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| What’s Right With Islam: A New Vision for Mulsims and the West |
| 2004-06-05 |
| From Slate, an article by Lee Smith .... It is vital to U.S. security interests that Muslim moderates rout their opponents, and Americans need to do whatever they can to help that happen. In What’s Right With Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West, Feisal Abdul Rauf explains how both the American government and private citizens, non-Muslim and Muslim, can take the initiative. ... As Americans helped shape and reconfigure the beliefs and practices of Christianity and Judaism around the world, Abdul Rauf argues that the future of Islam as a moderate, tolerant, and progressive faith rests with American Muslims. What’s Right With Islam is an important and often intellectually exciting book that describes Islam as an extension of the Judeo-Christian heritage. The three monotheistic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—constitute "the Abrahamic tradition," whose core principle is in the second commandment: "To love our neighbors," Abdul Rauf writes, "our fellow human beings, regardless of race, religion, or cultural background, as we love ourselves." .... The idea of a Judeo-Christian heritage is American-made, and not an eternal verity of Western civilization; it was forged by a society comprising many cultures that had to coexist. The uproar over The Passion of the Christ indicates how fragile that idea still is. Raised in Kuwait, and educated in Egypt, England, and Malaysia, Abdul Rauf, who came to the United States in 1965, is a natural born pluralist. He is imam at a mosque a few blocks from the World Trade Center that is fairly well-known for its open-door, open-arms attitude. Some of the mosque’s visitors are just curious about Islam, or more particularly about Sufism, a sect that’s tolerant of other ideas and creeds. Influenced by Greek and Hindu philosophy and Christianity, Sufism is usually referred to as Islamic mysticism, but up until the beginning of the last century, it was also essentially mainstream, or popular, Islam, a hodgepodge of beliefs and practices that places great emphasis on mediators, or auliya’, who intercede with God on behalf of righteous petitioners. .... ... contrary to the beliefs of many Western commentators, the Muslim world has had plenty of Martin Luthers; the problem is that so far none of their reformations resulted in anything looking like the E.U. And yet the once-disdained and inclusive creed of Sufism might just redeem the ironic narrative of Muslim reform—at least if Abdul Rauf has his way. Sufis are known for their inner-directed orientation and disregard for worldly affairs. .... A potential audience, Abdul Rauf writes, "may be a young American Muslim woman or man confused between the picture of Islam 
projected in the American media by Osama Bin Laden and that practiced by your sweet grandmother." Of course it’s essential that, like all Americans, American Muslims engage the "Abrahamic tradition," instead of triumphalist politics. .... typically Muslim immigrants have come here to partake of the same liberties and opportunities that every ethnic and religious group has sought in America. Indeed, it’s worthwhile noting that for many Muslims, their coming to the United States also meant fleeing places where there’s an awful lot that is not right with Islam. .... It’s time for an American Muslim leader to translate the best of the American dream to the Muslim world. After all, Islam has had plenty of Martin Luthers, the next Muslim reformer needs to be a Martin Luther King. |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #9 "eliminating suicide bombing will require that we address its underlying causes" Yes, the underlying cause we need to prevent is the detonation of their explosives after they've left the confines of their mosque, barracks or bomb-factory (use as appropriate). Preignition seems to be solving a lot of the problems Israel is having with these two-legged vermin. #5 "Knock it off, the American's are coming for my Sistine Chapel!" Due to its origins in nomadic climes, Islam is by nature a decentralized religion. They will never have a primary figurehead like the Catholic pope. If only due to their internecine warfare, it will not happen. However, this doesn't mean that they do not have a "Sistine Chapel." That they do indeed have in the form of Mecca and Medina. If and when we are obliged to appropriate the Saudi oil fields, a similar appropriation of these Islamic holy sites should be a top priority. We have neither the time nor luxury of hoping for any sort of "reformation" coming from within Islam. Far too many of their adherents have adopted militant jihad and will not blanch at using the most horrific weapons imaginable. This we must counter with the horrific notion (for them) that not a single Muslim on the face of this earth will ever again be allowed into their precious shrines until they purge their ranks of these barbaric psychotics. Rest assured that if the Catholics were out advocating nuclear terrorism, the Sistine Chapel would be at the top of my Christmas list. The notion of universal Sharia law is so simultaneously repugnant and intolerable that it must be snuffed out like a birthday candle in a hurricane. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-06-05 4:21:07 PM |
| #8 There is that koran thing too. As long as that piece of fakeness is taught and "a hodgepodge of beliefs and practices that places great emphasis on mediators, or auliya’, who intercede with God on behalf of righteous petitioners. ...." then it's just a mind control, geopolitical threat to everbody. I say outlaw the koran. Bring that up at the UN and let the debate begin. It's either submit or not! |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-06-05 12:06:53 PM |
| #7 A5075 - Offer them "Cake or Death"? ;-> |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-05 11:42:00 AM |
| #6 How bout this one, as an American I am great insulted by the way Arabs treat the West, until this "death to American shit" ends, I say let's bomb Arabs until they talk nice about us. How's that for an underlining cause . . . . Talk nice or die learn to be human or feel the pain grow up or shut up |
| Posted by: Anonymous5075 2004-06-05 11:22:39 AM |
| #5 "After all, Islam has had plenty of Martin Luthers, the next Muslim reformer needs to be a Martin Luther King." No, what they need is a pope. One with lots of property, perhaps a country or two to run. A pope who can say, "Knock it off, the American's are coming for my Sistine Chapel!" First have a pope, then we can talk about a reformation. |
| Posted by: Zpaz 2004-06-05 10:52:23 AM |
| #4 remember its all about root causes and its all our own fault :( |
| Posted by: Shep UK 2004-06-05 7:54:26 AM |
| #3 "eliminating suicide bombing will require that we address its underlying causes," which means re-evaluating U.S. foreign policy, especially regarding the Palestinians." When anyone starts rabbiting on about "underlying causes" just direct them to this link. The Market for Martyrs |
| Posted by: tipper 2004-06-05 6:44:22 AM |
| #2 Oops, I take it back about Lee - he gets it and clearly sees Rauf as another disingenuous Muslim apologist - sorry Mr Lee! My bad. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-05 4:03:00 AM |
| #1 If Islam wants to "reform" itself, fine - it's their internal matter as long as it does not involve non-Muslims. Of course, it is the ultimate understatement to note that the conduct of Islam today does, indeed, involve non-Mulsims - mainly as innocent victims of their hatred and attempts to spred Islamic dominion. I'm afraid Mr Lee is a sucker or apologist, though. Rauf tosses in this classic bit of Muslim Bullshit: "...he believes that "eliminating suicide bombing will require that we address its underlying causes," which means re-evaluating U.S. foreign policy, especially regarding the Palestinians." Game. Set. Match. Fuck off Rauf - and take your "American Islam" with you. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-05 3:45:54 AM |