too.

I walked into the classroom with my short lesson in hand and took a quick glance at the dry erase board. In all capital letter was written "ISLAM", followed by about 15 bullet points.

Being a student of Middle Eastern history and of Islam, specifically, I took a quick inventory of what someone at my church was teaching impressionable minds.

I was appalled.

What I saw was stereotype after stereotype about a religion that constitutes about one quarter of all religious adherents in the world--nearly 1.5 billion.

I read proscriptions like "not allowed to use cell phones" or "must eat with right hand" or "women not equal...ever"--just to name a few.

There was also mention of the "fact" that there are no miracles in the religion. This, of course, comes down to semantics and the inference is that it cannot be a legitimate religion without miracles. (Many would consider Muhammed's "night ascension" to be miraculous and others would characterize all prophecy as such.)

With respect to other statements about the religion, I'm not as shocked as I am disappointed. I guess it's perfectly ok to generalize about a religion that is not your own.

Whoever taught this class on Islam apparently doesn't know that 1.5 billion people is a lot of people. Further, he or she certainly wouldn't know the difference between a Sunni and a Shi'ite a, a Salafi and a Sufi, or a Wahabi and Ba'hai. And so, in keeping with this quick tradition of glossing over meaningful differences in favor of stereotypes, I will give readers a quick glance at Christianity.

CHRISTIANITY (as taught by an unenlightened Muslim)

1.) Christian women cannot wear skirts shorter than ankle-length.
2.) Christian men must not wear hats in sanctuaries.
3.) Christians hate homosexuals.
4.) Christians are staunch Republicans and Israel sympathizers.
5.) Christians wear ash on their foreheads once a year.
6.) Christians handle snakes during worship services.
7.) Christians don't believe in using birth control.
8.) Christian women are not equal and do not hold positions of power.
9.) The Bible has dozens of separate versions and translations.
10.) Christians believe that babies burn in hell.
11.) Christians only listen to music approved by their pastors.
12.) Christians believe that the earth is 5,000 years old.
13.) Christians don't drink wine.
14.) Christians speak a gibberish language they call "tongues."
15.) Christians don't work on the Sabbath.

Generalizations like these don't serve anyone. My suggestion is this: If you don't appreciate your religion being characterized by its margins, don't do it to the religions of others.

For all this: Christianity is too big; Islam is too big.