Soccer Dad

Hajj you thought about this?

A description of the sources of the Hajj from VOA:

Muslim tradition has it that Abraham, the patriarch, built Ka'ba and the House of God. Located in one corner of Ka'ba is the "black Stone," or "Hajar-al-Aswad," which Muslims believe was given by God to Abraham as a reward for his faithfulness. The stone represents the covenant between God and humans.

The great patriarch, in a test of his faith, was ordered by God to sacrifice his son, Ismael. However, God, satisfied that Abraham had passed the test of faith, offered a ram to be sacrificed in place of his son, at the last minute. The "Eid-al Adha," or the festival of sacrifice, commemorates these events.

From President Obama's message to the world's Muslims on the occasion of the Hajj (via memeorandum)

The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world's major religions.

During Hajj, the world's largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life - including thousands of American Muslims - will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat. The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God.

There are a couple of things that bother me about the the President's message.

In terms of numbers, Judaism is not one of the three major religions in the world. (Unless the President meant "monotheistic religions.")

Referring to Islam, Christianity and Judaism as Abrahamic religions also rubs me the wrong way. Islam differs significantly in this regard. Christianity may believe that Judaism has been superseded, but the foundation of Islam denies the premises of Judaism.

The President, of course, finessed the issue by referring to Abraham's sacrifice of an unnamed son. But according to Islam, the son Abraham was asked to sacrifice was Yishmael (ismael) not Yitzchak (Isaac.) Islam unlike Christianity rejects the sanctity of the Torah.