What 64 different verses command Muslims

It was one of the days of euphoria that Turkey?s Islamists were in a frenzy to claim new absurdities dancing around the theme ?Muslims discovered?? that this column?s headline was ?Muslims discovered Mercedes!? (Dec. 17, 2014).  

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an argued that the American continent was discovered by Muslim sailors some 300 years before Christopher Columbus. Science and Technology Minister Fikri I??k claimed that Muslim scientists working around 1,200 years ago (some 700-800 years before Galileo Galilei) were the first to determine that the Earth is a sphere.  

?Muslim discovered Mercedes!? was an inspiration by press reports that said the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet in Turkish) had acquired a $400,000 luxury Mercedes S500 for its president, Professor Mehmet Görmez. The Diyanet denied the story and said the price was lower than claimed but avoided saying how much lower. Months later, in an emotional outburst, Professor Görmez, told the press that he had returned the car without even having used it once. He said he hoped his behavior would set a precedent.  

Wrong, said Mr. Erdo?an. Mr. Görmez (and his office) deserves the finest of all cars, the president argued. So many Turks could now afford such cars, he added, probably not calculating that the average Turk, with his $10,000 annual income, would have to work 40 years to buy the same car. Then the president priced the car at around 100,000 euros ? well, I would not mind ordering half a dozen brand new S500s if Mr. Erdo?an offered each at 100,000 euros.  

The president has been determined to set the opposite precedent. He promised to give one of his armored Mercedes cars to Professor Görmez. And finally, he promised to give one of the private jets in the...