Quote from: PseudoephedrineThe Koran doesn't produce a certain kind of society, any more than the Bible automatically produces Roman Christendom or Calvin's Geneva.

Sorry.  I didn't mean to imply that the Koran would produce a specific kind of society.  

However, I do think that relatively speaking, the Koran is a much more coherent document than the Bible is.  It was written at the same place and historical era, ostensibly by the same person, with the purpose of explaining religion.  (Plus being many times shorter.)  This as opposed to, say, someone writing a letter on some topic that later gets stuck in a book along with dozens of other authors over hundreds or thousands of years, in different languages, etc.

You can cast just about anyone as a hero in a game/story.  Think about books and films and the wide range of heroes they include -- often characters with very un-heroic backgrounds (eg. Oscar Schindler).

Nasir (Malik Kemal Inal Ibrahim Shams ad-Dualla Wattab ibn Mahmud) was one of Robin's Merry Men in the 1980s "Robin of Sherwood" TV show in the UK.

Quote from: StuartNasir (Malik Kemal Inal Ibrahim Shams ad-Dualla Wattab ibn Mahmud) was one of Robin's Merry Men in the 1980s "Robin of Sherwood" TV show in the UK.

 Perfect example!!
 Can't believe I forgot about that one. Although we all sometimes try to forget certain Kevin Costner movies.  Thought Morgan Freeman did a pretty damn good job with that part.

- E.W.C.

Quote from: jhkimSorry.  I didn't mean to imply that the Koran would produce a specific kind of society.  

However, I do think that relatively speaking, the Koran is a much more coherent document than the Bible is.  It was written at the same place and historical era, ostensibly by the same person, with the purpose of explaining religion.  (Plus being many times shorter.)  This as opposed to, say, someone writing a letter on some topic that later gets stuck in a book along with dozens of other authors over hundreds or thousands of years, in different languages, etc.

See, I'd argue just the opposite. The Koran was written by a camel merchant, not a bunch of intellectuals and poets. It's very scattershot, without a great deal of intellectual rigour involved in composing the text. If you've ever read it, it rambles and rambles on and contradicts itself repeatedly. The Bible is nearly as bad, but the various authors are strongly influenced by one another - they're working within an evolving tradition, even though that tradition changes over time. It doesn't cohere in the shallow sense that say, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon are opposed to the role of sensuality in leading us towards God, but one can trace the evolution in thought over time through it. It's coherent in the same way that say, Catholicism is coherent over time as a tradition, even if specific conceptions at specific times have differed drastically.

There are already several dozen planets in the established TRAVELLER universe that have Arabic or Turkish place names.

 HeQ, one whole major race is the Turkish word for Lion.

 Still loving the "rug scene". If I use  that - it will be a scene with two NPCs at a starport.

- E.W.C.

Quote from: fonkaygarryExtra points for a "save the rug before prayer time!" caper?

It could be like Hitchhikers and towels - "Always know where you rug is"

Would it be out of place to note that a prayer mat is not absolutely necessary for praying? Any clean piece of cloth will do in a pinch.

Quote from: droogWould it be out of place to note that a prayer mat is not absolutely necessary for praying? Any clean piece of cloth will do in a pinch.

 That ties in nicely with that whole Hitchhiker's Guide thing of always having a towel handy....

- E.W.C.

Quote from: droogWould it be out of place to note that a prayer mat is not absolutely necessary for praying? Any clean piece of cloth will do in a pinch.

Yes, terribly.  

Seriously, no, it isn't out of place because I didn't know that, and thanks for pointing it out.  Maybe it just says something about this particular guy that he has a fancy one which he prefers to use.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!Seriously, no, it isn't out of place because I didn't know that, and thanks for pointing it out.  Maybe it just says something about this particular guy that he has a fancy one which he prefers to use.

Prayer rugs that have a reputation of having been used by Islamic religious figures occupy a similar place in Moslem life as relics of saints do for Christians

Quote from: PseudoephedrineSee, I'd argue just the opposite. The Koran was written by a camel merchant, not a bunch of intellectuals and poets. It's very scattershot, without a great deal of intellectual rigour involved in composing the text. If you've ever read it, it rambles and rambles on and contradicts itself repeatedly.

Not worse than the Bible does; the bible is a mixed jumble of ideas which really don't belong together, who's authors did not generally think of as belonging together, and yet there they are.

Also, in the original Arabic, the Koran is incredibly beautifully poetic. It was one of the things that managed to gain Mohammed so many converts; they were amazed at the Koran.  It was frequently cited as proof of divine inspiration, since no one who knew Mohammed apparently believed he could be smart or educated enough to create such a book.

Finally, keep in mind that any good (successful) holy book needs to be scattershot.  The more wild and crazy, broad and contradictory the contents of a book are, the more likely it will be able to continue to be re-interpreted in the long term to suit the needs of the culture using it. Make a book too focused, general, and consistent, and you end up with a failed religion.

RPGPundit

Quote from: Hastur T. FannonPrayer rugs that have a reputation of having been used by Islamic religious figures occupy a similar place in Moslem life as relics of saints do for Christians

Interesting point!  Since so many Traveller adventures revolve around people of dubious moral character obtaining valuable items on the behest of others, one way to introduce Islam without Islamic PCs is to have the players' employer be Muslim.  Even if its just for a one-time job to obtain a particular rug owned by a noted art collector on Rylanor.  I mean, what could go wrong?


TGA

Quote from: The Good AssyrianInteresting point!  Since so many Traveller adventures revolve around people of dubious moral character obtaining valuable items on the behest of others, one way to introduce Islam without Islamic PCs is to have the players' employer be Muslim.  Even if its just for a one-time job to obtain a particular rug owned by a noted art collector on Rylanor.  I mean, what could go wrong?


TGA

I celebrate you.  Rockettes will dance for your pleasure, and much beef jerky will be laid upon your board.

Quote from: jhkimHm.  Well, the joke in A Piece of the Action was that the Sigma Iotians were patterning their civilization after a book that clearly was not intended as something to be followed.

That's not the only point.  On a broader level, it's about how aliens might interpret something without it's cultural context.

Quote from: jhkimOn the other hand, far moreso than the Christian Bible (which is an often contradictory series of anecdotes and rules), the Qur'an is a coherent book intended to explain how to live one's life.  So if the teachings took hold (which they might not), the result would presumably just be a muslim society, which isn't inherently fodder for play.

How much do you know about the Quran?  First, there is the issue of how aliens might deal with something like "Mecca" or "People of the Book" if they don't know what it means.  Second, the sections of the Quran are ordered by size, not chronological order, thus a person reading the sections without the context of the chronological order and historical context can come up with a very different interpretation of what it says.  Finally, a great deal of what we think of as "Muslim" is not in the Quran, itself, but also the Hadith, Sunnah, and components of Arab, Persian, etc. culture.  So if an alien culture were to take only the Quran and live their lives by it, the result might arguably be a "Muslim society" but it could be a very, very different Muslim society than what you find on Earth.  Another angle could be an alien who decides to model his life on Muhammed and becomes sort of a charlatan religious leader, not using the Quran but inventing his own as he claims to hear God speaking to him, as skeptics of Islam accuse Muhammed of doing.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!I celebrate you.  Rockettes will dance for your pleasure, and much beef jerky will be laid upon your board.

I love beef jerky!  That ROCKS!


TGA