Liberty University To Probe Seminary President's Muslim Background

By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service

(RNS) Liberty University, the Baptist school founded by the late Jerry Falwell, will investigate claims that its seminary president lied about his Muslim background to make his conversion to Christianity seem more dramatic.

Ergun Caner was named dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 2005, when he became the first former Muslim to lead an evangelical seminary, according to Christianity Today. Bloggers and online activists say Caner, 43, has misrepresented key parts of his biography, including where he was raised.

Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said Monday (May 10) that the school "does not initiate personnel evaluations based upon accusations from Internet blogs." But, he said, "in light of the fact that several newspapers have raised questions, we felt it was necessary to initiate a formal inquiry."

An investigatory committee will issue conclusions by the end of June, according to a statement from Liberty.

In a statement, Caner said: "I am thrilled that Liberty University is forming this committee, and I look forward to this entire process coming to a close."

With nearly 4,000 students, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, in Lynchburg, Va., is one of several flagship schools for conservative Baptists. Enrollment has tripled during Caner's tenure, according to Christianity Today.

But critics say Caner has misrepresented several aspects of his past, including claims he was raised in Turkey, rather than Ohio, in a devoutly Muslim home, rather than a nominally religious one. They also dispute Caner's claims he was involved in Islamic jihad and has debated dozens of Muslims about religion.

Caner's current biography on Liberty's website says he was raised a "devout Sunni Muslim" and converted in high school, but doesn't say where.

In February, Caner released a statement saying he had "never intentionally misled anyone," but said he may have "misspoke" during his more than 20 years in the pulpit.

He also admitted "referencing a Muslim scholar that I have never met."

"Sin is sin," Caner said, "and if I am dumb enough to say something like that, I should be man enough to deal with it and never make such a grievous error again."

Comments

[DeSwiss]

09:50 PM on 05/13/2010

Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said Monday (May 10) that the school "does not initiate personnel evaluations based upon accusations from Internet blogs." But, he said, "in light of the fact that several newspapers have raised questions, we felt it was necessary to initiate a formal inquiry."

And the newspapers got it from the blogs.

Hahahahaha!!!!

[CLUTCHface]

08:52 PM on 05/13/2010

The person who exposed this Ergun Cancer guy was mokhan247 (His Youtube Channel Name)

Youtube deleted his account after Ergun's people contacted Youtube citing copyright violation.

f course ther was no copyright violation... mokhan247 exposed that this guy wasnt a Muslim rather his Mother was married to an Armenian then got a divorce... But he spotes Islamaphobia as his shtick for bible-thumbing!

Google mokhan247 & read all about it! LOL Tons of Laugh!

[Blixa]

12:05 AM on 05/14/2010

I hope to see that user appear in the Electronic Frontier Foundation Wall of Shame. These false DMCAs need be exposed; this is abuse of the system.

http://www.eff.org/takedowns
(See bottom right: "Learn More")

[Turtleposer]

08:24 PM on 05/13/2010

I read about Ergun Caner's bio at the Liberty U's website a couple of months ago when a relative decided she wanted to go there. It sounded about as realistic about Walid Shoebat's life as a former Palestinian terrorist.

[MaximMaximus]

08:52 PM on 05/13/2010

Attending Liberty University? What kind of family do you? It's a sham -LibU that is. Get a clue.

[Turtleposer]

09:21 PM on 05/13/2010

Wow. What a sweeping overgeneralization about my family that you don't even know.. My cousin's daughter is taking online courses through Liberty U.

I'm a very liberal atheist.

Looks like the person who needs a clue is YOU.

[juanjo]

08:01 PM on 05/13/2010

There are 4000 idiots willing to pay to go to this "school"?!

[Andythelawyer]

07:44 PM on 05/13/2010

So, if your lies are divinely inspired they're not really lies?

[Mag7]

07:27 PM on 05/13/2010

"...But critics say Caner has misrepresented several aspects of his past, including claims he was raised in Turkey, rather than Ohio, in a devoutly Muslim home, rather than a nominally religious one. They also dispute Caner's claims he was involved in Islamic jihad and has debated dozens of Muslims about religion..."

