ISLAMIC MORMONISM

Nineteenth Century anti-Mormon writers, as well as Mormon writers, were very good at creating amusing, colorful metaphors. Their satire was at its best during fits of sarcasm - irresistible moments when they attempted to insult or antagonize an adversary. J. H. Beadle, an anti-Mormon writer was one of the more prolific and auspicious. He made his humble debut in the Great Basin in October 1886 on the back of a mule. At first Beadle was open-minded, even sympathetic with Mormon attempts to coexist with non-Mormons. But that changed abruptly when he saw how Brigham Young and his cronies discriminated against the gentiles.

In Beadle’s powerful expose’, Mysteries and Crimes of Mormonism, he described Mormon men as “a low-browed, stiff-haired, ignorant and stolid race.” However, my favorite Beadle parody, not because its demeaning, but because its so creative, was directed at Brigham Young’s brother. Hoping to get a look at Brigham Young, Beadle wrote the following after his first Sunday meeting at the newly constructed tabernacle:

Brigham does not preach oftener than once or twice a month, and did not favor us with his presence this morning; his brother, Joseph Young, preached the opening sermon, and I have no hesitation in pronouncing him the most inferior-looking man I ever saw in the pulpit, and I have seen some hard specimens. He is very old, very thin, very weak-eyed, and rather sallow; his general appearance suggested that he had just slept a month, been awakened by a thunder-storm and come away without changing his clothes, washed in a mud-puddle, and combed his hair by crawling through the sage brush. And yet, he has four wives. (Page 256)

In order to balance out the fun of slinging satirical insults back and forth, the following is taken from Wilford Woodruff’s journals. (July 13, 1859: Ref: Horace Greely)

I found Mr. Greely A singular looking man. He was middling well dressed white but bald Headed. His head vary dirty. Looked as though He had not washed his Head since He Came off the plains. He had quite a feminine soft green appearance. He asked many Questions.

(July 16, 1859) ...we herd a speech from Mr. Horace Greely & I must say that I was entirely disappointed in the man. I was astonished at his speech, language, & appearance. He appeared far more like a clown of the lowest grade than he did like a man of letters, ability, & extensive influence & a conductor of one of the most popular Journals in the Nation [the New York Tribune]. I was at a loss to know whether he was playing the possum or had lost his senses. He appeared to me like a man who had accidentally Stumbled into notoriety popularity & wealth, for neither his head, Physiognomy, looks, acts, or speech indicated in the least a man of knowledge, refinement talent, influence, or ability sufficient to edit a Tribune.

In Chapter XIII of Mysteries and Crimes of Mormonism, Beadle analyzes Mormon theocracy and comes to the conclusion that Mormonism is a “theologic conglomerate [of] Mythology, Paganism, corrupt Christianity, Philosophy run mad, and Mohammedanism, as it applies to the relationship of the sexes.”

Beatle was not alone in comparing Mormonism to Muhammadism, or in labeling Brigham Young as the Mormon Muhammad. Most all the Nineteenth Century anti-Mormon writers did it: T. B. H. Stenhouse, Fanny Stenhouse, Ann Eliza Young, John Hyde and C. V. Waite. And its still going on. Ever since the 9-11 attack on the Twin Towers by Islamic terrorists and the quest to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, contemporary apostates from Mormon fundamentalism have also compared Mormon fundamentalism with Islam, especially the Taliban abuse of Muslim women.

At first, comparing Mormonism to Islam sounded to me like a stretch of the imagination. Its true that both religions believe in polygamy, but I thought that was as far as the comparison went. I dismissed the controversial rhetoric as angry anti-polygamist women jumping on a politically volatile subject to draw attention to the abuses in Mormon polygamy. Like their Nineteenth Century counterparts, I assumed the anti-polygamist activists were exaggerating, hoping to capitalize on the 9-11 tragedy to further their cause. That is, until I read, Islam Unveiled, by Robert Spencer.^[1]

Like many Americans, after 9-11 and with the possibility of going to war against Iraq, I wanted to know more about Islam because politicians and well-meaning clerics from various religions kept assuring us Americans that we had nothing to fear from the Islamic faith, that it was a peaceful religion. But while only a few Mullahs denounced Islamic acts of terrorism, many more condoned it .

After the 9-11 attack, we were told Palestinians rejoiced in the streets of Hebron. Why would the Palestinians rejoice over the death of innocent Americans? And then we were introduced to a new militant, Islamic sect, the Taliban, and still another radical, terrorist movement, al-Qa’ida. (The Base)

It was assumed that Usama bin Laden and Al-Qa’ida were behind the 9-11 attack. (the spelling Osama differs depending upon the historian) It didn’t take long for Usama bin Laden, the financier of Al-Qa’ida, to became a household name. Soon, his turbaned photograph started turning up on little rubber pads at the bottom of urinals at truck stops. Overnight bin Laden became the arch enemy of the United States. It wasn’t until then that most unsuspecting Americans found out that for years we had been bin Laden’s ultimate enemy.

