When I was a student at BYU I typically stayed in Provo during the summer, enjoyed the less crowded conditions on campus, but knew that for one week in August the campus would be invaded by large numbers of people participating in BYU’s “Campus Education Week.” The phenomenon seemed odd to me - - BYU is a university, its entire mission is education at a university level, yet this one week of each year was distinguished from all other weeks of the year by means of the title “Education Week,” notwithstanding the fact that Education Week participants merely attend lectures rather than take university classes with their attendant coursework and exams. This year I decided to join the Education Week crowds when I learned one set of lectures would be dedicated to the Mormon colonies in Mexico, where my maternal grandmother was raised.

Today was my first day at Education Week. In the early afternoon I arrived at the Marriott Center parking lot was packed and, consistent with the demographics of the Education Week crowd, a 100-yard long row of parking paces we set aside for handicapped parking. I was unable to find a parking space, but found a spot to park on a side street. I made the long walk to the Marriott Center, registered, and headed to my first lecture.

At 1:50 pm Taylor McDonald gave a presentation titled “The Golden Age of the Mexican Colonies: 1890 to 1912.” The lecture was well-attended, although there were some empty seats in the auditorium of BYU’s Conference Center. More than half of those in attendance had ancestors who lived in the colonies. Here are some notes from the lecture.

* During the early years of the colonies the residents isolated themselves from the surrounding area to a great extent, and one could grow up in the colonies without learning to speak Spanish. Today, most of the residents of the colonies are Mexican and Spanish-speaking.

* There was great growth in the colonies when they were founded, and people could not move into the colonies unless they had a recommend from their previous LDS ward. This could be seen as exclusionary, but its purpose was to strengthen the colonies during their early, fragile years.

* There were 9 colonies in all.

* By way of illustration, the founding of Colonia Juarez was described to some extent. City plats were drawn out, there was careful planning, the colonists worked 2 years building and cultivating the soil, when the were told they had built on the wrong spot and had to move 2 miles to a rocky area divided by the river that flowed through the area. As a result of this conflict, the LDS Church sent 3 men to attend law school in Mexico City and become qualified as lawyers in Mexico - - one of them was an ancestor of the lecturer. The colonists had no choice, so they moved, and started over. The Mexicans downstream of the Mormons complained that the Mormons were not leaving enough water for them. A violent earthquake came (according to one report was accompanied by a flame shooting forth out of the earth), sparks flew from the friction of rocks forced against each other. As a result of the earthquake fissures opened and new springs began to low, increasing the supply of water for the colony by one third, and resolving the concern of those downstream of the colonists. The rocky soil was not conducive to field crops, but was beneficial for the orchards planted by the colonists, and the quality of Ciudad Juarez fruit became famous in Mexico.

* Colonia Diaz, where my maternal grandmother was raised, occupied 7000 acres. It was destroyed by vandals - - burnt to the ground - - after the colonists evacuated the colony during the Mexican revolution. It was located 200 miles to the southwest of El Paso, Texas, and 20 miles to the south of New Mexico. The colonists moved in too fast, began building. When LDS apostle George Teasdale arrived, he told the colonists they had build 2 miles too far to the east, and needed to re-locate; the colonists did not follow this direction, thereby failing to avoid the frequent flooding the colony experienced throughout its history. The colonists built to stay, establishing nice homes, mills, and other infrastructure. When the colony was destroyed, it is likely that the Mexicans, who like books, would have removed the numerous books from the colony before burning it. There are reports that those who have visited the vicinity subsequent to the colony’s destruction found that homes and stores exhibited framed pictures taken from the colony, including pictures of Brigham Young. The lecturer surmises that if he were to go to the area and offer to purchase books from the colony for U.S. dollars, then local residents would be able to find such books in their homes.

* According the lecturer, the best book about life in the colonies is a new book by Lorna Call Alder titled “Anson Bowen Call: Bishop of Colonia Dublan.”

