The Story of M A Gabriel The former professor of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt Disillusioned at Al-Azhar Fifteen years ago I was the imam of a mosque in the city of Giza, Egypt, which is where the famous Egyptian pyramids are located. (Imam of a mosque is a position similar to pastor of a Christian church.) I preached the message of the week on Fridays from 12 to 1 in the afternoon, as well as performed other duties. On…

Mightier than death I was born into a conservative Muslim family in Iraq. Whilst in The Middle school, I was always disturbed when I heard my teacher explaining how Islam spread by wars and battles lead by Mohamed or his successors. Even in the Muslim prayers there is no appeal for God to change their manners and behavior but rather their surrounding circumstances. So whilst my teacher was talking about the Islamic heroism of their war…

Nothing but the Truth I was born to a nominal Druze home in Lebanon. The Druze who prefer to be called El-Mowahideen, believers in one God, are an Islamic sect that began to spread during the Fatimid empire (988 AD) ruled by Imam Al-Hakim B'Amr-Allah. Al-Tawhid (Unitarianism) believes in Re-incarnation, the Ancientness of the world, and the incarnation of God in man's image. Reincarnation is believed to be God's provision for a soul to live man…

The Road From Damascus Ziad was born and raised in Damascus, finishing his schooling in this historic capital of Syria. Most of his life, Ziad had been a practicing Muslim like everyone else in his devout family. He would often accompany his father, his three brothers, and some neighbors to the mosque for Friday noon prayers and frequently for prayer on other days. The rest of the five daily prayer times he would observe at home or at work. Not…