According to Spencer, the goal of Al-Qa’ida is fourfold, to unite all Muslims, overthrow the corrupt Muslim governments, establish a new government without boundaries and drive out the Western influence. I can sympathize with the fourth objective. The Middle Eastern Arabs have wanted to get rid of the Western influence since before the Ottoman’s were in power. T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was lead to believe that after the Turks were defeated in World War I, the Arabs would be given their autonomy in exchange for their military support. As we know from Lawrence’s best seller, Revolt In The Desert, and the epic movie, Lawrence of Arabia, Lawrence won the respect and loyalty of the Arab tribesmen, but was undermined by the French and British.

Its only natural that an indigenous people would want to govern themselves, however, Islamic extremists want more than autonomy, they want world wide domination. Autonomy is their pretext and justification to hate and make war. If autonomy were really their goal they would confine their violence to the Middle East and not cross the ocean to attack the United States. The 9-11 terrorists infiltrated our country, took advantage of our good will and technology, then used it against us. Acts of this sort forebodes goals far beyond autonomy. The 9-11 attack was designed not only to black the eye of the United States, but rally Islam (in all parts of the world, including America) around al-Qa’ida, The Base.

Rather than use their talents to create works of art or produce things that prolong and enhance life, the angry young Muslims of 9-11 chose to tear down and kill, which is the antithesis of creativity and productivity.

The Al-Qa'ida presence is worldwide with members from numerous countries stretching from the Philippines to Bosnia. Many of the nineteen, 9-11 terrorists are believed to have come from Saudi Arabia, a supposedly friendly country. Ben Laden is a Saudi.

In February 2003, U. S. Forces apprehended Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a 37 year old Kuwaiti, believed to be the master mind of the 9-11 attack. Kuwaiti is another friendly country, but Muslim fanatics have no friends. Other Al-Qa’ida terrorists come from Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, Yemen, Tajikistan, and Eritrea. What do all these angry men from different countries have in common - Islamic fundamentalism and an intense hatred for the United States.

The following is a brief synopsis of Islamic terrorism taken from the writings of Martin Kramer, director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.

The Islamic fundamentalists, “fanatics or extremists,” use devotion for “political ends.” As strategists, they want to preserve the old ways but utilize the West’s “latest technologies in order to strengthen Islam.” [Guns and bombs]

Their doctrines teach that, “Islam must have power in this world. It is the true religion - the religion of God - and its truth is manifest in its power. When Muslims believed, they were powerful.” If Muslims will return to the original Islam, they will be able to restore and preserve their power.

Mormon fundamentalists advocate the same doctrine. They believe it is their divine destiny to rule the world and the sooner they unite and start living all of God’s laws, the central law being plural marriage, the sooner the kingdom of God will come to pass.

“Islam provides the one and only solution to all questions in this world, from public policy to private conduct.” Islam is an “immutable law, revealed by God, that deals with every aspect of life, and it is an ideology, a complete system of belief about the organization of the state and the world.”

If Mormonism were substituted for Islam in the previous paragraph, it would be just as applicable, and was applicable while Brigham Young was the Territorial Governor. During that time, the Mormons had established God’s political government on earth which was the Council of Fifty. Between the Council of Fifty and the Mormon theocracy, they had the answers to all of life’s pressing questions. It is ironic that in 2003, a group of Tom Green’s protégés met during the month of March to discuss reorganizing the Council of Fifty which was abandoned by the LDS Church at about the same time plural marriage was suspended.

The Nineteenth Century Mormons, like the Muslims, desired autonomy. Because they were the first to settle the Great Basin, they thought it should always belong to them and like the Muslims, the Sioux and Cheyenne they fought to drive the invaders from their lands. There is some evidence that the Mormons and Shoshoni Indians even joined forces in combating the “Americats.”

The United States Government found it necessary to send armies to Utah to help control the rebellious Mormons along with the Indians who were raiding wagon trains. In August 1865, Capt. George F. Price sent a dispatch from Fort Douglas to General Grenville M. Dodge stating that the Mormons had attempted to kill Reverend Norman McLeod and were “very insolent because of the small number of soldiers now there.” Price went on to say that the Salt Lake Telegraph, the Mormon newspaper, “comes out this morning defying Government. Says polygamy must live or die with Mormonism, and if interfered with will be washed out with blood.”^[2]

The Mormons like the Muslims were willing to go to war to defend their religion.

John A. Kasson wrote to President Johnson in August of the same year (1865) that the Mormons were “viciously hostile to the U. S. Government .... They insist upon putting their church above the State, and seek to expel all but Mormons from their territory by terror...... They frequently have inspired the Indian to hostility.....”^[3] But back to Islam......

Sayyid Jamal al-Din “al-Afghani” (1838-97) is credited as being the “father” of Islamic fundamentalist thinking. Afghani wanted to use Western technology to drive out Western influence in the Middle East. He made the following incendiary remarks: “There is no deliverance except in killing, there is no safety except in killing. Power is never manifested and concrete unless it weakens and subjugates others.”

Hasan al-Banna (1906-49) an Egyptian school teacher, founded the Society of the Muslim Brethren. Banna designated foreign domination as the enemy but he targeted the Egyptian Jews.

