Does Reciting Fatiha Make You a Muslim?

We have just begun our journey back to the US and last night, I went to Masjid Al-Aqsa to pray a final prayer (Maghreb). It wasn't any different than any other time, nor was I wearing anything different, but this time, as I got to the gate, the Israeli guard stopped me, asked for my passport, and then asked me if I was Muslim. I said yes, and then he said, "recite sura fatiha". I was shocked at the question and asked him what difference would it make. At this point, he asked the Arab Muslim guard from the inside of the mosque to come and talk to me. A point of clarification, if I have not made it before. That the whole complex of the two mosques (Masjid Al-Aqsa and Masjid Al-Sakhra) are entered through by huge gates that have been around for centuries. Outside of these gates are Israeli soldiers (most of the Jews) that guard the doors. Inside, all security is handled by Muslims employed by the Aqsa Endowment and the Committee that takes care of the Two mosques.

Anyway, I was with Iman and the kids, my mother in law, and my three sister in laws, quite a large crowd. As the Muslim security came up to me, he asked me the same question as to whether or not I was Muslim and then asked me to recite Sura Fatiha. I told him what difference would that make? I can recite and still be non-Muslim. At this point my mother in law started talking to him about the same thing and that I could recite the qur'an better than he could. The whole seen became very loud very quickly since as my mother in law said this, I was talking to the guard, he was talking back to me, my mother in law was talking, and by now, the passers by entering the gate (the were not asked the same questions) were telling us to leave it alone. Mind you that when Arabs talk, it sounds like they are yelling. To no avail we tried to tell them that reciting Fatiha would not make a difference and finally I started with Bismillah, I wasn't even finished when he said, ok, you can go. I kept reciting, thinking to myself that if he asked me to recite, then let me recite the whole thing. As I thought this, my mother in law said it, and this started another round of "talking". Finally, I stopped after three verses, on the insistence of a passer by, and we went in.

A very confusing and frustrating scene which is difficult to discribe fully. However, clearly, I was bothered by it and kept thinking about it during my 1.5 hour stay. After prayer, I made a resolution that I would go and speak to the Muslim guard again. I approached him and first asked him if he spoke any english. I knew he didn't but had to aske. I began speaking: "can you tell me the difference between a Muslim and a non-believer?" he just looked at me, knowing that I was asking a rhetorical question. I said, it is the Shahada. "The Prophet in a hadith said, ad-deen an-naseeha (that the religion is of giving sincere advice). The next time you want to ask if someone is Muslim, tell them to say the shahada, that is a better test than if you ask them to recite Sura Fatiha. Many people in the US can recite this and are not Muslim. If the person is Muslim, he will say it. IF he is not Muslim, well he just became one." The guard just looked at me and said, you are right, but this is what the Committee asks me to do. I walked out at least knowing that I had done my part, and that in the future, maybe others will not have to face the same awkwardness, bordering on humiliation, as I did.