…Muslims need to look within their own community and build reforms within it.
Last weekend, I finally managed to read the entire transcript of the Karan Thapar – Shabana Azmi interview and stumbled upon this bit in which she comments on the need for reform within the Muslim community:
Karan Thapar: Today, not just abroad but even in India, people say that Muslims have to take on the onus of changing the image of their religion and the image of the community. Is that a fair thing to say?
Shabana Azmi: I think it is. I would accept that because I don’t think that the Muslim leadership has bothered to clear the air about what Islam is all about….
And:
Karan Thapar: Do Indians, particularly those who aren’t Muslims, understand the extent of these problems that we have created by this prejudice for the 14-15 per cent Muslim minority? Do you think people understand this?
Shabana Azmi: Yes, and no. And when they don’t, I think it’s about time that Indian Muslims stopped viewing themselves as Muslims. I think otherwise they tend to get into that victim mode.
Karan Thapar: But what can they do?
Shabana Azmi: Firstly, you have to look within your community, you have to build reforms within it. You have to say that you want to look into things like education.
Keep Reading…
September 7th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Identity, Islam & Reform, Muslim Population in India, Politics of Minority Appeasement |
12 comments
Thanks to Krishen-ji for alerting me to this interview of Bill Warner, Director, Center for the Study of Political Islam (CSPI). CSPI is devoted to the scientific study of the foundational texts of Islam, including the Koran and Hadith.
Its approach is unusual in that it relies on statistics to study the doctrines (e.g. see the discussion about “Jihad” below) and considers the Koran alongside the Sira and Hadiths as part of the Islamic Trilogy. Although published more than a year ago, large parts of it are still very relevant.
Excerpts:
…Our major intellectual breakthrough is to see that dualism is the foundation and key to understanding Islam.
…Endless ink has been wasted on trying to answer the question of what is Islam? Is Islam the religion of peace? Or is the true Islam a radical ideology? Is a moderate Muslim the real Muslim?
This reminds a scientist of the old arguments about light. Is light a particle or is light a wave? The arguments went back and forth. Quantum mechanics gave us the answer. Light is dualistic; it is both a particle and a wave. It depends upon the circumstances as to which quality manifests. Islam functions in the same manner.
Our first clue about the dualism is in the Koran, which is actually two books, the Koran of Mecca (early) and the Koran of Medina (later). The insight into the logic of the Koran comes from the large numbers of contradictions in it. On the surface, Islam resolves these contradictions by resorting to “abrogation”. This means that the verse written later supersedes the earlier verse. But in fact, since the Koran is considered by Muslims to be the perfect word of Allah, both verses are sacred and true. The later verse is “better,” but the earlier verse cannot be wrong since Allah is perfect. This is the foundation of dualism. Both verses are “right.” Both sides of the contradiction are true in dualistic logic. The circumstances govern which verse is used.
For example:
(Koran of Mecca) 73:10: Listen to what they [unbelievers] say with patience, and leave them with dignity.
From tolerance we move to the ultimate intolerance, not even the Lord of the Universe can stand the unbelievers:
(Koran of Medina) 8:12: Then your Lord spoke to His angels and said, “I will be with you. Give strength to the believers. I will send terror into the unbelievers’ hearts, cut off their heads and even the tips of their fingers!”
All of Western logic is based upon the law of contradiction—if two things contradict, then at least one of them is false. But Islamic logic is dualistic; two things can contradict each other and both are true.
No dualistic system may be measured by one answer. This is the reason that the arguments about what constitutes the “real” Islam go on and on and are never resolved. A single right answer does not exist.
Dualistic systems can only be measured by statistics. It is futile to argue one side of the dualism is true. As an analogy, quantum mechanics always gives a statistical answer to all questions.
For an example of using statistics, look at the question: what is the real jihad, the jihad of inner, spiritual struggle or the jihad of war? Let’s turn to Bukhari (the Hadith) for the answer, as he repeatedly speaks of jihad. In Bukhari 97% of the jihad references are about war and 3% are about the inner struggle. So the statistical answer is that jihad is 97% war and 3% inner struggle. Is jihad war? Yes—97%. Is jihad inner struggle? Yes—3%. So if you are writing an article, you can make a case for either. But in truth, almost every argument about Islam can be answered by: all of the above. Both sides of the duality are right.