Navvab Safavi (1923-56) organized in Iran the, Devotees of Islam, a secret society. The Devotees emerged as a nationalist mobilization against foreign domination. Safavi advocated a strong Islamic state and while “quick to disclaim any link to the violence of [his] followers, [he would send] young disciples in his stead.” (The Mormon Danites were a secret society.)

Mawlana Abu’l-A’la Mawdudi (1903-79), founder of Jama ‘at-I Islami in India and Pakistan. Mawdudi defined the ideal Islamic state: “...sovereignty would belong to God alone, and would be exercised on his behalf by a just ruler, himself guided by a reading of God’s law in its entirety. As an ideological state, it would be administered for God solely by Muslims who adhered to its ideology, and ‘whose whole life is devoted to the observance and enforcement’ of Islamic law.” It would be “the very antithesis of secular Western democracy.” (Once again in the foregoing context, Muslim could be replaced by Nineteenth Century Mormon fundamentalism and be germane.)

Sayyid Qutb (1906-66) an Egyptian Muslim Brother, advocated revolution as a means to secure an Islamic state. He wrote: “Western blood carried the spirit of the Crusades within itself.” It was a terrorist group influenced by Qutb’s teachings that assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981.

Ruhollah Khomeini (1902-89), the Muslim who “wrote the ideological formula” for the first successful Islamic revolution that occurred in Iran in 1979. Khomeini taught that the ruler of an Islamic government should surpass all others in knowledge of Islamic law and be “more learned than everyone else.” Khomeini coined the metaphor, “Great Satan,” which of course is America. He lumped Israel and America together making them a common enemy. In 1989 Khomeini issued a “religious edict demanding the death of the British novelist, Salman Rushdie,” for his novel, The Satanic Verses. Rushdie immediately went into hiding. By 1992 there was a five million dollar bounty on his head. It wasn’t until 1996 that he felt safe enough to once again lead a normal life.

The Ayatollah Khomeini has the honor of being the first Islamic fundamentalist to have his photograph grace the bottom of Nevada urinals.

Other Islamic, revolutionary leaders are Sudan’s Hasan alt-Turabi (b. 1932). Rashid al-Ghannushi (b. 1941), leader of the Tunisian fundamentalist movement. Shi’is, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah (b. 1936) of Lebanon. “Fadallah became the oracle and mentor of Hizbullah.” Now back to Mormonism.........

The following statement is a quote from Dr. William E. McLellin, by J. H. Beadle. The same quote appeared in The Salt Lake Daily Tribune, Wednesday, October 5, 1875. The quote has reference to a prediction made by Joseph Smith that “The Son of Man” would return to earth when he was age 85 “to save the elect and punish their enemies.” The Saints calculated that had Joseph Smith not been assassinated, he would have been age 85 in1890 or 1891^[4]. The Saints did not think Joseph’s death would detour the Savior’s coming and they eagerly awaited that momentous event.

“,,,a general wind-up was at hand, and that the result would be blood and destruction to the unbelievers and a glorious triumph for the Saints.”

Dr. William E. McLellin joined the Mormons in 1831 but left in 1836.

Beadle interviewed McLellin while in Jackson County, Missouri, along with other former Mormons. He concluded from his interviews that the Mormons “were not blameless” over their mortifying expulsion from Missouri. It wasn’t suppose to happen.
When the Saints emigrated to Jackson County, Missouri, believing that Missouri was their inheritance, like Palestine was to the Jews, some of the ecstatic Mormons were arrogant and offensive; after all, the revelations declared that they were a superior people and they didn’t hesitate to let the Missourians know it. However, when the Mormons, declar[ed] to the Gentiles that the great day of Armageddon was at hand, and that if the Gentiles resisted the ordinances of God, blood would flow even to the horses bridle-bits. A small minority of the Saints went about the country notifying the old settlers that they had better sell out and leave, for the Lord was “about to clean up his threshing floor and make a way for the Saints.”

Dr. W. Wyl, editor of The Salt Lake Daily Tribune was able to obtain an unprecedented interview with Mormon apostate, Dr. William Law, who was at one time Joseph Smith’s First Councilor. William Law had a reputation for being a virtuous and respected man. According to Wyl, Law was so distraught over being swindled^[5] by Joseph Smith that for years he refused to grant interviews or discuss Mormonism. When Dr. Wyl reported the interview in the Tribune on Monday, July 31, 1887, he made the following characterization: [The Mormon leaders in Nauvoo were] like Ishmael, “their hand is against every man, and every man’s hand is against them.”

In the Middle East, militant Islamic fundamentalists are as common as camel shit, but not as easily recognized.. New regimes like Al-Qa’ida replace older movements. It is the same with the leaders. Therefore, the elimination of Saddam Hussein and bin-Laden is not apt to ease the predicament of the United States. Islamic fundamentalism, like Mormon fundamentalism need an enemy to unify the masses. American democracy with its Christian religiosity, constitutional politics, not to mention an alliance with Israel, are at opposite poles with Islam. In other words, the United States is a tailor-made foe for the advancement of Islamic fundamentalism.

In the March 2003 issue of National Geographic, a publication with credibility second only to the Bible, I found an article entitled: “Revolution From the Top Down.” The article was about the tiny, oil rich country of Qatar and how the population of Qatar was reacting to the United States military presence in the Middle East. Qatar is a tiny peninsula extending from Saudi Arabia into the Persian Gulf.