From this lecture I headed to the ballroom of the Wilkinson Center. On the way I turned when I heard a vehicle honking its horn, and was greeted by some friends. The ballroom was packed, but I was able to find a seat towards the front for Daniel Peterson’s 3:10 pm lecture titled “What You Should Know about the Qur’an.” He is a professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at BYU, and has a PhD in Arabic and Persian. He is the author of a recently published, and well-received, book titled “Muhammad, Prophet of God.” During his lecture Dr. Peterson readily spoke in Arabic in sharing passages of the Qur’an, and alluded to various experiences from his travels in the Middle East. Here are some notes from Dr. Peterson’s presentation.

* Islam means “submission to the will of God.” When spelled with the capital “I” the word is the official name of the religion, but when spelled with the small “i” the word denotes the concept of submission to God. The Qu’ran says that “the pure religion of God is islam.” The Qu’ran also says that the Prophet Abraham practiced “islam” - - it does not say he was a Muslim, which would make no sense since the religion was not founded until long after Abraham’s death.

* Sura 112 is the part of the Qu’ran that most conflicts with Christian doctrine as it says Allah was not begotten and did not beget - - or words to that effect. This clearly conflicts with the doctrine that Christ is the son of God.

* When Muslims refer to the United States as the Great Satan, it is because they regard the United States as both evil and seductive - - the fact that the United States is appealing and attractive actually makes the United States more hated. The USSR was not has hated by the Muslims - - they regarded it as evil, but it was not seductive, it was grim, unattractive, unappealing. Dr. Peterson told of flying to Egypt from the USSR, and how the passengers applauded when they arrived in Egypt, they were so happy to be there after having been in the dismal USSR.

* The Qur’an cannot be translated, the Qur’an is an Arabic book. When translated into another language, it is not regarded as the Qur’an, but a representation of the Qur’an, something other than the Qur’an itself. Muslims would not regard the Qu’ran as poetry, but his is one way of understanding this concept - - the sound of the words, the rhymes, it all is part of what the Qur’an is. Dr. Peterson once purchased a Qur’an in Turkey, with the intend of purchasing a translation in Turkish to he could practice his Turkish language skills. He discovered that the book was written in the Roman alphabet, but was a written in phonetics so that the reader could pronounce the Arabic sounds - - this illustrates the concept of the Qur’an being only in Arabic, the mere fact that such a book would be created.

* The Qur’an is supposed to be a transcription of a portion of the book of heaven, a book that exists in heaven that includes all scripture and an account of all acts that each of us will perform in this life, the book by which we will all be judged.

* The Prophet Muhammad had two phases of his prophetic life - - the first in Mecca, and the second in Medina. Those portions of the Qur’an from his Mecca period are short, poetic, and apocalyptic - - they warn of the end of the world, of the bad acts of men and the bad consequences of those acts. Those portions of the Qur’an from the Medina period are a function of Muhammad’s role as a lawgiver, they do not sound poetic, are lengthy, and are highly legalistic.

* The Medina portions of the Qur’an include an example of a bias against women: when a witness of an event is needed, the witness will be effective if 2 men testify, or 1 man and 2 women. Dr. Peterson digressed, stated that the same type of bias is present in the New Testament, then stated his opinion that since women were not regarded as effective witnesses in New Testament culture, the authenticity of the story of the resurrection of Christ is strengthened by the fact that women were the first to see the resurrected Christ and testify of him - - someone fabricating a story in New Testament times would have had men be the witnesses to strengthen the claim that the story is actually true.

NOTE: While I respect Dr. Peterson’s opinion, and believe the New Testament account, this type of analysis never strengthens my convictions - - could not a very clever story teller in New Testament times have women play the role of witnesses in anticipation of the very type of analysis Dr. Peterson makes? To digress from Dr. Peterson’s digression, this brings to mind this classic exchange from “The Princess Bride” found at www.imdb.com (my notes from Dr. Peterson’s lecture continue further below):

Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right... and who is dead.

Vizzini: But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Man in Black: You've made your decision then?

Vizzini: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.

Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

Vizzini: Wait til I get going! Now, where was I?

Man in Black: Australia.

Vizzini: Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Man in Black: You're just stalling now.

Vizzini: You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong, so you could've put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Man in Black: You're trying to trick me into giving away something. It won't work.

Vizzini: IT HAS WORKED! YOU'VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! I KNOW WHERE THE POISON IS!

Man in Black: Then make your choice.

Vizzini: I will, and I choose - What in the world can that be?

