Can Islam Be Reformed?

Townhall.com ^ | August 2, 2011 | Dennis Prager

[Kaslin]

The question is in no way meant to be provocative, let alone insulting. But the world, including vast numbers of Muslims, needs this question answered.

After having studied Arabic at college and lectured on comparative religion for decades, and having devoted years to writing my upcoming book comparing American values with leftist and Islamist values, I have become convinced of two things regarding Islam: It must be reformed, and it can be reformed.

Both suppositions are highly controversial. Few believing Muslims think that Islam needs to be reformed; the suggestion would strike most religious Muslims as absurd, if not insulting and ultimately blasphemous. And it would strike many non-Muslim critics of Islam as naive. As Lord Cromer, British consul-general in Egypt from 1883 to 1907, put it in a quote known to all Western students of Islam, "Islam reformed is Islam no longer."

Let's deal first with the question of whether Islam needs reforming.

The case for it is compelling. Here are a few reasons:

-- Majority-Muslim and Islam-based countries are not, and have not been, free societies. According to the 2010 Freedom House "Freedom in the World" survey, of the world's 47 Muslim-majority countries, only two are free, 18 are partly free, and 27 are not free. There is no honest explanation for this nearly total absence of liberty in Muslim countries that does not reflect in some way on Islam.

-- Muslim treatment of Jews and Christians in places like medieval Spain was morally far superior to the treatment of non-Christians by European Christians during the same period. But in the modern period, nowhere that Islam has controlled has afforded non-Muslims anywhere near the equality that non-Christians have taken for granted in the Christian world.

-- There was a burst of intellectual and scientific creativity in the Muslim world for a few hundred years, but then the opponents of reason came to dominate Islam, and with it came a loss of scientific and intellectual curiosity.

How could it have been otherwise? The dominant Muslim view was that the natural world had no laws. Everything that occurred did so solely because Allah willed it. If an arrow hit its target, it was not because of the archer's ability or wind patterns or laws of physics; it was because Allah willed it.

According to a United Nations report written by Arab scholars, the Arab world's lack of interest in the non-Arab and non-Muslim worlds is so great that in any given year comparatively tiny Greece translates more books into Greek than all the Arab countries combined translate into Arabic.

-- Regarding women, one cannot name a culture or religion in which the status of women is as low as it is in many Muslim societies. Moreover, the status of women has actually declined in many Muslim societies in the present generation. For example, the veil is more common in Egypt today than it was a hundred years ago.

-- In nearly every Muslim country in which non-Muslims live (usually Christians) -- from Nigeria to Egypt to Iraq -- they suffer persecution.

-- A very small percentage of Muslims are terrorists. But nearly every international terrorist is Muslim. And according to every poll I have seen, at least 70 million of the world's more than a billion Muslims support Islamist actions and theology.

-- Every state that calls itself an Islamic Republic and rules according to Islamic law is a totalitarian state, and it is usually a bloodthirsty one. Saudi Arabia is an example of the first; Taliban Afghanistan, Islamist Iran and Islamist Sudan are examples of both.

So, yes, Islam needs to be reformed. This is no insult to Muslims. Judaism and Christianity have undergone major changes. And needed to.

Can Islam be reformed? I do not agree with Lord Cromer. I believe it can.

What is necessary is that Muslim reformers:

1. Honestly acknowledge the Muslim moral record -- i.e. the lack of liberty in Muslim nations, the killing of large numbers of non-Muslims, the low status of women, etc. This does not necessitate rejecting the Quran or Islam.

2. Eschew incorporating Sharia into state law and oppose the establishment of any Islamic theocracy (which is not, in any event, Quran-based, according to moderate Muslims).

3. Publicly and unambiguously condemn all violence in the name of Islam, including violence against Israel.

4. Express a deep appreciation of the moral record of America, including its superb treatment of both its Muslim citizens and Muslim immigrants, along with a complete rejection of the Islamist notion that America is hostile to Muslims.

5. Fully accept the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, and distance themselves from the Muslim/Arab obsession with Israel.

At this very moment, there are Muslim reformers who believe and express all five of these propositions.

Examples include University of Delaware Professor Muqtedar Khan, who runs www.ijtihad.com: "American Muslims really have no reason to feel they are victims of anything ... ." The Muslim American community is thriving, proof of "America's benevolence and tolerance of Islam."

Another is Ahmed al-Rahim, a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia: "The most important message is that we condemn all kinds of hate speech, including anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism, and that we come out as boldly as possible against violence committed by Muslims in Iraq, in Israel ... . "

Regarding the Muslim obsession with Israel, Khan has written: "It is time the leaders of the American Muslim community woke up and realized that ... Islam is not about defeating Jews or conquering Jerusalem. It is about mercy, about virtue, about sacrifice and about duty. Above all, it is the pursuit of moral perfection."