Muhammad al-Musfir, professor of political science at the University of Qatar told National Geographic that the U.S. presence in Qatar is not well received: “Your military is a very provocative element, and it’s not just my students who are saying this. Go to the “suq.” Go downtown. Go to any café. The attitude is decidedly anti-American.” Professor al-Musfir said that the United States war against terrorism is “often referred to as a war on Islam.”

The reaction of Brigham Young and the Mormons towards Johnston’s Army in 1857, and Col. Conner’s California Volunteers in 1863, was exactly the same. In December 1848, Brigham Young had established the State of Deseret, the aim of which was “independence, not affiliation with either the United States or Mexico.”^[6] However, like it or not, with The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, the prescient, ad hoc State of Deseret and her pugnacious Mormons became part of the United States.

Qatar is suppose to be a friend. However, like some Middle Eastern nations, the government says one thing and the people say another. If the young people in Qatar believe the United States is making war on Islam, can you blame Americans for wanting to know more about Islam? Could it be that somebody, probably a politician, isn’t telling us the truth, that there is something about Islam we should know?

Between 1994 and 2000, I traveled to the Middle East visiting Egypt, Jordan and Israel on four different occasions. On one trip, my wife and I ate lunch in the home of Palestinian intellectual. He and his family were gracious hosts. We were also the brief guest of an important Bedouin. We sat cross-legged in his carpeted, desert home and sipped a strong, viscous, coffee from a tiny porcelain cup served by his sons. Muslim women are not permitted to act as waitresses.

We didn’t think of our Arab hosts as enemies. They were very courteous, dignified and as interested in our customs as we were in their customs. But oh how I would like to visit with them again and maybe learn why angry young Arab (Palestinian) boys blow themselves up and target innocent civilians.

I am fascinated by both the ancient and modern Middle East. I have sought out and read dozens of books pertaining to the British Mandate and all the wars fought by Israel against their Islamic cousins. In Cairo I stood in amazement at the foot of a two-story-high memorial commemorating the Egyptian victory over Israel in the 1973 war. I didn’t want to offend our Egyptian guide, who was a Christian, with the obvious question, didn’t Israel win the 1973, Yom Kipper War? So I visited every book store in Cairo I could find looking for an English version of Egypt’s view of the 1973 War, and just as I was ready to give up, I found one: The October War, Memoirs of Field Marshal El-Gamasy of Egypt, by Mohaned Abdel Ghani El-Gamasy, “one of Egypt’s greatest living soldiers,” published by The American University in Cairo Press, English translation, 1993.

Field Marshal El-Gamasy’s, The October War, provided valuable insight into Arab thinking. The sudden, explosive invasion of Egyptian forces deep into Israel territory was considered a victory. The fact that Israel recovered and pushed the Egyptian Army back across the Suez, clear to the outskirts of Cairo, was conspicuously ignored. The October War account was very much different from all the other books, American and Israeli, I had read about the same war. As a result, I received the unmistakable impression that the Arab people are grossly misinformed by their Arab leaders.

I read in Spencer’s, Islam Unveiled, that Saddam Hussein had erected a similar monument in honor of Iraq’s victory in the Gulf War. While touring Petra our Jordanian guide, Himien (sp), politely informed us that the Jews and Christians had altered the Bible. He said that Ishmael was Abraham’s favorite son, not Isaac. (This was taught by Mohammad) Himien also confided that the only reason the Israelis won the 1948 War of Independence was due to American intervention. He was completely unaware that the United States sat idle and did not contribute an ounce of encouragement, not a single man, bullet, gun or airplane in spite of pleas to the contrary. I didn’t think it prudent to tell Himien that he had been egregiously misinformed. Here I was in his country. Who was I, a foreigner, correcting him about his own history. It was then that I began to suspect that Arab eye sight, priorities and sense of justice were greatly influenced by the Koran, which I knew nothing about at the time.

I do not pretend to be an expert on Middle East politics or Islam, but as I read Islam Unveiled, I could not help but notice many similarities between Islam and Mormonism. By golly, I thought, J. A. Beadle was on to something. As I read, I started jotting down those things that Islam and Mormonism have in common.

To begin with, in Islam there is no recognized central leadership, like a Vatican, that mandates Islamic interpretation. Each Mullah, Imam or Islamic leader interprets the Koran [Qur’an] according to his own bias. This is good for the infidel, in other words, non Muslim nations, because if a man like Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden were to become the supreme leader of all the Muslim nations, the resulting worldwide holocaust would make Adolph Hitler look like a girl scout.

Mormon fundamentalism is also fragmented with multiple prophets [Imams] all claiming to be the one and only prophet. Each leader accentuates his own brand of Mormonism and thinks of himself as the “Grand Mufti” of Mormonism. If all the organized fundamentalist groups were to unit under one head they would be a viable economic and political force, but not as dangerous as Islam.

What does the Koran [Qur’an] have to say about non-Muslims?

Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate. (Sura9-73)

The true believers fight for the cause of God, but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan. (Sura4:76)

Sura refers to an index of the Arabic script and recitation of the Holy Qur’an, much the same as the Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants is indexed by Section and Verse.