Vizzini: [Vizzini gestures up and away from the table. Roberts looks. Vizzini swaps the goblets]
Man in Black: What? Where? I don't see anything.

Vizzini: Well, I- I could have sworn I saw something. No matter. First, let's drink. Me from my glass, and you from yours.

Man in Black, Vizzini: [they drink ]

Man in Black: You guessed wrong.

Vizzini: You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...

Vizzini: [Vizzini stops suddenly, and falls dead to the right]

Buttercup: And to think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned.

Man in Black: They were both poisoned. I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.

* Dr. Peterson told of being consulted by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, an LDS apostle, in advance of Elder Maxwell’s presiding over the lighting of Christmas trees at the LDS temple in Washington, D.C. Elder Maxwell knew that ambassadors from Muslim nations would be present, and wanted to speak some words that would be suitable for them. As a result of this consultation, Elder Maxwell memorized, in Arabic, a passage from the Qur’an that states: “God is the light of heaven and earth.” The ambassadors were very impressed – reports made there way back to Dr. Peterson. Elder Maxwell remembered the words for the rest of his life, and used them at times.

* The Qur’an is organized in reverse chronological order, because the passages are organized by length, and the Medina passages (which came later) are the lengthy, legalistic passages, so they appear before the earlier Mecca passages which are shorter and more poetic. A controversial method of interpreting the Qur’an is to say that if there is a conflict between two passages in the Qur’an, the latter of the two passages prevails – the latter passage abrogates the earlier passage. Some militants use this type of interpretation to justify their actions, to avoid Mecca passages that would condemn their actions. For example, here are some specific Mecca chapters or suras: 256 says there is no coercion in religion; 190 says “aggress not, God does not love the aggressor;” 195 says “do not cast yourself into destruction by your own hand.”

* Dr. Peterson noted that Muslims involved with suicide bombing did not invent suicide bombings, but are imitating the conduct of the Tamil Tigers from Sri Lanka, who have a secular philosophy.

* Muslims will not put the Qur’an on the floor. Muslim students at BYU have said that LDS people must not take their scriptures seriously because they will put them on the floor.

* The Qur’an is omnipresent in Muslim society. Passages are announced at the beginning and the end of the day, at the beginning and end of the broadcast day on TV. At a funeral reception, a Qur’an reader will be hired to read the Qur’an in the background during the event. There are Qur’an readers who are celebrities, who sell recordings of their reading of the Qur’an.

* Passages from the Qur’an are displayed as artwork on walls, ceilings, and so forth. Muslim art is abstract and geometric, it does not represent something else. This is seen in Muslim architecture. The words of the Qur’an itself are art. Calligraphy (“beautiful writing”) from the Qur’an is art.

* Dr. Peterson wanted to be an architect, but lacked the talent to become one.

NOTE: Why would Dr. Peterson have made this statement, what possible motive could he have had? In making this comment, was he “throwing a bone” to audience members such as myself, doing something to spark the firing of some neurons, to trigger the release of some endorphines, to keep such audience members alert? Surely a man of Dr. Peterson’s intellect knows that in the “Marine Biologist” episode of “Seinfeld,” Jerry attempts to entice a woman to pursue George Costanza by falsely telling her that George is a marine biologist, but when George learns of this he asks Jerry "Why couldn't you make me an architect? You know I always wanted to pretend that I was an architect."

* For Muslims, an apt comparison would be the Qur’an and Christ, not the Qur’an and the New Testament. This is because the Qur’an is the word of God, it is the presentation of God on the earth, and because Christians believe that Christ is the word. Muslims do not worship the Qur’an, but do see it as the representation of God on earth. Christians believe in the “incarnation” of God - - Christ became flesh. Muslims believe in the “inlibration” of God - - Allah became a book, represented on earth by a book.

* The Qur’an is short, it is not a guide to all issues. Muslims have supplemented the Qur’an with “hadith’s,” which are accounts of individuals that who knew Muhammad, what he did, what he allowed. People have gathered these up. The Muslim legal system is based on hadith’s. Given that the Qur’an does not give guidance on all issues, there was a “demand” for more hadith’s, given the law of supply and demand, hadith’s were generated, which resulted in the development of “hadith criticism” (criteria by which hadith’s are determined to be legitimate or not).

