Sells, professor of comparative religion at Haverford College, said that critics of "Approaching the Qur'an," which was required summer reading for all incoming freshmen this fall, made false assumptions about the book, namely that it claimed that Islam was a religion of peace. He said he intends for the book to give non-Muslims a sense of what Muslims feel and experience when reading the Qur'an.
Sells said that UNC's decision to assign the book in the wake of the tragic events of Sept. 11th struck a nerve throughout much of the American public. "The U.S. has been at war for far longer than [since] 9/11," Sells explained. "Confusion about who the enemy is has caused a sense of anxiety in the American public which burst out at UNC because it hadn't found a way of expressing itself."
Those most opposed to UNC requiring Sells' book were evangelical Christian leaders, such as Pat Robertson and Reverend Jerry Falwell. According to Sells, people have promoted their own religion by creating a religious enemy.
Sells said that he attributes much of the anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S. today to misconceptions of the religion. He said that many Americans speak of images of religious police, horrible treatment of women and Saudi Princes. For example, Robertson has written many letters to Sells, in which he mentions the Muslim woman in Nigeria who will be stoned to death for having sex out of wedlock. Sells explained that this is an extreme example, and that too often, people stereotype religions by looking only at the negative parts.
While Sells says the major charge against Islam is its treatment of women, it is not true that all Muslim women are disempowered. In Afghanistan, the Taliban put women under house arrest. In Iran, however, 50 percent of university students are women.
Sells did say, however, that more can be done to stop the horrific treatment of women. "In the Islamic world, there aren't enough Islamic leaders speaking out publicly against violent treatment of women," said Sells.
The Muslims that Sells has met abroad hold love, beauty and the arts in very high regard. However, this image of Muslims is not present in the U.S.
"[Sells] made it very clear that violence, specifically Jihad, are part of the Qur'an, but we can't take that to mean that all Muslims sanction and participate in violence based on faith," said Mike Allison '04.