Zainab Al-Suwaij, a refugee from Saddam Hussein's Iraq and executive director of the moderate American Islamic Congress, publicly declared that America "has given Iraqis the most precious gift any nation has ever given another -- the gift of democracy and the freedom to determine its own future."

And Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a physician in Arizona whose parents fled Syria in the 1960s, is the founder and chairman of the board of the moderate American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD). A believing and practicing Muslim, Jasser advocates American values, promotes a Quran-based life to be practiced by the individual Muslim and never imposed by the state. He is courageous in confronting the Islamist Muslim groups that the mainstream media in the Western world have promoted to appear as the spokesmen for Western Muslims.

As Jasser says of organizations such as CAIR and other so-called Muslim civil rights organizations, "There was more concern with hate crimes against Muslims, which I think were relatively low; there was more focus on that than actually looking at the violence and the hate speech that has been committed in the name of Islam."

Islam is too important to deny its need to reform. And it is too important to deny its ability to ever reform.

And if it does reform, Muslims who have embraced America and American values will lead the way.

[geologist]

Given time that can happen. Look at Christianity we have moved in directions away from our fundamental beliefs, over the years.

[DarthVader]

“Can Islam be reformed?”

Yes with the use of thermonuclear weapons.

[Elendur]

This is precisely the course Islam must follow if it is to be reformed. It is arguable that such a reformation is happening today, but like the Christian reformation the process is slow and not without violence.
///
respectfully, i agree with Cronos about the Protestant Reformation. but i admit, i’m not an expert on that.

but i do know about Islam. and it is not happening today.
in fact, you are seeing the exact OPPOSITE. Turkey, once praise as THE example of the reformed secular muslim state,
is return rapidly to full Islam. The Arab Spring, is another good example. The crowds in Egypt this week, are calling for a full Islamic sharia government.

and again, Islam CANNOT be reformed, and CANNOT be made secular. because the Quran itself cannot be changed, since it is the literal word of Allah. and IT says that sharia must be supreme. you cannot remove sharia law from Islam.

[zeugma]

no, it can’t. see my FR homepage

[zeugma]

BFL

[Elendur]

that is still my FAVORITE list of links.

http://www.freerepublic.com/~elendur/links?U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freerepublic.com%2Ffocus%2Fnews%2F2757439%2Fposts%3Fpage%3D70

see link #5.

[Elendur]

The question will become, can we reform within Islam?
///
THAT, is a very very interesting question!

remember the quote by the Pope of the Emperor (Maxim?), that what is good in Islam, came from Christianity, the rest is evil ? (sorry i paraphrase badly, but in essence.)

it’s true. when Islam conquered the then-CHRISTIAN middle east, a lot of “converted” Christians, did add to Islam.
a lot of the later hadiths, came from Christianity, and actually did reform it slightly.

(but, the Quran is still an immovable, unalterable object.)

[GOPsterinMA]

Hells NO!!!

[Steve Van Doorn]

"it is LITERALLY the words of Allah himself. to rewrite a single word, is blasphemy!!!"

you are absolutely correct. But there is something that is very important even I over looked on this.

Watch this video and notice something very important Islam has changed the meaning of words of Mohammad and only about 1% of Islam follows the literal interpretations of what Mohammad originally said which this old man in the video is correct (which i did do a ruff calculation on this a while ago).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wppjYDj9JUc

If you want more details on the literal interpretations of the Quran that did say the earth is flat, the sky is solid and the earth is the center of the universe I can give more info. But most of Islam do not follow what Mohammad originally said anymore.

Also notice the old mans last statement it is very important:
"“No verse in the Quran indicates that the Earth is round or that it rotates. Anything that has no indication in the Quran is false.“ Yet most of Islam doesn't recognize the earth is flat.

[B4Ranch]

I consider the Quran to be kiddy porn, not something respectable people should read.

[Steve Van Doorn]

here are some quran viruses that are read out loud some of the same points I could link that proves the Quran states the Earth is Flat and many other points that is important:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNRLnSeLP3U

Correction in last post:
ruff ---> rough

[Levante]

“Islam is a deadly cancer, best treated early with massive amounts of radiation.”

Blow ‘em up!

[slowhandluke]

This is precisely the course Islam must follow if ...

This is precisely the course Islam cannot follow. Christianity has the 'Render unto Caesar...' text on which to hang a split between religion and state. Islam has no such text, but rather strong injunctions that there can be no such split.

[Elendur]

most repectfully, since i have always admired your posts,
Islam is not kiddie porn. it should not be underestimated.

it is the religion of SATAN HIMSELF!

(but yes, Muhammad was a pedophile. “thighing a girl of 6 and having sex with her at age 9.)

