The ABCs of Spike Lee’s ‘X’
Lee should know better than to say that “these (Muslims) are the same people who sentenced (author Salman) Rushdie to death--the Highest Islamic court.” He’s totally ignorant about the facts.
As most people know, Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini said that Rushdie should die. Khomeini does not represent “the Highest Islamic court,” because Islam does not recognize any such court. Instead, it recognizes Shari’ah, the canonical law of Islam as put forth in the Koran and the Sunna, the latter being the spoken and acted example of the prophet Mohammed. Nor, for that matter, does any Muslim speak for all other Muslims. Indicting all Muslims for the pronouncements of one Muslim counters Koranic teachings.
Lee also says, “To shoot the sacred rite of hajj. That’s never been done before. Ever, ever, ever.” Nonsense. Anybody can go to a large video store, rent “The Story of Islam: A History of the World’s Most Misunderstood Faith” and view the whole history of Islam, including pilgrims going on hajj. The video came out in 1983.
Lee evidently knows nothing about Islam; Malcolm X knew a great deal about Islam. Many Muslims, including me, are curious about how Lee treats Malcolm X’s conversion to Islam, considering Lee’s obvious ignorance of the religion itself.
DON K. PIERSTORFF
Costa Mesa
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