A Peaceful Religion in D Minor

A British Orchestral performance by Sir John Tavener is set to debut. It is titled The Beautiful Names, based on the 99 names of Allah (Yes, really). The BBC writes:

The Beautiful Names sets the 99 names for Allah as culled from the Qu’ran, sung in Arabic. ‘Inspiration for the piece came to me as a vision,’ says Tavener, ‘and the music just came to me immediately I saw the Arabic word’.

The programming guide has more:

The Divine names fall into two categories, those of majesty and those of mercy. Each set of 11 Names are separated by outbursts of the Supreme Name.

During the radio interview I heard this morning on the BBC World Service, Tavener blithely mentioned the "bad name" given to Islam.

Apparently, Tavener has been too busy artfully stringing together "Allah the majestic" and "Allah the merciful" in Arabic to percussion and wood instruments to have been paying much attention to the news. If he had, he would have read the reports of a recent spike in Honor Killings in Britain, or the present call for Sir Salman Rushdie's death by Muslims, and their burning of the Queen in effigy.

I can only wonder if Tavener included poetic Arabic translations of dhimmi and infidel in his epic score.

Merciful? Ask the Jews about merciful Islam. Ask Iraqis. Ask Indians. Heck, ask Palestinians about the present streak of mercy doled out by the 'Party of God.'

Like Rome, this is how nations crumble from within.