The term “jihad” is defined as either a “lesser” or “greater jihad.” The greater jihad refers to the individual spiritual struggle of the Muslims. The “lesser jihad” is defined by militant Muftis as “war against non-Muslims.” (Page 19)

There are numerous accounts of armed, Mormon belligerence against non-Mormons during the Nineteenth Century, Zion’s Camp in Missouri and the Utah War against Johnston’s Army. The most notable and heinous is the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Would it not be correct in calling the Mountain Meadows Massacre an example of the “lesser jihad?” The killing of innocent women and children during that massacre was justified by the Doctrine of Blood Atonement. It would appear that in both Islam and Mormonism there are conditions in which the murder of innocents are doctrinally justified.

It was first intended that Blood Atonement would be a solution to quite apostates but soon after it was extended to include gentiles. On February 25, 1857, while addressing the Saints, Brigham Young invoked the dynamics behind Blood Atonement. It was doctrine ostensibly created to save and exalt sinners. Note the hypocrisy in Brigham Young’s statements.

Let these principles be known by an individual, and he would be glad to have his blood shed. Will you love that man or woman well enough to shed their blood? Will you love that man or woman well enough to shed their blood? That is what Jesus Christ meant.^[⁷^]

The militant apostle Jedediah Grant, advised sinners to go to Brigham Young and “ask him to appoint a committee to attend to their case; and then let a place be selected, and let that committee shed their blood.”

Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs was the first gentile targeted for Blood Atonement but the job, believed to have been carried out by Orrin Porter Rockwell, only resulted in a painful wound.

The most obvious, indefensible similarity between Islam and Mormonism is the subjugation of women and polygamy. I won’t spend time on that well worn subject.

Qur’an doctrines and commands are valid for all time. Almost all Muslims “view the Qur’an as literally and eternally true, including its exhortations to violence. (Pages 22-23). The same is true with Mormon fundamentalists. There is no progressive revelations. The Doctrine & Covenants is as literal and true today as it was yesterday, and a hundred years from now while the LDS Church continues to modify in compliance to the changing times, the fundamentalists will still hold fast to the old views.

The Muslim fanatics take the Qur’an literally. As Spencer points out on page 23, a Christian or Hebrew would not think of putting to death someone for working on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2) nor would he sell his daughter into slavery, (Exodus 21:7) but the Mormon fundamentalists do it all the time. Mormon fundamentalists don’t kill people for violating the Sabbath, but old men trade daughters for wives. The priesthood leaders in the FLDS hand out young girls for wives with no more compunction than if they were little kittens. Young girls are doled out to the largest tithe payers. Some of these young girls are nothing more than brood mares and house servants. Its no different than a Muslim selling his daughter into slavery.

God does not forbid you to be kind and equitable to those who have neither made war on your religion nor driven you from your homes. But He forbids you to make friends with those who have fought against you on account of your religion and driven you from your homes or abetted others so to do. Those that make friends with them are wrongdoers. (Sura 60:9)

On the surface the above passage does not sound all that bad, but what about the people working in the Twin Towers? Did the Gulf War make them legitimate targets? Its how the prophet, as in Mormonism, or the Imam interprets an enemy. What about the 121 Fancher emigrants at Mountain Meadows? They were murdered in the year 1857, during the month of September between the 9^th and the 11^th. [The coup de grace occurred on September 11, ironically, a Mormon 9-11]

And what about the 250 Shoshoni Indians that were massacred on the Bear River, January 29, 1863, by a Mormon and the US Army? The infamous Danite, Orrin Porter Rockwell, was the scout and guide. It was a time when Brigham

Young decided it was more prudent to kill the Redman than feed him.^[8] Like the Palestinians who jumped for joy in the streets of Hebron, Brigham D. Madsen, author of The Shoshoni Frontier and the Bear river Massacre, reports that: “The Mormon settlers of northern Utah certainly did not abhor the tactics of Colonel Connor when he directed the massacre of Bear Hunter’s people at Battle Creek. In fact, there was rejoicing throughout the land and thanksgiving in Mormon church services for the intrepid courage of the California Volunteers.” (Page 17)

Muhammad, like Joseph Smith, was “the conduit for God’s words, not their composer.” The Qur’an, like the D&C is the “perfect word of Allah (God), valid for all peoples and all times.” (Islam Unveiled, Page 24) The two law books, the Quar’an and D & C, are precise and inflexible doctrine unless abrogated by another passage from the same book. (Islam unveiled, Page 25)

Child brides are not uncommon in Islam or Mormon fundamentalism. The marriage contract between Aisha and the prophet Muhammad was written by Muhammad when Aisha was only six years old. She was handed over to Muhammad and the marriage was consummated when she was nine. “Muslims in Muhammad’s day thought nothing of marrying girls who had just begun menstruating - and even girls who had not yet reached that point.” (Islam Unveiled Page 47) “The Ayatollah Khomeini, himself, at age twenty-eight, married a ten-year old girl. She became pregnant at eleven, but miscarried. Khomeini called marriage to a girl before her first menstrual period ‘a divine blessing,’ and he advised the faithful: ‘Do your best to ensure that your daughters do not see their first blood in your house.’” (Islam Unveiled, Page 48)

During the trial of Tom Green, although he denied ever using or hearing the salacious adage, “if they’re old enough to bleed, they’re old enough to breed,” he gets the credit. Tom’s wife, Beth, was twelve years old when she was forced into a marriage. Her sister was nine. There is strong testimony that Tom was messing around with Beth’s daughter, Linda, when she was only eleven. He married Linda at age thirteen, at least that is the official account. There are witnesses who believe Tom married Linda when she was only twelve. Does that make Tom an Ayatollah Mormon? Tom claims to hold the precious Patriarchal priesthood keys. The Ayatollah and Tom Green held themselves out as shining, virtuous examples of their religion.

