In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Alhamdulillah… infinite thanks and praise are due to the Almighty Allah. Complete peace and salutations are upon our most beloved creature of all times, Sayyiduna Muhammad, his household, his companions, and all those who follow his guided path.
In the past week or so, the online Muslim community, especially the English-speaking was outraged by Jordan Peterson’s “Message to Muslims.” If you have never heard of this name, then kindly skip this article, and spend the time to read something more beneficial here on GSalam.Net, or watch something beneficial on Al-Bushra by GSalam’s channel on YouTube or its page on Facebook. Alternatively, you may want to spend that time to refresh and polish your Qur’an reading mastery on TVQ.Academy’s channel on YouTube or its page on Facebook.
This article isn’t necessarily a reaction to Dr Jordan Peterson’s “Message to Muslims.” It’s rather a reflection upon the “message.” It’s a look into how Jordan Peterson’s phenomenon began. It also proposes a way forward for Muslims. The article is distributed in the following sections:
- Who is Jordan Peterson
- The Phenomenon of Jordan Peterson
- Jordan Peterson’s Message to Muslims
- How Did Muslims React to Peterson’s Message?
- Where Did Jordan Peterson Get It Wrong?
- Is Jordan Peterson a Tool of a Certain Agenda?
- The Way Forward for Muslims
- Conclusion
Who is Jordan Peterson
The YouTube channel’s bio of Jordan Peterson introduces him as Jordan B. Peterson, a Canadian professor of psychology, clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, best-selling author, and host of an education podcast, “The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast”.
Through his podcast series, he has hosted guests from all corners. Among those who are famous names in the English Muslim community online.
Peterson admits that he used to be an atheist until he found God. But then again, when he found God, he found him in Christianity. Thus, a glimpse of his content gives a clear view of his attachment to the church. In fact, most of his recent works are biblical in nature.
However, Jordan Peterson is a YouTuber and an author. As much as they can be noble, these two qualities are usually profit-driven.
Upon listening to him, one can realise how confused the man is. He’s having inner-struggle in finding God. But because he’s a professor, academic, and a figure with millions of followers, it’s difficult to tell him, or for him to humble himself and learn about God, the correct way, from the correct sources. Perhaps, you can take a better overview from his video in which he explains why he joined a pro-Israeli network.
The Phenomenon of Jordan Peterson
The phenomenon of Jordan Peterson is not new. It’s not new because, Muslims have developed a level of insecurity complex, that everything that comes from the West, especially if it speaks English is superior. Yet still, if it’s white.
Therefore, with him being white, coming from Canada, speaking English, and also being eloquent, he has already ticked many of the boxes. The final box left for him to tick was speaking about matters that are close to the hearts of Muslims. And he did that too. Box ticked.
Among other good instances, Peterson has spoken against feminism. He has also spoken against same-sex marriage, as well has hosted topics that discussed ‘Black Lives Matter’ on his podcast. With that, he succeeded in bridging the gap between himself and the majority of Muslims. Thus, he was welcomed with open arms.
In the process, he hosted Muhammad Hijab on his show. Next, he hosted Shaykh Hamzah Yusuf. The two sessions that featured these two Muslim figures increased his audience base among the online English-speaking Muslim community.
In his interviews, it’s clear, that he knows little about Islam. Probably, this encouraged some Muslims to keep pressing on him, inviting him to Islam. As if the whole world will become turn to Islam if Jordan Peterson becomes Muslim. As if, he’s going to be the saviour of the world by rejecting Islam.
Little did we know that Peterson was basically building a base of Muslim audience for a personal agenda. More on that later.
With that, Dr Jordan Peterson took the time he needed to test the waters before coming out with what I refer to as the joke of “Message to Muslims.” While testing the waters, he spoke the language that many Muslims feel either comfortable with or inferior to.
Jordan Peterson’s Message to Muslims
For the record, a day before his “Message to Muslims,” Peterson published a “Message to the Christian Churches.” But it’s interesting to observe, that although published a day apart, both messages were recorded in the same sitting, in the same outfit. I see that as a tactic to be neutral. But it didn’t work.
In his viral video of 6.52 minutes long, which at the time of writing this article has gathered 2.1M views, Dr Peterson starts his message by promoting the Abraham accords. Well, Abraham Accords is the new religion pushed by the CIA and its tails around the world on Muslims. The Abraham Accords aim at Muslims, more specifically to accept all religions as the same, since, in the end, all is worshiping One God.
He then moves on, with his right leg on the other, pointing fingers at the camera, to instruct Muslims to stop considering Christians and Jews as enemies. That statement came after he “advised” Muslims to stop internal fights, especially that of Sunni vs Shite.
Jordan Peterson is a charismatic personality. He has tried to appear humble in both his shows with Muhammad Hijab and Hamzah Yusuf. However, in his “Message to Muslims”, one can see a person whose nose touches the skies, sitting with crossed legs, dictating on kindergarten children.
The man who is yet to find out who God is, comes to tell Muslims, that their enemies are in their hearts.
Unexpectedly to him, reactions from Muslims came faster than he could ever thought.
How Did Muslims React to Peterson’s Message?
Dr Jordan Peterson has more than five million (5.29M) subscribers to his YouTube channel. If you scan through his videos, you’ll observe that while most of his videos gain above 100K views, and some gain above 500K views, the majority of his videos that hit 1M views are those in which he either hosted Muslim speakers, talked about Islam, or talked about oppression. The exception is two videos both of which he talked about Twitter banning him (3.2M views) and why Twitter is insane (1.1M views).
