Progressoverpeace, #49, gets to the heart of the matter. Having taught college history for 7 years before getting fed up, I can assure you that neither world nor Middle Eastern history texts refer to Jesus as “The Christ,” “The Messiah,” or “The Son of God”–yet Muhammad is ALWAYS called “the Prophet” (usually capitalized). I don’t think this privileging of Islam and Muslims is done so much out of fear of reprisal as it is out of a Leftist conviction that since Christians = Westerners, they are, and always have been, conquerors and oppressors and, on the other side, Muslims = permanent victims–therefore, they must be deferred to. I was in an interview for an Islamic history professorship once and several on the search committee (Ph.Ds in history and philosophy) were in denial and disbelief when I discussed the fact that many other Middle Easterners (including Muslism)saw the OTTOMANS as imperialists–which they were.
Here’s the article about it: http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/3646
