About Islam: What is the position of Islam on Scientology? Can a Muslim become a Scientologist?

About Islam: What is the position of Islam on Scientology? Can a Muslim become a Scientologist?

https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/the-position-of-islam-on-scientology/

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Q. What is the position of Islam on Scientology? Can a Muslim become a Scientologist?

ANSWER

Hossam Ed-Deen Allam

13 October, 2020

Short Answer:

To begin, in principle, the relation of the Muslim with those of other faith traditions is founded on mutual respect and understanding.

Secondly, the Quran and hadith specifically state that there is no compromise on Islamic creed.

Thirdly, the Quran emphasizes that there is no secrecy in the teachings and acts of worship in Islam.

Lastly, the Quran states that there should be no monetization of the teachings and acts of worship in Islam accordingly.

Accordingly, in addition to the evident fact that a Muslim does not need to join Scientology, it is not permissible for a Muslim to become a Scientologist.

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Biography of Hossam Ed-Deen Allam, the person who answered the question
.
https://aboutislam.net/author/hossam-ed-deen-allam/

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Hossam Ed-Deen Allam

Hosam Ed-Deen Allam holds an MA of Diplomacy and Religion with Distinction from the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Religion at Lancaster University in the UK. His main research area concerns Faith-based Diplomacy, Conflict Transformation, De-sectarianisation, and Peacebuilding. In parallel, Allam works as a member of Al-Azhar Fatwa Global Centre in addition to serving as a lecturer of the sources of Islamic jurisprudence at the Faculty of Sharia and Law at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Hossam Ed-Deen is a Graduate of Al-Azhar University in Cairo from the Faculty of Shari’ah and Law in English. He has served as a lecturer of Islamic jurisprudence and its principles at the renowned Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo and has served as a religious leader in a number of communities in North America including NYC. Through his years of community work, he has provided training and guidance to government departments along with developing educational projects and community centers.

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Since this a thread is about Scientology and Islam, I believe the following video should be included.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard explains Islam.




According to the Scientology Comparative Religion Page on Islam, the above excerpt comes from the lecture "What's Wrong with this Universe: A Working Package for the Auditor," L. Ron Hubbard, 9 Dec 1952. See

http://perry.users.ezlink.com/CoS/Theology/islam.htm

-- and particularly the heading "Hubbard Maligns Islam."

I made a comment on Tony Ortega's blog that I want to repeat here.

The Church of Scientology will not be happy with this answer for two or three reasons.

First, the answer contradicts Scientology's statement that one can be a Scientologist and a Muslim at the same time. Scientology always addresses that issue only from the perspective of Scientology (although it lies even when it asserts that it is truly acceptable to Scientology for a person to be member of Scientology and another religion at the same time). Scientology never considers the perspective of the other religion -- i.e., whether it is acceptable to the other religion (in this case, Islam) for a person to be a member of both that religion (Islam) and Scientology. In any event, answers like this will have a major effect on Muslims.

Second, the extended answer addresses the use of Scientology as therapy:

https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/the-position-of-islam-on-scientology/

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Applying Scientology the Practice of Auditing for Psychological Benefit

Auditing is a process whereby the auditor takes an individual through times in their current or past lives to rid the individual of negative influences from past events or behaviors.

In Islam, auditing is only permissible if it is a medically established and scientifically proven benefit. Noteworthy, a Muslim must ensure that their privacy is maintained and their money spent rationally.

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Although phrased diplomatically, Muslims will read this answer as saying, "No, a Muslim should not practice auditing to obtain a psychological benefit." Scientology can provide no evidence that auditing has a "medically established and scientifically proven benefit." Any money spent is not spent rationally. Privacy is not maintained.

Third, the extended answer addresses the issue or cooperation with Scientology affiliated entities as follows:

https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/the-position-of-islam-on-scientology/

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Cooperating with Scientology Affiliated Entities for Charitable and Philanthropic Causes

The directives of the Noble Quran and the authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad, as well as the practices of his rightly-guided caliphs, indicate that Islam aims to open the door to cooperation with all based on benevolence, righteousness, peace, and security for all.

Muslims are urged to partake in such cooperation with any individual, state or community who seeks it. Additionally, Muslims are prohibited to be part of any cooperation that is based on or would lead to injustice, oppression, or violence.

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While again diplomatic, the insertion or the last sentence was very deliberate. A Muslim reading this will see that last sentence as a warning.

The article has now also been published on IslamMessage.org .

THE POSITION OF ISLAM ON SCIENTOLOGY


https://islammessage.org/en/article/11035/The-Position-of-Islam-on-Scientology


/

About Islam has tweeted the story.

https://twitter.com/AbtIslamNet/status/1316668892476043265.

After doing further research, I see that About Islam earlier addressed Scientology on 03 August 2016.

About Islam: Islam and Scientology: Any Relation?

https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/islam-and-scientology-any-relation/

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ANSWER

Professor Shahul Hameed

03 August, 2016
.
[SNIP]

Emile Durkheim has defined religion as “a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things”. Paul Tillich called it “the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern”.

The words “sacred” in the first definition, and “ultimate” in the second one provide us certain parameters that would help us evaluate any modern movement or institution that claims to be a religion. Judged by those standards, Scientology falls far short of a religion.

