A Symposium: What Is Moderate Islam?

WSJ ^ | Sept. 1, 2010

[KC Burke]

In the aftermath of 9/11 I looked for a book that was written about the Muslim portion of the world to get a better historical understanding. I wanted something written prior to the event that was still very detailed as to how Islam was based over its history and how it had interacted as the world changed to the modern era.

I came up with Milton Viorst’s 1998, “in the Shadow of the Prophet” which was an excellent choice.

He explained how we look at Islam as though it was similar to Christian or Jewish faith in its progressions and revivals when it doesn't fit that mold at all.

In the J/C tradition, we had a progression of prophets and apostolic Chronicles that have allowed these faiths to be seen as having a continuing revelation of God speaking to Man with Man as the responder when his belief has been sufficient.

In Islam, Mohammad was viewed as the Final Prophet and what he recorded and wrote was seen as not his prophetic writings revealing the way of God but, instead, the actual words of Allah. In Islam, the literal text is the final and complete dictates of Allah.

In Christian and other religions, we have revival movements that are smaller percentages of the total Christian world that are called fundementalists and we think when that word is applied to Islam it is in a similar context. That is simply not the case.

In Islam, the mainstream outside the small westernized areas such as some groups in the US, the moderates are the fringe and viewed as such by the larger Islamic world. In fact since they "go against" the word of Allah, they are apostates and viewed as criminals. He cites case after case in the last hundred years to prove his point.

The terroristic Jihadists are the extension of mainstream Islam such as Wahhabist Sunni focus in Saudi Arabia.

Now, to be certain, he is very charatable to Islam with Daniel Pipes and others giving his summary a hard critic post 9/11, but he does give an overall analysis that lets us understand that this is a different world -- the Islamic World in that portion of the Globe and we are going to have to really study it to understand the overall Islamic failure to go beyond the 7th century.

There can't be "moderate" Islam in the sense of how we see middle ages Christiandom studying the revelations of the Word of God in greater fullness. They beleive it was perfect "then" and changes are apostacy worthy of death.

[GunningForTheBuddha]

A bunch of sand-pounders low on ammo asking their targets for relief money to buy more.

[PeteB570]

I did read it.

To be a Muslim you have to believe the Koran and abrogation of it’s verses. To not believe any of it makes you an apostate.

So - by that there are no moderate Muslims - just some who think they are.

Islam is the sea in which the terrorist shark swims. It aids and comforts the shark on it’s journey. The deeper the sea the larger the shark can grow.

[conservativegramma]

A moderate muslims is a muslim who does not yet have the tactical or strategic advantage to impose islam on you, but is striving to obtain it.

HURRAH! I can't find my applause graphic at the moment but that statement is so spot on. You nailed it!

[Kudsman]

As one muslim once said, “Inside the mosque, there are no “moderate” muslims.”..

The one question I have yet to see asked of supporters of the ground zero mosque is, will the muslims that flew the planes and perished on 9/11 be celebrated as martyrs in the planned mosque?

[Red Badger]

Of course they will be...........

[Kudsman]

Which is why it must be asked and recorded for all the brain dead and squeemish to see.

[Bluebeard16]

“The radical fringe carrying out such actions has sought to dominate the discourse between Islam and the West. In order to do so, they’ve set out to foment anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. They’ve also advocated indiscriminate violence as a political strategy. To cap their victory, this abysmal lot uses the cataclysm of 9/11 as a lesson for the so-called enemies of Islam.”

Who are the radical fringe they refer to? Anti-semitism and hatred for all non-muslims is written in their book of hate, the quaran.

[NathanR]

7 generations, good one.

[Red Badger]

If and when this mosque gets built, wherever it may be, I guarantee you it will have more bugs than a NYC hotel.................

[combat_boots]

‘Moderate’ is a verb that, paraphrased, as we know, means to judge and silence/contol as deemed appropriate according some standard or other. The action starts and finishes discussion and intervenes according to the ‘standard’ as the moderator wishes.

The concept applies here. We are pronouncing it with a Western accent and not making the word a verb, however.

[MrB]

My answer to the thread’s title would have been

“a Muslim that hasn’t read the Koran”

There are a bunch of those you know. Depending on who recruited them, they probably told them that the Koran must be read in Arabic, and if they don’t read Arabic, they can’t have read it.

[Little Ray]

“Moderate” Islam is the equivalent of the Germans who were NOT members of the NSDAP.

They STILL served in the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine or paid the taxes, worked in the factories, etc.

An the very best, “Moderate” Islam is the equivalent of the German-American Bund just prior to WWII.