Keep Reading…
August 20th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Impact of Islam on India, Islam & Reform, Islam & Terrorism, Medieval Indian History |
4 comments
A new series starting today with two news items…
“The central government will be sending a package for orphans of the slain militants. Scholarships and pension will be provided to them similar to the relief being provided to other orphans,” Nirupama Kaul, chairperson of the All India Centre for Urban and Rural Development told media-persons in Srinagar on Wednesday (30th July ‘08).
Kaul claimed she met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 25 and presented a charter of demands to him on behalf of nearly one lakh families of militants killed in the troubled state.
“The prime minister assured me that the Centre would be sending a package for the orphans,” she said.
From: Central aid for J&K slain militants’ kin, July 30, 2008.
Item # 2:
Saudi Arabia’s religious police have announced a ban on selling cats and dogs as pets, or walking them in public in the Saudi capital, because of men using them as a means of making passes at women, an official said on Wednesday.
Othman al-Othman, head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Riyadh, known as the Muttawa…said the commission was implementing a decision taken a month ago by the acting governor of the capital, Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, adding that it follows an old edict issued by the supreme council of Saudi scholars.
The reason behind reinforcing the edict now was a rising fashion among some men using pets in public “to make passes on women and disturb families,” he said, without giving more details.
Othman said that the commission has instructed its offices in the capital to tell pet shops “to stop selling cats and dogs”.
From Saudi religious police ban pet cats and dogs
* With apologies to Ripleys.
P.S. I am still woking on the post detailing steps to counter terrorism…Hope to have it finished latest by weekend.
Related Posts:
Who are these “militants”?
The great joke that is Indian Media” series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.
July 31st, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Human Rights and Legal Issues, Islam & Reform, Jammu & Kashmir related, Miscellaneous, Terrorism in India |
one comment
Excerpts from a great article by Prof Walid Phares, “The Deobandi Fatwa Against Terrorism Didn’t Treat the Jihadi Root” underscoring some of the points I had made in an earlier post (Thanks to Krishen-ji for alerting me to this)
*** Excerpts Begin (emphasis mine) ***
Many in the West and in other regions of the world were impressed by the issuing of a fatwa (Islamic theological edict) condemning Terrorism by one of the leading religious centers in the Muslim world, the Darool-Uloom Deoband in India. An Islamic seminary said to have ‘inspired’ the Taliban has, according to the said document denounced “terrorism” as against Islam, calling it an “unpardonable sin.”
…The Deobandi School, a classical third branch for Salafi Islamism (along with Wahabism and Muslim Brotherhood), has significant weight in the South Asia Theater. Its teachings based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law have reached many countries, including Afghanistan and Britain, where they are said to have indoctrinated the Taliban. “If they change course, al Qaeda and the Taliban are finished,” I heard in Europe and the United States.
So the question now is have they changed doctrinal direction and is this fatwa the evidence? I regretfully conclude that it is not the case yet.
Keep Reading…
July 29th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Global Terrorism, Islam & Reform, Islam & Terrorism, Terrorism in India |
3 comments
Thanks to Suneel who alerted me to this interview with prolific author, broadcaster and columnist Tarek Fateh (also author of “Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State”)…
Two short excerpts:
How do you distinguish between an Islamist and a Muslim?
An Islamist is someone who believes in invoking Islam for a political agenda. A Muslim, on the other hand, uses Islam as a moral compass for his betterment and the betterment of his family. An Islamist is also a Muslim but a Muslim is not an Islamist.
India’s first education minister, Abul Kalam Azad, a most respected statesman in the country, was not an Islamist. He was against Islamists. Similarly, there are many ayatollahs in Iran who are in jails — as they are not Islamists. [ link]
***
…The movement for Pakistan was never by the people that comprise Pakistan today. The movement for Pakistan was essentially by upper class Muslims of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
Right up to 1946, Balochistan and Sindh were not voting for the Muslim League. They were voting for the (Indian National) Congress party. Balochistan was an independent state and they declared their independence three days before India’s Independence.
The coalition government headed by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy in Bengal was the result of Direct Action Day of August 16, 1945, which led to the massacre — actually genocide — of Hindus in Noakhali (now in Bangladesh). [ link ]
Related Post: Will the Darul Uloom now declare war onIslamism?
Also recommended: Distinguishing between Islam and Islamism(from 10 years ago!).
