In a previous column, I discussed books by two ex-Muslim women, Nonie Darwish and Wafa Sultan, relating their experiences after years under Islam. Darwish comes to the most extreme conclusion – that Islam is not a religion at all, but a political ideology in the guise of religion. She also specifies what should be the essential characteristics of a religion: 1) a religion must be a personal choice; 2) no religion should kill those who leave it; 3) a religion must never order the killing and subjugation of those who do not choose to be its members; and 4) a religion must abide by basic human rights.
Could it be true that Islam is not a religion? St. Thomas Aquinas, in defining religion, utilizes Cicero’s broad characterization according to which religion “consists in offering service and ceremonial rites or worship” to “some superior nature that men call divine.” Aquinas adds that this definition applies to religion in general, but that further specifications may be derived from revelation:
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