Posted on 09/29/2015 11:25:03 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Islam is being associated with the evil we witness around us. People in areas controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are pushed to flee and seek refuge from this evil that has befallen them. Islam has been hijacked by an evil group that speaks in the name of Muslims and dictates its religious interpretations on them.
However, religions came for the good of everyone, and for the sake of expelling evil from people’s lives. Islam came as a mercy to people, and it was the persecuted - slaves, the poor and the vulnerable - who first converted to it after it became well-known for its justice.
Political Islam Islam has been politicized during the last three decades. The big transformation began with the Islamic revolution in Iran. It expanded after the concept of jihad was introduced in Afghanistan. It expanded further due to the use of religion as a political tool. At this point, extremists emerged and the status of moderates, who were the religious leaders of society, declined.
To save Muslims and the world, the solution is moderate Islam - that is a bigger and more important project than fighting ISIS and the cancer of extremism
Even today’s Salafism, which is characterized as a source of extremism and a cause of our current crisis, has nothing to do with the traditional Salafism that in the past dealt with worship and behavior.
As a result of the struggle in the Islamic arena, hardliners dominated over the moderates, then extremists dominated over the hardliners. We are now in the phase of ultra extremists. ISIS represents pure evil, which previously appeared at the beginning of Islamic history 14 centuries ago, and Muslims successfully fought it.
However, Muslims today will not win unless they fight extremists’ concept of Islam, which is pushing them to clash with the world and become enemies with Islam's different sects. The crisis will be prolonged if Muslim leaders do not adopt moderate Islam, which reformulates the life of people and society, and restores the balance that religion created to fight evil. To save Muslims and the world, the solution is moderate Islam - that is a bigger and more important project than fighting ISIS and the cancer of extremism.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Sept. 28, 2015.
______________ Abdulrahman al-Rashed is the former General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. A veteran and internationally acclaimed journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of the London-based leading Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, where he still regularly writes a political column. He has also served as the editor of Asharq al-Awsat’s sister publication, al-Majalla. Throughout his career, Rashed has interviewed several world leaders, with his articles garnering worldwide recognition, and he has successfully led Al Arabiya to the highly regarded, thriving and influential position it is in today.
The Plague of Islam
If the civilized world is to survive, we must recognize Islam for what it really is: It’s not a religion, form of government, or anything recognizable to the civilized mind. Islam is a disease, an incurable disease of the mind that is highly contagious among the feeble minded and is now spreading among the world’s feeble minded at an epidemic rate. As with any disease, one can’t reason with this disease, negotiate with it, or treat in any manner other than how one would treat any other incurable disease.
Past efforts to contain this disease have failed. Now, carriers of this Plague of Islam must be eradicated wherever they're found, for if they're not, this disease will eventually end not just Western Civilization, but it will undo over 5,000 years of human civilization.
Islam is to ISIS as six is to half a dozen.
http://spectator.org/articles/35404/moderate-indonesia
The moderate places aren’t as moderate as you might believe. If a fundamental tenet of the religion is submission on pain of death how free and moderate can any society based on that principle ever be?
And Bangladesh that had a couple of people who spoke out against Islam get their throats cut. OK, maybe the guys who got their throats cut qualify as 'moderate muslims'.
And Indonesia, that has been known to afflict and oppress the local Christian minority. But it is fairly true that the Indonesian muslims are generally too lazy to take their attacks outside their immediate neighborhoods.
And the Kuwaitis, who are probably to lazy to do anything. I bet they hire folks to commit the terrorist acts for them...
Good luck with that fantasy.
The truth is what U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy learned when he was prosecuting the Blind Sheik for the first World Trade Center bombing.
None of the Imams he interviewed would criticize violent jihad. Not because they were afraid, but as they explained because it is real Islam. There is nothing to condemn.
Contrary to GW Bush’s clueless claim, Islam is not a “Religion of Peace”. And it is constructed on a fashion that cannot be reformed- its violence is the command of Allah.
Is this satire?
Bingo!
Any religion that doesn’t let you leave isn’t a religion, it’s a gang.
What a load of steaming horse poop!
It is time to put an end to the charade of “moderate Islam.” There is no such thing as moderate Muslim. Muslims are either jihadists or dormant jihadists – moderate, they are not.
Ali Sini
ex-Muslim and founder of http://www.faithfreedom.org/, an organization to expose Islam and try to persuade Muslims to abandon Islam
Well, did you read the rest of my comment?
The Sunni and Shia have both mutually declared each other apostates.
To wit: "The only good communist is a dead communist"
The vile term "moderate islam" needs to be considered in the same context.
It was, by this Nation, in the early 1800's...Nothing about islam has changed since that time...A cancer by any other name!
Exactly. There’s no moderate religion to be based on the radical war manifesto that is the Koran.
Moderate Islam is at best irrelevant-— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYjiSaV5VoE
‘moderate’ and ‘islam’ is an oxymoron and an utterly moronic concept.
Spot on -- Posts like this one really make me wish that FR had a "Thumbs Up" button.
Every muzzie is a potential terrorist — it’s in their DNA.
Every muzzie is a potential terrorist — it’s in their DNA.
There is a distinction between Islam (an ideology) and Muslims (people). In my opinion, there is nothing good about Islamism regardless there may be good Muslims.
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