Why They Hate Us

In the children's picture alphabet book, A is for Allah, page one has no picture of an alligator eating an apple. It has no picture at all, since A is for Allah and drawing Allah is forbidden. You might think the blank page encourages children to use their imaginations, but it doesn't. Imagining what Allah looks like is forbidden. He is to be obeyed, not thought about.

Page two has no balls bouncing or bees buzzing. B is for Bismillah, the words that begin the Koran. Bismallah means: “In the name of Allah.” There is no picture, only a list of ninety-nine names for Allah, such as “The Magnificent” and “The Irresistable.” None of these names have a picture, and all of them must be memorized before proceeding to C.