“The Qur’an permits Muslims to have intercourse with slave girls as well as their wives.” (Islam Unveiled, Page 50) “Forbidden to you are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your paternal and maternal aunts ... Also married women, except those whom you own as slaves. Such is the decree of God.” (Sura 4:23-24)

It is here that the Mormon fundamentalists depart from Islam. Mormon fundamentalists marry mothers and daughters, sisters, cousins, nearly any female, any age, wearing a skirt. It is all justified by purity of blood or religion. According to Mormon fundamentalists, God the Father married His own daughter, Mary, when she was only 13, and Jesus Christ was the result. Joseph Smith married a 14 year old. Joseph took wives away from his apostles. Some women were married and cavorted with Joseph and their husband at the same time. Jim Harmston, the prophet of the True & Living Church, has followed the lascivious foot prints of Joseph, marrying young and old alike, even taking the wives of his apostles. Doctrines like that make all females fair game.

The Koran [same book, different spelling] promises that if Muslims are faithful to Allah, they will enjoy prosperity in this life and paradise in the next life. “When the House of Islam is not prospering, it is solely because ‘Muslims are not following the true teaching of Allah!’ A new severity invariably follows.” (Islam Unveiled, Page 111)

This same doctrine is taught by Mormon fundamentalists except with Mormons, paradise is the celestial kingdom. In the Allred Group, A.U.B, the members are continually told that if they obey the priesthood and live their religion they will prosper. In the FLDS members were told on three different occasions to prepare to be translated. [lifted up to heaven] When it didn’t happen they were told they were unworthy. Mormon fundamentalists like the Muslims are led to believe that when things go wrong its because they are unworthy, or not righteous enough. Ironically, all Mormons are also told that if they are living their religion to expect persecution, the Devil is out to make the life of the righteous tough.

“Under the holy law the property of rebels might be looted by believers, encouraging Moslems to enrich themselves in the name of their faith at the expense of their Christian neighbors, and in the event of resistance, to kill them.” (Islam Unveiled, Page 151)

After the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the Bear River Massacre, the possessions of the victims were looted by pious Mormons. Virginia Hill’s money was looted by Owen A. Allred and his priesthood. Most Mormon looting occurred when Utah was just a territory and Brigham Young was the Saladin^[9] of the Great Basin.

When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deserves to be killed. (Islam Unveiled, Page157)

An apostate is one who forsakes his faith. He is a renegade, a defector, a recreant. I am an apostate, a renegade. Today, in Iran if you apostatize you will more than likely be put to death because Iran is a theocracy, their constitution is the Koran. All power rests with the Mullah. Punishment is allotted in accordance to the Koran. There is no one in Iran who will come to the rescue of an apostate.

The same situation existed in the Great Basin during the decade of the 1850s. Mormonism was the supreme power. It was not until June 26, 1857 when Johnston’s Army marched through Salt Lake City that it was safe for a Mormon to apostatize. But Johnston’s Army left the Utah Territory at the commencement of the Civil War and it was once again, unsafe, until October 20,1862 when Colonel Connor and his California Volunteers established Camp Douglas.

Each time the American armies passed through the Utah Territory, apostates followed them out.

When the soldiers under Colonel Steptoe passed through the Valley, in 1855, over one hundred of the Mormon women begged of the soldiers to take them to California. They took a large number, some of them wives of the apostles, and Mrs. Wheelock among the rest, but many they had to leave behind, on account of the scarcity of provisions. The Elders made a dreadful noise about it.^[10] Samuel Hawthornthwaite

In response to the Steptoe episode the New York Herald wrote: The army should send to Utah some good looking men for the women of Utah are ready for rebellion ....Replace them with others until those Turks of the desert are reduced to the Christian standard of one wife apiece. (The Unsolicited Chronicler, page 280)

At the commencement of the Civil War, when Camp Floyd was disbanded and the Army trekked East to join either the Union or the Confederates, hundreds of disgruntled Mormons took the opportunity to leave the territory and followed.

Dan and Ron Lafferty are modern examples of Mormon disbursement of Blood Atonement. Dan is serving a life sentence for slitting the throats of his sister-in-law and infant daughter. Ron is currently on death row in the Utah State Prison.

Contemporary Mormon fundamentalists still believe in Blood Atonement. If the fundamentalist leaders thought they could get away with it, myself and many others would be targeted for Blood Atonement. Even then, rumors of hit lists and fanatics volunteering to carry out Blood Atonement leak out of the four prominent, organized polygamist groups.