Islam is categorical about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the final prophet of God; and about the noble Quran as the most complete and final testament of God. Therefore, from a Muslim point of view, any chance for considering a new prophet after Muhammad or a new divine scripture after the Quran for the status of ultimacy is ruled out.

Secondly, Scientology speaks little about God and says nothing of a Day of Judgment. It offers no model for a good life in this world. It altogether rejects the sovereignty of the Transcendent Law-Giver over the ephemeral world of phenomena.

The foregoing means that Scientology can only be considered a pseudo-religion and as such, it is of no appeal to anyone who is seeking God and the eternal life of happiness He has prepared for His righteous servants in the Hereafter.

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The biography of Professor Shahul Hameed, the person who wrote the essay.

https://aboutislam.net/author/shahul-hameed/

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Professor Shahul Hameed

Professor Shahul Hameed is an Islamic consultant. He also held the position of the President of the Kerala Islamic Mission, Calicut, India. He is the author of three books on Islam published in the Malayalam language. His books are on comparative religion, the status of women, and science and human values.

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This L. Ron Hubbard Scientology lecture is quoted and discussed in the academic article:

"What would Ron choose from the Islamic basket? Notes on Scientology's construction of Islam"

June 2015 Temenos 51(1):95-121

DOI: 10.33356/temenos.49514


https://www.researchgate.net/public..._Notes_on_Scientology's_construction_of_Islam


https://www.semanticscholar.org/pap...ardi/8b72698838449cddb61e9347f01412d8f6e2fbfa


https://journal.fi/temenos/article/view/49514


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A post entitled ‘Scientology Slanders Islam’, posted on the anti-Scientology website Operation Clambake by the user ‘J. Swift’ on June 5, 2009 points to the lecture: ‘What’s Wrong with this Universe: A Working Package for the Auditor’ (9 Dec 1952) and supplies this transcript of an excerpt:


"It’s [the Black Stone] an enormous stone hanging suspended in the middle of a room, this is an incident called the Emanator by the way, and this thing is by the way the source of the Mohammedan Lodestone that they have hanging down there, that, eh, when Mohammed decided to be a good small-town booster in eh Kansas, Middle-East, or something of the sort. By the way, the only reason he [the Prophet] mocked that thing up [Islam], is the trade wasn’t good in his hometown. That’s right. You read the life of Mohammed. And he’s got a black one and it sort of hung between the ceiling and the floor, I don’t know, maybe they call it the Casbah or something or... Anyway, anyway, that thing is a mockup of the Emanator! The Emanator is bright, not black. And so, your volunteer, who insists on a sightseeing trip, goes in and this thing is standing in the middle of the room, and it’s going ‘wong wong wong wong wong’ and he says: ‘Isn’t that pretty?’. It sure is, and then he says ‘Mmmgrmrm ponk’ Why, I’ll tell you, they cart him from there, and they take him in and they do a transposition of beingness."


We do not need to embark here in a word-to-word exegesis of Hubbard’s claims. However we can remark that he seemingly employs ‘Kansas’ meaning an arid and insignificant place and, more importantly, confuses the term Kaaba with Kasbah, usually designating the citadel or the oldest part of an Islamic city.


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The article also notes that after 9/11:


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Eight years later, while recognizing that it was not completely sure that the Egyptian physician and al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was the person who masterminded the massacre, Dave Figueroa, then president of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (recognized as a Scientology front group), declared that the terrorist was a psychiatrist (a claim unsupported by any evidence) who manipulated al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden through psychiatric practices and (unspecified) drugs (see Edroso 2009, Forsloff 2009, von Marcab 2009).

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The article then goes on to discuss the partnership between the Church of Scientology and the Nation of Islam.

A small town booster in Kansas middle east. lol

Delphian School claims that it does not have any religious affiliation and that, "there are staff and children in attendance at Delphian who are members of many faiths, including . . . Islam . . . and Scientology."

Does The Delphian School Have Any Religious Affiliation?

Code:

https://www.delphian.org/faq

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Does The Delphian School Have Any Religious Affiliation?

No. Delphian School is a fully independent, non-religious, K-12 day and boarding school welcoming students of all faiths.

Delphian does not teach the doctrines of any one faith, although students will study a course entitled Understanding the Classical Religions in their senior year. This course includes basic study of the major religions of the modern and ancient world and covers both the doctrine and practices that are found in Christianity, Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism and includes reading from their respective religious texts.

We welcome and encourage diversity of all kinds in our school community (we embrace free and open inquiry and the diverse perspectives of people of different backgrounds, religions and cultures). As a result, there are staff and children in attendance at Delphian who are members of many faiths, including Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Scientology, and representative of different denominations and sects.

In coordination with each child's parents, Delphian School helps arrange transportation to local churches, synagogues or temples on days of worship as required by a student's individual religious practice.

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This article has been published as a Fatwa on Academia Edu with the title:

Islam & Scientology: A Comparative Theological and Juristic Perspective


https://www.academia.edu/44365651/I...parative_Theological_and_Juristic_Perspective


The conclusion is again:

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The Islamic Ruling on Joining Scientology

Accordingly, in addition to the evident fact that a Muslim does not need to join scientology, it is not permissible for a Muslim to become a scientologist.

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