June 19th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, India & Its Neighbours, Islam & Reform, Islamic Rule in India, Modern Indian History, Pakistan related, Post Independence History |
2 comments
Yesterday, I was alerted to this news-report from earlier this week in whichIranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejadwasquoted as saying:
the state of Israel will cease to exist with or without the involvement of his country.
‘This will happen whether we are involved in it or not,’ the Iranian leader told a news conference…..
He had been asked to explain his statement earlier this week in which he said the Jewish state would soon disappear from the map.
This isnot the first timethat Mr Ahmedinejad has expressed similar sentiments…But the reason this particular report caught my eye was an interviewI had just finished reading whichhad actually discussedthe broader context around such remarks.
The interview was withpolitical scientist and thinker, Matthias Kntzel (currentlya research associate at the Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism (SICSA) in Jerusalem and author of several books including, Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11).
I am reproducing some excerpts below (emphasis mine)in which Mr Kuntzel talks about Iran, anti-semitism and the world view that appears to underpin and support the violent ideology of Islamism.
*** Excerpts Begin ***
Alan Johnson: Let’s turn to Iran. In a stream of articles and lectures presented around the world, you have pleaded with us to ‘take the Iranian leader’s Weltanschauung [worldview] seriously as a specific outlook with its own principles and history‘. You have invited us to ‘look inside Ahmadinejad’s fantasy world and seek to grasp the immanent logic behind his attacks, even if this involves insights which may send a shiver down the spine‘. You see the regime’s ideology a ‘mish-mash of Jew-hatred, Holocaust denial and Shiite death-cult messianism‘ as the real context for its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Let’s begin with that aspect that most observers find frankly bizarre Holocaust denial. What is the meaning and import of what you call ‘this new form of Holocaust denial: creative, modern, unrestrained, and extremely self-assertive‘?
Matthias Kntzel: I should say first that I am convinced that they believe what they say. It’s not just propaganda for their public. They are also trying to influence UN debates, suggesting that Israel should not be allowed to ’spread the lie of the Holocaust’ and so on. Iran is pushing its own ‘truth’ within institutions. And this is little understood.
Keep Reading…
June 5th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, Geo-Strategic Issues (incl. Nuclear, Oil, Energy), Global Terrorism, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Islam & Reform, Politics and Governance |
no comments
From an article in UK’s Daily Mail today:
The Church of England was accused by one of its most senior bishops yesterday of failing in its duty to convert British Muslims to Christianity.
…The Pakistani-born bishop…was echoing concerns that many Church leaders are abandoning attempts to spread Christianity among Muslims out of fear of a backlash.
The bit that I found most interesting was this:
Synod member Paul Eddy…said that the active recruitment of non-believers and adherents of other faiths had always been a Biblical injunction on Christians, commanded by Christ himself.
But he claimed that many bishops were downplaying the missionary role of the Church and official documents often glossed over the requirement to convert Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs or followers of other religions.
I thinkthis “officially” answers the question I had raised inan earlier post wondering why Christian missionaries appeared to be targetting India?
The article went on to reveal that “…numbers attending mosque on Fridays will overtake those going to church on Sundays by 2050″ and an estimated “50,000 Britons had converted from Christianity to Islam over the past decade, while the number of Muslims becoming Christians was negligible.”
I wonder though whether Muslims are “allowed” to change their religion (see: Can Muslims change theirreligion?). As a commentator on Daily Mail’s website has pointed out, the punishment for apostacy in Islam is death.
The problem of course is that with everyone going around claiming that they are the sole purveyors of “truth” the stage is ripe for conflict.
Does anyone need more convincing why Sanatan Dharma may offer the best “model” for any faith and.or religion and why Hinduismmay be key toan inclusive, peaceful, liberal and tolerant culture in the 21st century?
.
Related Posts:
Of Monkey Gods and ElephantHeads
Christian Aggression in CauveryLayout?
Excerpts from The Dangers ofMonotheism
Why have Missionaries chosen to attack India?
and finally,Francois Gautier on Conversions
May 25th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Conversions, Missionaries in India, Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Hindu Dharma, Islam & Reform, Sanatana Dharma, Spirituality & Philosophy |
19 comments
I recently came across this interesting admissionby a senior US government official putting it on record that:
Saudi Arabia today remains the location where more money is going to terrorism, to Sunni terror groups and to the Taliban than any other place in the world
As the report, Saudi Arabia’s Terror Finance Problemby Douglas Farah notes,
There is little willingness to tackle the Saudis anymore on the issue of cracking down on terror finance. Intelligence services here and in Europe know most of the money for the mujahadeed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere still come from wealthy donors in the Kingdom.