Islam and Mormonism appear to be patriarchal religions founded for men, not women. Both the Koran and Doctrine & Covenants are allegedly the infallible word of God. However, both books indiscreetly place power in the hands of one or a few men. Both faiths are religions of conquest with the aim of world dominance, one way or another. The goals of Islam are the same as Mormonism. They are two of the fastest growing religions and are on a collision course, one day they will clash. Islam’s rise to power has been by the sword. Mormonism has been by cunning. It will be an interesting collision, especially when the Mormons decide its time to proselytize the Muslim nations. Contemplate if you will, the fate of two Mormon missionaries preaching in Iran, as compared with two Islamic missionaries preaching in Utah.

The prophet Muhammad and the prophet Joseph Smith have similar beginnings. Both sought enlightenment in prayer. Both came from humble beginnings, both were uneducated. Muhammad could not read or write. Yet both were approached by an angel. Muhammad received his instruction from [Jibril] Gabriel; Joseph was instructed by Moroni of the Book of Mormon. Both young men met God. Muhammad was lifted up to heaven from the Dome of the Rock, Joseph met the Father and the Son at age 14 in a wooded grove. Muhammad was age 40 before his first vision, known as the “Night of Power.” Muhammad waited two years before he revealed the vision. Joseph waited 18 years before his official publication of the First Vision. ^[11]

The Quran records four separate versions of Muhammad’s call as a prophet. Sura 53:2-18, Sura 81:1924, Sura 16:102, Sura 26:192-194 and Sura 1:97 which is the traditional account, that his call came from the angel, Gabriel.^[12]

A similar conflict occurs with Joseph Smith. The First Vision allegedly occurred in 1820 but did not appear until 1838. In the mean time, in consulting Joseph’s diary and the sermons and journals of his acolytes, the call came from a voice, a spirit, an angel, the Son, and finally the Father and the Son.^[13]

Both men were younger than their first wife. Islam forbids the consumption of wine and hard liquor. Mormonism has similar taboos that can be found in the Word of Wisdom.

When Muhammad’s wives contended with each other, he received a revelation that put an end to the problem. (Qur’an 66:4-5) In essence Allah told the contentious wives to shape up or he would allow Muhammad to divorce them, and replace them with new submissive wives, possibly virgins.

And like Joseph Smith, Muhammad received a revelation from Allah devised to make his wives feel important and loving about their submission [Kismet].

O you wives of the Prophet, if any of you is openly indecent, the punishment for her will be doubled - and that is easy for Allah. And whoever of you submits to Allah and His Messenger has right action, We shall give her a reward twice over and We have prepared a generous provision for her. O you wives of the Prophet, you are not like any other women. If you are fearful of Allah then do not be soft in your speech, lest someone whose heart is sick is attracted to you, but speak words that are wise. And stay quietly in your houses, do not make a dazzling display like that of the time of ignorance before and establish prayer and pay the Zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Surely Allah wishes to remove impurity far from you, O People of the House, and to purify you completely. And remember that ayahs of Allah that are recited in your houses and the wisdom. Surely Allah is All-pervading, All Aware. (Quran 33:30-34) (sic)

Could it be that Allah and God are one and the same, the Deity who gave Joseph the following revelation? According to Mohammad, the answer is yes.

And I command mine handmaid, “Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.

But if she will not abide this commandment, then shall my servant Joseph do all things for her, even as he hath said; and I will bless him and multiply him and give unto him an hundred fold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds. D&C 132:54-55

After comparing Islam and Mormonism, one can’t help wonder if Joseph Smith didn’t plagiarize then modify Islam. It is hard to imagine that the similarities between the two religions are subliminal coincidences. Even now, Mormon fundamentalists are great copiers.

Ron Lafferty, the older brother of Dan Lafferty lost his wife and children when he turned into a Mormon maniac. In an attempt to coerce her into rejoining him in his zealot pursuit of fundamentalism he had the following revelation. Ron’s revelation appears to be strangely reminiscent of the revelations of Muhammad and Joseph Smith:

Thou are a chosen daughter but My wrath is kindled against thee because of the rebelliousness against thy husband, and I command thee to repent. Have I not said that it is not good for a man to be alone? I will not suffer My servant Ron to be alone much longer for even now I am preparing someone to take thy place. Nevertheless if thou wilst speedily repent I will greatly bless thee and thy children, otherwise I will remove thee from thy place for I will not suffer that thy children should suffer longer because of thy disobedience. I have heard the prayers of My son Ron and I know his desires, and it is only because of his desires that I have spared thee till now.

Harken unto My word for the time is short. I am Alpha and Omega even the beginning and the end and surely I will fulfill all My promises unto My servant Ron. Even so Amen. ^[14]

Allah, through Muhammad introduced to women the “hijab,” the expansive covering of the face [or the “abayas” the black shroud extending from head to toe] presumably to preserve purity and hide their beauty so as not to tempt the licentious usurper and shame the cuckold. Even then, there were rumors that Aisha might have had an extramarital affair.

The FLDS do something just as effective. They force their women to coiffure their hair after pioneer fashions, and wear long sleeved, and ankle length dresses in antiquated fashions that distracts from their natural beauty.

