As someone who's actually read the Qur'an (Abdullah Yusuf Ali's trans. -- it's not as long as the New Tesstment), and studied the theology a bit (weird phase of my life; don't ask), I, like many WASPs, was immediately stricken with how similar it was to Christianity. On paper, at least.
What Boddi says about the Second Coming of Jesus (Isa in Arabic) and the End Days in Islam ("Qiyamah"), is absolutely true. (For some reason, many folks think "Muhammad is the Muslims' Jesus/Messiah" -- um, NO -- Jesus is "the messiah" in both Islam and Xtianity, but with some important differences.)
Jesus' second coming is an article of faith in Islam. The Qur'an is itself sort of like the NEW New Testament, the final book of a Lord of the Rings-like trilogy that started with the Old Testament. The Qur'an presents as the last and ultimate book that clarifies and enunciates exactly, absolutely, everything God was trying to say before in his previous two books.
In fact, many Comparative Religions classes teach Islam as a Western Religion, and not Eastern, though popularly it is thought of as part of an Eastern or "oriental" belief system.
The second coming of Jesus, the apocalypse, the resurrection and judgment of souls -- as in Christianity, that's all there in Islam, too. And of course it's all horse hockey, also as in Christianity.
This would be something interesting to ask Chip Berlet about.
Not saying I'm convinced Sadr is motivated by this millenarian vision, but it's worth considering.
-B.
boddi satva wrote:
> On 11/27/06, Marvin Gandall
<marvgandall at videotron.ca> asked:
>
>> In any case, you don't think the Sadrists - any
more than the followers of
>> Khomeini and Nasrallah - are just a bunch of crazy
nihilists with no idea
>> what they would do with power, do you? And if you
don't think that, then
>> where do you think they would look for inspiration
and guidance?
>
> Well, obviously they look to the Koran. And just as
obviously they are
> trying to pave the way for the Second Coming of Isa
(Jesus) and the
> Mahdi who will redeem Islam and the world at the End
Of Days.
>
> So no, they're not nihilists, but their idea of an
"end state" is not
> exactly Marxist, is it.
>
>
>
> boddi