Only a handful of officials, however, dare to say so publicly
The exception has been Stuart Levy, the Treasury undersecretary for terror finance issues, who recently and publicly took on the Saudis in little-noted Congressional testimony.
One of the more interesting parts of the story, however, is…that, in essence, the Saudi government has repeatedly lied to the U.S. government over the steps the Kingdom has taken to crack down.
For example more than two years ago, the Saudis assured then-Rep. Sue Kelly (R-NY) that the Kingdom, as promised in 2003, had set up a financial intelligence unit and a commission to oversee the financial dealings of charities, many which have had ties to funding terrorist activities.
Now, Saudi spokesman Nail Jubeir (brother of ambassador Adel Jubeir) confirmed that Saudi Arabia has not set up the financial intelligence unit or charity commission, but said it was cracking down on the financiers of terrorism in other ways, such as making it illegal for anyone to send money outside the kingdom without going through official government channels.
Why should I loose sleep over this, you may ask. What concern is it to us?
If this reportis anything to go by, it should be of pretty serious concern to usI doubt though that anyone is loosing sleep over this yet.
From, Saudi Arabia Woos China and India by Harsh V. Pant, read this richly referenced extract:
A more significant impediment, especially with regard to India, is the proliferation of Saudi-funded religious schools in the country.
A madrasa (Islamic school) education in India has long been a part of many Muslim children’s lives. Madrasas in India number between 8,000 and 40,000.[46] But concerns have been rising in India about the dated and, with Saudi financing, increasingly radical curricula. In 2001, a report of the Group of Ministers on “Reforming the National Security System” recommended the need to modernize madrasa education.[47]
Saudi financial assistance has gone to a range of Indian-Islamic organizations resulting in the establishment of mosques, madrasas, and publishing houses inculcating the Saudi worldview.[48]
Riyadh also provides scholarships to Indian students to study religion in its universities. The Ahle-Hadith (People of the Tradition of the Prophet), a Sunni Islamic sect with ties to the Saudi state dating back to the 1920s, has arguably been the biggest beneficiary of Saudi monetary assistance contributing to internecine rivalries among various Indian Muslim sects.[51] While the early Ahle-Hadith was in many ways progressive, it has now altered into an intolerant, literalist strand.
Several Indian Islamic jurists and scholars seem to have gravitated towards this Saudi-sanctioned, radical interpretation of Islam and to a conspiratorial version of global politics. Instructive in this context is a claim made by a Muslim jurist from the Deoband sect in India that “should it be proved that Osama was the mastermind behind the attacks of September 11, he would not be punished under Islamic law since his actions were the result of an independent, legal opinion issued by top jurists.”[52]
Another Islamic scholar from a prominent seminary in north India has argued that “a worldwide anti-Muslim alliance has been formed and is headed by the U.S. It runs in an arc from Hindu fundamentalist India, through China and Russia, and ends with Europe and the U.S. in the west. The effect is to encircle and choke the Islamic world.”[53]
While the radicalism of Deoband would hardly surprisereaders - given its reputation for teaching”the most fundamentalist, narrow, puritan, rigid, oppressive version of Islam that exists anywhere in the world today -what is more worrying (at least to me) is the slow radicalisation of otherwise harmless Madrassas now flush with Saudi money and dominated by Wahabbi ideas(do remember the “S” in SIMI)
That is the real danger lurking beneath the surfaceand that is what we should be most worried about.
Unfortunately, such worries are rather unfashionable in Lutyen’s Delhi…andsuch thoughts are far from the mind of our government which earlier this week sent External Affairs Minister, Sh. Pranab Mukherjee to Riyadh to establish a “strategic partnership” with Saudi Arabia.
Curiously, ministry spokesman Navtej Sarnaissued a statement after the meetings saying:
“Both sides were keen that genuine businessmen from both sides be given multi-entry visas to boost bilateral investment…”
“genuine businessmen”?I hope they mean it!!
Related Posts:
Indias Islamist Groups -Extracts
Madrassas on Nepalborder
April 23rd, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Impact of Islam on India, Islam & Reform, LeT, SIMI etc., World History |
one comment
…andrunsinto predictable opposition.