In Islam there is but one god, Allah, no other. Mormonism has many gods. In Mormonism, the God of this earth is Adam, who was also the archangel, Michael. In Islam, Adam was the first prophet and Muhammad, the last. In Mormonism there will be no end to the prophets until Christ comes the Second Time.

Both Muhammad and Joseph met face to face with Moses, Abraham and the rest of the Old Testament prophets. Muhammad led the other prophets in prayer. According to Mormonism, Joseph, like Muhammad, is supreme among the prophets and is the Third Personage in the Godhead. According to Mormon fundamentalists Joseph stands in the office of Holy Ghost.

The “Hadith” is a book of sayings of Muhammad. Joseph has the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. In Islam there is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca. The Mormons come annually, and semi-annually to Salt Lake City, the Mormon Mecca, for General Conference. Both men were persecuted for their religion. They tried to kill Muhammad and failed. They tired to kill Joseph and succeeded.

Both men were told all other religions were corrupt except their own. Both religions have had their “hijra,” migration. Islam migrated to Abyssina [Ethiopia], the Mormons migrated to Jackson County, Missouri, to Nauvoo, Illinois and then to Utah.

Muhammad was a brilliant general and successful warrior. Joseph was a general but not a very good warrior. Zion’s Camp, Joseph’s little army, organized to avenge the Mormons in Missouri, was a miserable failure. Nevertheless, Joseph liked to play the part, he loved “military pageantry and display,” and like Islamic leaders, urged his followers to “deeds of valor and glory,” when he, himself, had little “stomach for battle.” While strutting before his army Joseph brandished “a rifle, an elegant brace of pistols, and the best sword in the army.”^[15]

Both Mohammad and Joseph promised an exalted afterlife complete with physical pleasures, including sex.

...in gardens of bliss... a multitude will be seated on couches set close together... Immortal youths will serve them with goblets, pitchers and cups filled with water from a spring which will not upset them or dull their senses; and they may choose fruit of any kind and whatever fowl they desire and chaste companions with eyes of a beauty like pearls hidden in shells... We formed them perfectly and made them spotless virgins, chastely amorous and of the same age. (Sura 56:12-37)

In the Twenty-first Century, during the war against terrorism, Islamic suicide bombers are promised in paradise a harem full of beautiful virgins.

Joseph’s celestial kingdom is no less sensual and filled with temporal, physical delights – a glory of milk and honey, street paved with gold, servants, many wives, many worlds, many offspring.

One of the most salient and interesting parallels between Islam and Mormonism is the use of the veil. We have all seen veiled Muslim women in public places, walking not beside, but respectfully behind her husband. In Mormonism, the veil is worn by the woman during the temple ceremony where women are separated from the men. The veil is worn on top of the woman’s head, like a headdress, until it comes time for her to meet her Lord - then she must drop the veil across her face.

Islam is 1400 years old with 900 million followers. Mormonism is only a 150 years old with 11 million followers. It is predicted that by 2047 LDS membership will be 157 million; by 2080, 267 million. (Christianity Today, July 15, 1998). Just think what Mormonism will be like in 1250 more years.

The Islamic fundamentalists and the United States fight each other with guns and bullets. Are we fighting Muslim men hiding behind Islam or are we fighting Islam? Islam is an ideal, an ideology. Alexis de Tocquerville said that the only way to defeat an ideology is with ideology. Islam is spreading with the compulsion of an oil spill, saturating everything in its path, gobbling up the impoverished, uneducated and hopeless, as Communism once did. What counteracting ideology does the United States have to offer besides freedom and prosperity? The war against terrorism is a war of political ideology against religious ideology. Are the American ideals perceived by Muslims as sincere? If freedom, Christianity and prosperity are so attractive, how do we explain the recent erection of hundreds of Mosques across the breast of the United States? Would it be prudent for the FBI’s counter-terrorist teams to cultivate informants in these Mosques? Or would that be un-American? Are we wrong in being concerned that among the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the United States, extremists might be plotting another terrorist attack? Are we wrong to be concerned that among the thousands of Mormon fundamentalists there may be another extremist like kidnaper, Brian David Mitchell, maneuvering to commit another heinous crime. Is it improper to conclude that with both Islamic fundamentalists and Mormon fundamentalists, there are established patterns that enable us to predict future criminal behavior?

Every civilization in one respect or another has believed in a supreme, creative presence. We call that presence, God, that unseen specter that has been given many names: the Great Spirit, Allah, Isis, Eloheim, I Am. The list goes on and on.

Throughout recorded history, charismatic men have surfaced and have attempted to persuade mankind that they are the conduit to the will of God and great religions have evolved: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Mormonism.

In the beginning Islam was truly egalitarian. Mohammad wanted the poor Arab people to have their own identity, their own destiny, their own religion. And it happened, because Mohammad made the “wild man,”^[16] Ishmael, Abraham’s favorite son instead of Isaac.

Like Mohammad, Joseph Smith gave the Mormons their own identity. Like Mohammad, he blended the spiritual with the secular. Nineteenth Century Mormonism, like Islam, was as much political and economical as it was spiritual.