Rant Wraith has googled up some interesting info about Imam Yahya Hendi, the Georgetown University Muslim chaplain who will give tonight’s closing benediction at the Democratic National Convention.

The Imam is a Ph.D. candidate in Islamic Theology at American Open University in Falls Church, Virginia, whose web site is mostly in Arabic.

But here’s a site in English, containing American Open University’s curriculum from the year 2000, which was used to teach Islamic students in Fresno, California: Fundamentals of Iman and Tauhid.

And here’s what they were teaching, one year before September 11, in a course titled: Secularism is Shirk in Allah’s Lordship & Deityship.

Whoever calls the people (and/or himself) to the following and obedience of another law other than the shari’a is a disbeliever and a mushrik.

The scholars of Usool-ul-Fiqh have all agreed on the axiom that “None has the right to legislate but Allah.” Don’t be fooled by their discussion of whether the intellect can arrive independently at the ruling in an issue. What they are talking about is the intellect - through training and other knowledge of the shari’a and its sources and ways - DISCOVERING or “uncovering” the eternal ruling of Allah in an issue, NOT legislating independently of Allah Most High.

Clearly secularism - which includes the rejection of the primacy of the shari’a as the ultimate source of law and which claims the right to leglislate independently of Allah general legislation which define obligation, prohibition, choice or relational rulings at odds with the order of Allah and His Prophet (sas) - is a rejection of the Lordship and the Deityship of Allah Most High. It is one of the actions of shirk akbar (greater polytheism) without doubt. There can be no distinction between the one who questions Allah’s oneness in His creation and the one who questions Allah’s oneness in His order. Both are taghoot, mushrik and in a state of rebellion against the worship of Allah Most High.

The tauhid of Allah in His Lordship is not complete with the mere acceptance of his creation and his decree. Rather, it must also include His oneness in legislating, judgeing and commanding and the acceptance of the guidance and laws brought from Him by Muhammad (sas). Detracting from Allah’s oneness in legislation is no different from detracting from His oneness in creation and omnipotence. The One who commanded us to accept His decree and omnipotence in all things is the same one who commanded us to refer and defer to His shari’a in all legal matters. He is the One who said: There is no sovereignty except Allah’s. He commands you not to worship any but Him. (Yusuf: 40)

Keep this in mind as you watch the Imam’s closing benediction tonight, which will no doubt contain soothing words for the willfully blind, following a convention in which the words “Al Qaeda” were not mentioned once.