Luther classed Muslims with Jews and Catholics as rejecting justification by faith

Evidence

In his treatise On War Against the Turk (1528), Luther develops more fully his assessment of Islam in the context of justifying a violent response to the Turks. He offers three observations about Islam based on his reading of the Qur’an. First, he argues that Muslims believe that Muhammad is superior to Christ and that Christ, while without sin, is merely a prophet and not humanity’s savior. Muhammad undermines the very heart of the Christian faith, leaving his readers with a “doctrine of works” that places Muslims in the same category as Jews and Catholics in rejecting justification by faith. Such a doctrine is the work of the devil. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 150

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the specifically Lutheran doctrinal lens (‘justification by faith’) through which he judged Islam — a theological, not racial, category.
• XREF: The ‘doctrine of works’ categorization matters for the reader’s question of where religion is distinguished from peoplehood — here the grouping is purely doctrinal. — connects to: Luther weaponized images of Islam to attack Catholicism as well as Turks — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 154; Luther considered the Vatican a greater enemy than Islam — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 80; Sixteenth-century Catholics equated Luther’s reforms with the Turkish threat — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 156 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Luther weaponized images of Islam to attack Catholicism as well as Turks #expands (0.70) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 154
• Despite the shared conviction among many Britons and Americans that Islam stood in inherent antagonism to Christianity and the sentiment among some that it should be destroyed, Britons in India… #exemplifies (0.60)
• Sixteenth-century Catholics equated Luther’s reforms with the Turkish threat #contradicts (0.40) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 156
• Luther considered the Vatican a greater enemy than Islam #complicates (0.30) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 80