Islam is an idol worshiping religion.

I contend that Islam is an idol worshiping religion. When I say this, it would be surmised that I am out to create mischief because it is universally understood that Islam is dead against idol worship. But I do not level this charge to taunt the Muslims out of any spite. I love Muslims. They are as human as anyone else. But my problem is with the claim of Islam that it does not believe in idol worship.

In fact all worship is idol worship. It is not possible to worship except that worship be idol worship. The condition of idol worship is that there be a worshipper and a thing worshiped. Muslims might say that there is no “thing” that a Muslim worships. That what they worship is only the unimaginable power called Allah who created the universe. Be it so, except that they have a need to reduce that unimaginable power to a word “Allah”. A sound idol, I might say and the Muslim will say I am merely quibbling to provoke.

However, my deeper reason to accuse Muslims of being the idol worshipers they would rather die than admit is that Islam considers Allah, the creator, as separate from His creation. This means that when we, the creation or creature want to connect with Allah, we have perforce to turn outwards – ever so symbolically proved when the common Muslim raises his vision upwards when he wishes to thank Allah in ordinary conversation. Of course in formal prayers Muslims turn towards Mecca – which becomes the central point to which they direct their prayers. Add to this the fact that the central point contains a huge cube structure, which if the Muslims can get near enough they would lavishly kiss, completes the case that the Muslims are indeed idol worshippers.

The case becomes all the more apparent when we consider that there has been a successful ancient teaching called Adviata which even today continues to be the undercurrent of the oldest religion in the world – Hinduism. Advaita says that God is actually what we essentially are and is not a phenomenon separate from us whom we have to seek for outside and idolize concretely, as Hindu idol-worshippers do - or turn it into a faith, as Muslims do.

Muslims protest at any allegation that the Kaaba represents an idol through or with the help of which they worship Allah. They insist that they worship only Allah and pray directly to Allah. Which is why they find it impossible to even sing Vande Mataram because that would be tantamount for them to worshiping something other than Allah.

Therefore, we cannot ignore the basic question, “What is worship?” It would seem that worship, according to Islam, is the process taught by Mohammad which Muslims are expected to perform 5 times a day. However, it would surprise the reader to know that Mohammad himself was quoted in a hadidth to imply that worship is not merely an external form, its essence is indeed the internal state of mind. Mohammad went on to say that if the approach is right, even sex with one’s wife is worship and would be rewarded by Allah. This was said when his companions asked "How are we going to be rewarded for doing something we enjoy very much?" The Prophet asked them, "Suppose you satisfy your desires illegally, don't you think you will be punished for that?" They replied, "Yes." "So," he said, "by satisfying it legally with your wives, you are rewarded for it." The hadith or its commentary concludes, “This means, they - legitimate sexual intercourse - are acts of worship.”

While I am at present unable to vouch for the genuineness of the Hadith, but if true, it goes on to prove that for Mohammad the very act of living legitimately (as instructed by the Quran) is worship. It being so, and the Kaaba being the centre of the Hajj rituals, there is little doubt that kissing the blackstone embedded in the Kaaba forms a part of Islamic worship - idol worship, pure and simple.

Saying thus, I rest my case.