“…The All-India Muslim Women Personal Law Board on Sunday came out with a new Shariat nikahnama, which makes registration of marriages compulsory, accords several rights to the wife and is applicable to both Shias and Sunnis.
…chairperson Shaista Amber told a news conference here that it was an improvement on other nikahnamas and its authenticity cannot be challenged as every provision was in accordance with the Shariat and it quoted the Koran.
She said it would mitigate the agonies and sufferings of women arising out of divorce and gives more rights to the wife.
However, the guidelines, believed to be the brainchild of Ms. Amber, have drawn criticism from the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, the apex body of ulema, which termed these useless and irrelevant.
See also: New nikahnama: A boon for Muslim women .
Related Post: Another fine example ofpseudo-secularism
Adjacent Post: Will the Darul Uloom now declare war onIslamism?
March 18th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Islam & Reform, Politics and Governance in India |
no comments
As the Darul Uloom maintains that its fight against terrorism will continue, read this thought-provoking essay by M. Zuhdi Jasser* on what are the ideological standards required to confront militant Islam.
In view of the points made by Lt Commander Jasser,are the scholars of Darul Uloom at Deoband prepared to take the next step and declare/accept:
1. The rejection of Islamism as a political ideology.
2. A rejection of the concept of the Islamic state …or (the) vision of a Muslim majority society led by theologians (imams and clerics) who run government through their interpretation and enactment of Islamic law (sharia).
3. Identification of radical Islamist organizations by name …that utilize terrorism as a tactic for political change…While these organizations may at times “condemn terrorism,” they often offer apologies (if not justifications) for terrorism and seek the establishment of both individual Islamic states and a global or regional caliphate of them.
4. The acceptance that the root cause of terrorism is political Islam.
5. …the toxic role that Wahhabism (a radical Saudi Arabian interpretation of Islam) has had upon the radicalization of some members of the Muslim community.
6. To unequivocally recognize the state of Israel and its right to exist.
7. (the) separation (of)faith (spirituality) and nationalism.
8.…individual freedom and liberty.
9. To advocate for the rights of dissidents and liberty-minded Muslims in Muslim majority nations against the dictatorships and monarchies which oppress them
10. To acknowledge that much of current Islamic jurisprudence (sharia) is in dire need of ijtihad (reform)
***
* M. ZuhdiJasser is a former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander andfounder/Chairman of the Board of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Related Posts:
Islamism - not Islam - is responsible forterrorism
Indias Islamist Groups -Extracts
Islams uncomfortabletruths
Other voices of reason: We Muslims Have Work To Do - SalimMansur
March 12th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Impact of Islam on India, Islam & Reform, Islam & Terrorism, LeT, SIMI etc., Terrorism in India |
6 comments
Be careful before you try “Gandhi-giri” - It may earn you a fatwa.
Most of you may have already come acrossthese two seemingly unrelated news items. A closer lookat them though underlinesthe need for a vigorous discussion on reform within Islam.
Unfortunately this is almost a taboo topic in media and a lot of us prefer not to “worry” about it (- and before someone asks -No, I am not suggestingthat “Hinduism” is perfect - read the previous post if you dont believe me!) but at least we do not stifle discussion of such topics and there is broad-based consensus around the need for reform of discriminatory and narrow, orthodox practices. Back to the news-stories:
The first one (fromrediff): Praising Gandhi earns Kashmir CM a fatwa
Excerpts:
“Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Mufti Bashir-ud-Din, Saturday asked Jammu and KashmirChief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to undertake penance for his recent utterances asking people to adopt Gandhian philosophy for worldly success.
The chief minister had reportedly said…”adoption of Gandhian philosophy was the route to success in this world.”
The Grand Mufti, while asking the chief minister to clarify his position on the matter, said, “Gandhi was relevant to his community but for the Muslims Prophet Mohammad was the only leader to be followed.”
.
The second story: ‘Taliban’ writ in Haryana village
Excerpts:
“CHANDIGARH: Barely 25 km from the bustling township of Karnal is village Mundogari, where people don’t buy television sets, don’t get themselves photographed, or even listen to Hindi film music.
It’s not because they don’t have the financial wherewithal to do so; it’s because the 5,000-strong Muslim population of the village is under the near-total sway of retrograde maulvis whose edicts have barred the folk from any form of recreation.