...OHIO?...Hmmmm, somebody has some 'splainin to do. Smells like another evangelical historical embellishment to me.

[Blixa]

07:23 PM on 05/13/2010

"Faith-Based Fibber?: Liberty U. Seminary President Accused Of Fabricating Life Story"
http://blog.au.org/2010/05/13/faith-based-fibber-liberty-u-seminary-president-accused-of-fabricating-life-story/

"The last time we heard from Ergun Caner, the president of Liberty University’s seminary, he was riding around his Lynchburg, Va., campus on Election Day in a truck (accompanied by a GOP elephant made out of chicken wire) urging students to vote for Republican candidates.

Americans United asserted that Caner’s overt electioneering was just another example of the fundamentalist school’s determination to push candidates favored by Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., despite a federal law that forbids tax-exempt religious institutions from intervening in partisan politics.

Now Caner is back in the news – and once again it’s not in a good way."

[bobtr900]

10:16 PM on 05/13/2010

Very well said.

The Catholic Church,my religion, does the very same thing and they still have tax exempt status.

And I thought only satan could corrupt religion but GWB and his Repubs also corrupted and politicized God and religion.

[TexasMike]

06:51 PM on 05/13/2010

A University which bases it's education on a strict religious filter is not a place of higher learning, but just a tree shredder for intelligent thought.

[Mike G Pandis]

05:54 PM on 05/13/2010

...His facts about Islam are all wrong, and I don't think it's right to be spreading lies about other people's religions (whether you disagree with them or not).

[Clevelandinwi]

05:53 PM on 05/13/2010

This is way too good! Have patrobertson talk to jerryfallwell and see if he'll come back and take care of his little school for regressives and racists.

[twilight druid]

05:48 PM on 05/13/2010

When lawyers from Liberty University get in legal trouble, they tend to hire non-Libery U lawyers. Remember W's cabal of Liberty U lawyers? He hired them but they didn't hire their own when they needed counsel.

[bobtr900]

11:01 PM on 05/13/2010

Yes, they hired lawyers from Ave Maria Law School, which is owned by Tom Monaghan. It's all very interesting and very corrupt.

Also you may recall that the Dover, Pa School Board Creationist trial was defended by the Thomas More Law Center, a group of Catholic lawyers. I didn't know the Pope was into that kind of stuff, like the earth is only 6000yrs old, etc. But then the popes denied Galileo. So I guess ideologues never let go of their blindnesses, or their fears. Their fears are really what we have to deal with when we deal with them because they seem completely unable to deal with their own fears.

And btw, they really lost that case, big time. Their case was clearly and totally obliterated by the science lawyers.

[iMissMollyIvins]

01:22 AM on 05/14/2010

They hired the LibU 'Lawyers' to be the fall-guys. All of the pedigreed (upper-echelon Law Schools) lawyers were nowhere to be seen or were higher up the food chain, or should I say evidence chain?

[DrJimmy]

05:47 PM on 05/13/2010

Someone in religion lied????

[Zorren]

05:35 PM on 05/13/2010

This sounds like an oppertunity to create precident for the Birthers to criticize President Obama for not producing a birth certificate to their satisfaction. Is my tinfoil hat on straight?

[Bitsko]

05:18 PM on 05/13/2010

Having closely followed Liberty over the decades, I can't help but wonder what kind of "probe" they're talking about.

[thepoliticalcat]

06:34 PM on 05/13/2010

Well, if you've been following them *that* closely, you should've gotten a pretty good eyeful, by now! It makes me uncomfortable too when these closeted queens start talking about 'probes,' though, so I do understand what you mean.

[JoannainPA]

04:27 PM on 05/13/2010

Religion is so dangerous. It prays on the weak minded.

[SensibleJoe]

10:11 PM on 05/13/2010

Or as one might say in educated English, it *preys* on the *weak-minded,* if one wanted one's critique of religion to seem intelligent and articulate.