...and your excellent list of links, i have praised many times, comes partially FROM people like us, READING the Quran, ahadith, and Sira, in order to learn about it, to fight better against it.
(and, also is partly why, i myself went to the OTHER side,
of the “taquiyya wall”.)

your own list of links i praised so much,
has useful fighting information it them,
FROM the Quran.

Sun-Tzu is STILL taught in our USA military academies.
and one MAJOR reason, why our government cannot deal with Islam properly, and is LOSING
(remember, the M.B. IN THE USA is already in stage 3!)
is because they DON’T understand Islam.

they still think bin laden “misunderstands” his own religion. only by reading and learning about it,
can you realize, that the problem is ISLAM ITSELF.

also, knowledge of the Quran, CAN be useful, in converting Muslims to Christianity.
(the Coptic Priest in Egypt, with the 25 MILLION dollar price tag on his head from Al-Queda itself, is the best example. his shows have been AMAZING, using the words of the Quran itself, to make Islam look ridiculous, and opening the minds of millions to Jesus.)

[BlueLancer]

200 years from now, I want their children's children's children
to cower and cringe in fear whenever they hear the sounds of jet engines overhead
because their legends tell of fire from the sky.

I want them to hide in dark caves and holes in the earth,
shivering with terror whenever they hear the roar of diesel engines
because the tales of their ancestors talk about metal monsters
crawling over the earth, spitting death and destruction.

I want their mothers to be able to admonish them with
"If you don't behave, the Pale Destroyers will come for you",
and that will be enough to reduce them to quivering obedience.

I want the annihilation to be so complete that their mythology
will tell them of the day of judgment when the stern gods from across the sea
.. the powerful 'Mericans .. destroyed their forefathers' wickedness.

(Original created by BlueLancer ... 13 September 2001)

[Elendur]

Yet most of Islam doesn't recognize the earth is flat. /// excellent observations! ...one of my favorites, is that there is a MATH ERROR in the Quran! it adds of the fractions for inheriting, incorrectly. things like this, can be very useful, in discussions. many Christian sites, like answering-Islam, have great lists of things like this. but my absolute favorite hero, is Dr Ali Sina. (you can look him up on wikipedia) he has had actual debates, with leading authorities in Islam, and won so strongly, that for years now, they refuse to debate him more. Ex-Muslims reveal Islam and Islamic threat | FaithFreedom.org Posted July 28, 2011 by Ali Sina ... FaithFreedom International is a grassroots movement of ex-Muslims. It is created to ... www.faithfreedom.org Faith Freedom International - Wikipedia, Ali Sina has issued a standing challenge that he will remove the FFI website if proven wrong on a number of issues. Faith Freedom International is listed ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Freedom_​International

[Elendur]

Amen!
...Islam has, in it’s own words, literally declared war on us.
they will never stop, they are like Borg.

it is a war of survival. until the West understands that, like Charles Martel did, like Ivan Sirko in his famous letter, etc., we will never win.

[Elendur]

it is very sad, most of our leaders and generals, do not understand what Churchill, Jefferson, and even ANN COULTER understand.

“We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren’t punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That’s war. And this is war.”
Ann Coulter

...we are not in a war on “Terror”. it is Islam itself that has declared war. ANY Imam or devout Muslim can tell you that. (but they won’t, unless they think you are a muslim...)

[Brad from Tennessee]

When Christianity was approximately the same age as Islam is today church authorities were burning Joan of Arc alive.

[The_Reader_David]

Prager is overly optimistic. I fear that what is necessary for a reformed Islam may be seen in three precedents, two outside the Muslim world — the Seige of Muenster and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagaski — and one within the Muslim world — the devastation of Ismaili Islam by the Mongols.

Since the Mongol destruction of their power, the Ismailis have been remarkably pacific, despite formally including jihad as a pillar of Islam, as they regard only the Aga Khan as having the authority to call for jihad in the sense of warfare, and the Aga Khans down the years since then have shown no inclination to do anything of the sort (lately they tend to be very cosmopolitan, Oxbridge educated, and a bit decadent).

The Anabaptists only turned pacifist after the horrible Siege of Muenster, before which they meant to establish their vision of the Kingdom of God by force of arms. Likewise, the last fanatical cult to use its members as guidance systems for bombs (actually a new feature for Islam, post-Saayed-Qutb) was the Shintoist Imperial Cult from which, through the alchemy of a severe defeat involving atomic bombing, pacifist Japan arose.

I fear that a universal reformation of Islam into a religion compatible with civilized norms (be they Christian, Jewish, Taoist, Buddhist, or even post-Christian secularist) would require a traumatic defeat of similar sort dealt to the ummah as a whole. Probably there really should be contingency plans for nuking Mecca and Medina drawn up against the possibility that someone manages to unite the ummah in a full-on old-style jihad.