While his message to the Christian churches received 1M views, his message to Muslims has gathered 2.1M views. Both his sessions with Muhammad Hijab and Hamza Yusuf earned him 3.1M and 1.8M views respectively, as at the time of writing this article.
On that basis, I claim that half or close to half of his 5.29M subscribers are Muslims. With that, the man was confident, that he has enough brains of Muslims to cast his insult.
The truth is, I have never seen a YouTuber who received backlash from his Muslim followers as Jordan Peterson did following his “Message to Muslims.”
As much as people reacted and responded to him, one can observe that many are trying to explain and rebut the point Peterson raised in his video.
Below is a list of some Muslims’ responses to Peterson’s message:
- Dear Jordan Peterson
- Jordan Peterson’s “MESSAGE TO MUSLIMS”…My Thoughts as a Revert
- A friendly message to Dr. Jordan Peterson regarding his message to Muslims
- Jordan Peterson – Message to Muslims (Analysis)
- Response to Jordan Peterson’s Message to Muslims | The Seyed Show
- Jordan Peterson Backstabs Muslims| Clear Evidence
- Are Muslims Enemies of the Jews? – A message BACK to Dr. Jordan Peterson
Honestly, I see no need for such explanations. At least not for Peterson himself.
While his ignorance about Islam is obvious, it’s also evident that the man’s objective wasn’t to learn about Islam. His objective was to build a Muslim base and then tell them to embrace the Abraham accord.
For instance, in his session with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, he asked Hamza Yusuf this: “How to be a Jew and a Christian and a Muslim at the same time?” Shaykh Hamza Yusuf right answered him upfront, “just by becom[ing] a Muslim. That’s the best way. Because the beauty of Islam is you get the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Last Testament.”
Hamza Yusuf’s answer was on point. But one couldn’t think that that wasn’t the answer Peterson was looking for. What then was the answer he was looking for?
The answer he was looking for came in the opening of his “Message to Muslims”. He said, “the comments from the Muslim watchers and listeners to my YouTube channel and podcast have been so extraordinarily positive. And all this is lovely to see in the aftermath of the extraordinary Abraham accords, which have laid out the possibility for peace between all the people of the book in an unprecedented manner.”
That was what he was expecting to hear someone among the Muslims he has hosted say. When, and I assume that, none said it, he came out to say it.
Where Did Jordan Peterson Get It Wrong?
While he shares some common grounds with Muslims, i.e., voicing against feminism, opposing same-sex marriage, and rejecting forcing the LGBTQ lifestyle on children, Jordan Peterson forgot that his knowledge and understanding of Islam is very shallow. He also failed to learn that what he read about Muslims doesn’t necessarily represent the reality on the ground.
I claim that he took Muslims for granted as he perceived them as too simplistic. That’s why he didn’t expect the number of reactions that he was flooded with following the joke.
It doesn’t matter, what his reaction to the reactions of many Muslims and some non-Muslims will be. If my assumptions happen to be true, then he’s likely going to come out with more videos and pursue the cause even more aggressively. That’s promoting the Abraham accords and normalising Israel to Muslims.
Is Jordan Peterson a Tool of a Certain Agenda?
One can’t claim that the man is a tool for an external agenda. At the same time, this can’t be ruled out. At least, he has his personal agenda.
Governments, organizations, muftis, Muslim and non-Muslim celebrities have failed to normalise the new CIA religion; the Abraham Accords to the minds of majority of Muslims. Nas Daily and Steve Harvey are good examples of figures used for this agenda and they failed miserably. By the grace of Allah. And now, Jordan Peterson follows suit.
If some Muslim scholars are in reality agents and spies and are meant to drive their followers away from Islam and bring them closer to the Abraham accords, what makes Jordan Peterson suddenly preaches on Muslims?
The Way Forward for Muslims
I pray that a day comes for Dr Peterson to subscribe to and embrace Islam. When he does, it’ll only be for his own good. Not the other way round. In other words, he needs Islam, and Islam needs nobody.
However, it’s good that this ‘joke’ happened before that hopeful day hopefully comes. Otherwise, Muslims would have crowned him the Shaykh al-Islam of post-COVID-19. Just like they embraced him even as a non-Muslim, simply because he speaks English, and articulates eloquently impressive.
It’s high time that Muslims stop worshiping the West, and glorifying everything that comes from the West. We are filled with too much of an inferiority complex.
This inferiority complex is a result of our failure to appreciate what Islam is. We have failed to cherish and live Islam as it should be. Because we have sidelined our Islam, we are at loss and are looking for anything that glitters to subscribe to and show off with. Thus, any Tom, Dick, and Harry become a hero to us, in a blink of an eye.
We no longer need ‘education’ to go out of this naiveness. Masha Allah… the Ummah is already lettered. We go out of this naiveness with guidance. And guidance lies in Islam.
Conclusion
A Muslim will only take Jordan Peterson seriously, as someone who can enlighten him better about Islam if he is someone who allows himself to learn Islam from non-Muslims.
It should be known, that we, Muslims care for our non-Muslim relatives and friends. And we wish for them the good we wish for ourselves, in this life and the next. But we don’t learn Islam from non-Muslims.
Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz 🙂
Maa shaa Allah! Interesting read.