…The only connection of villagers who don’t travel out with the outside world is the radio on which the only programme they are allowed to listen to is the news.
…Eighteen year old Shadaqat Ali, who owns an STD/PCO outlet, says, Koran doesn’t allow us to watch TV and listen to music in any form. On being asked who informed him about it, he says: “Maulvis have informed the entire village time and again and about TVs ill-effects.”
…Maulana Ajmal Khan, the imam at Sector 20 Masjid, Chandigarh, says: “If you want a photograph clicked for the passport, or on the admission form, you can have it, since it’s out of necessity. But you can’t have it hanging on the wall.” Islam also does not allow singing and dancing or any such form of entertainmen, he adds.”
Amazing.
Related Posts:
Is a reformation within Islam finally underway?
Excerpts from Can Islam ReformItself?and finally
Can Muslims change theirreligion?
October 14th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Impact of Islam on India, Islam & Reform, Jammu & Kashmir related, Politics and Governance in India, Politics of Minority Appeasement, Post Independence History |
39 comments
This is good news in as much as it promotes the idea of choice and freedom for each individual to choose his or her own faith…
Is this yet another indication of a reformation within Islam?
From the Indian Express, dt 24th Jul ‘07, comes this report which suggests that Muslims may be able to choose their own faith. This may be good news for M Revathi,Lina Joy and others like her (emphasis mine).
“Egypt’s official religious advisor has ruled that Muslims are free to change their faith as it is a matter between an individual and God, in a move which could have far-reaching implications for the country’s Christians.
“The essential question before us is can a person who is Muslim choose a religion other than Islam? The answer is yes, they can,” Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa said in a posting on a Washington Post-Newsweek forum picked up by the Egyptian press.
…In many Muslim societies, those who convert to another religion are considered apostates and can be subject to capital punishment.
…Attempts by Muslims in Egypt to convert to other religions have been hindered by the state’s refusal to recognise the change in official documents and in some cases have led to arrests and imprisonment.
“Even though it is not a criminal offence in Egypt, they get detained under emergency laws or are put on trial for contempt of religion if they wish to convert,” said Hossam Bahgat of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
“This (ruling) is significant, especially coming from Gomaa,” he added. “Between 2004 and now there have been many court cases involving Christian converts to Islam that want to convert back to Christianity who are unable to do so.”
Read in conjunction with: Is a reformation within Islam finally underway?
See also: “Not Possible to Modernize Islam” which has an interview with the one of the founders of the Council of Ex-Muslims in Germany.
Related Posts:
Excerpts from Can Islam ReformItself?
Find of the day: This postby Hassan Butt, who was once a member of radical group Al-Muhajiroun, raising funds for extremists and calling for attacks on British citizens.
Excerpts (emphasis mine):
“…By refusing to challenge centuries-old theological arguments, the tensions between Islamic theology and the modern world grow larger every day.
…If our country (UK) is going to take on radicals and violent extremists,Muslim scholars must go back to the books and come forward with a refashioned set of rules and a revised understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Muslims whose homes and souls are firmly planted in what Id like to term the Land of Co-existence. And when this new theological territory is opened up…perhaps we will discover that the concept of killing in the name of Islam is no more than an anachronism.”
It is hard to disagree with that.
August 4th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Islam & Reform |
no comments
From last week’s The Australian, a great commentary on some of the issues that Islam needs to face up to, by Tanveer Ahmed in Sydney: Islam must face its uncomfortable truths
Excerpts:
THE latest attack in Britain shows how the Islamist threat is being driven by something much grander than mere foreign policy or feelings of grievance. The perpetrators believe they are soldiers in the perceived historical battle between good and evil.
The methods of attack are becoming more brazen, amateurish and desperate, illustrated most profoundly by the burning terrorist at Glasgow airport shouting “Allah” while struggling with a policeman, but the ideological roots are unchanged.
As a commentator on Muslim affairs and home-grown terrorism, I am often asked whether there is something in Islam itself that is contributing to terrorist acts. As someone who is not a theological expert, I shy away from strong pronouncements on the issue, preferring to discuss the sociological roots of alienation and the modern symbol of protest that Islam has become.
But the question is impossible to avoid and I believe that theology is central and not peripheral to the problem. It is grounded in history, but the sparks have been generated by the information age.
Keep Reading…
July 8th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Global Terrorism, Islam & Reform, Islam & Terrorism |
6 comments