* Muslims and LDS are both “people of the book,” scripture is very important to them, but there are differences. Muslims believe the actual physical book is sacred, LDS do not. Muslims believe that every word in the Qur’an is literally true, LDS believe scriptures may have errors. For Muslims, the Qur’an more completely influences their lives (aesthetics [art, architecture], broadcasts, etc.).

* To understand Islam, understand the Qur’an. It is a book that is worth reading. It is one of the most influential books in history.

Dr. Peterson’s lecture was very favorably received by the audience - - he was a captivating speaker. From this lecture I proceeded to room 455 of the MARB, a building where I took many classes and where I attended classes for years. There a woman approached me, I did not recognize her at first, but she held up her credentials to me and I realized she was the mother of a good friend of mine who died young of cancer - - this woman cared for her daughter for several weeks or months after the initial diagnosis. She is a great woman, she and her husband have raised a great family. I enjoyed visiting with her. We both attended the a 4:30 pm lecture by Taylor Macdonald titled “Researching Personal and Family Histories.” Here are some notes:

* Research provides: 1) depth; 2) context; 3) documentation; 4) interpretative information.

* In this presentation, specific examples are given, but follow the principles (e.g., an example of a certain type of resource available in Utah may be described, the same resource may not be helpful for other locations, but search for that type of resource produced for other locations).

* Taped oral interviews: a) immediately interview the eldest people; b) do as many interviews as possible; c) to further afield that you might suppose (at times individuals with an apparently limited relation to the subject may have a great deal of information).

* Research will surprise you, even with respect to subjects familiar to you.

* Learn the names of the family members and ancestors, memorize them - - this way they can pop out at you when you are reviewing research materials, otherwise you may not recognize relevant materials.

* Gather what is already written and recorded.

* Gather materials about the subject (and relatives and associates of the subject) from individuals and libraries. If you are writing your personal history, for example, talk to classmates – they will remember things that you don’t.

* If people you approach are uncooperative, use “3 P’s:” 1) patience; 2) perseverance; 3) “parcel out” (i.e., as you discover materials you find that may be of interest to them, send them copies, their level of interest and attitude may change).

* Google.

* Libraries: Family History Library; familysearch.org; Family History Center; Church History Department (located on the first floor of the Church Office Building, in the past primarily geared to professionals and not accessible to others, but will be more accessible, and a new building is under construction); family history research outlines for specific countries or states (available online or at distribution centers); Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (online index of family histories), Sons of Utah Pioneers, history.utah.gov; BYU library (www.lib.byu.edu, there is a drop-down menu under the word “More,” find and click on “digital collections,” many materials are available there such as old newspapers, scholarly works, old lds publications, handwritten pioneer journal images from the “Trail of Hope” project, etc.); www.willellislandrecords.org; www.quintinpublications.com (example of company that has gathered family histories throughout America and will provide copies on CDs).


* CD-ROM databases such as LDS Library 2006. Older versions can be purchased very inexpensively (my friend mentioned they can be picked up inexpensively at garage sales).

* Resources for writers: “Writers’ Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800s;” “A to ZAX: A Comprehensive Dictionary for Genealogists and Historians” by Barbara Jean Evans.

* Special Collections of Libraries: letters, diaries, permanent papers; photos; rare books; emphemera (items that fit into no other category, such as invitations, programs, posters, etc.). One can order copies.

* Registers (directories of a large collection held at a library).

* County and local histories: “The Mormon Colonies in Mexico.”

* Interpret your subject’s history in light of local and general history: “Heartbeats of Colonia Diaz,” “Colonia Juarez,” “Colonia Diaz.”

* Old newspapers (small ones are especially good).

* Other sources: survey of genealogy and history; land records; military records; immigration resources; wills; letters, diaries, funeral documents, cookbooks, family bibles; inter-library loan; www.lds.org (church history, Mormon Pioneer Overland Trail 1847 – 1868).

At the end of the last lecture, I walked north from the MARB past the library, the fine arts center, the administration building, the Marriott Center, and to my car parked in a nearby neighborhood. On the way I ran into a member of my ward who had been attending the event with her father.

This was a very “educational” afternoon.