Islam

From Srafopedia

In Our World

Islam is the second largest religion in our world. It originated in the 7th century, under the teachings of Muhammad, a religious prophet. Islam and Christianity both originate from Judaism. Islam centers around the worshiping of one God, Allah in Arabic.

In His Dark Materials

Islam in Lyra's world is not mentioned in His Dark Materials. But on the map list in "Lyra's Oxford" the Ottoman Empire is mentioned. In our world the Ottoman Empire was a powerful Islamic empire, thus making it likely that the religion does exist there as well.

Controversy

Some readers, have criticized Philip Pullman for not presenting a negative parallel for Islam as he seemingly does for Christianity in His Dark Materials, especially in light of Mary Malone's specific assessment of Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." Particular attention has been paid to the passage where Xaphania lists the false names the Authority gave himself, a list which does not include Allah. There are some reports that Allah has been added to the list in the latest editions, so far unconfirmed.