Madina Archives

Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
Moe
11/06/01 at 05:42:37
Moderate Muslims must roar, says Rushdie http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/central/11/02/gen.religion.rushdie/ LONDON, Britain -- Moderate Muslim voices must be encouraged if terrorism is to be defeated, according to Salman Rushdie, the author who spent years under an Islamic death sentence. In an article that appeared in Britain's Guardian newspaper and the New York Times, Rushdie said a "paranoid Islam" that blames outsiders for the ills of the Muslim world had sprung from the religion's radical political movements. But the religion was central to the war on terror, he said, directly challenging assertions by the United States and Britain that the alliance only took issue with terrorism in general. "Let's start calling a spade a spade. Of course this is 'about Islam'," wrote Rushdie, who faced a fatwa (death sentence) issued by Iran over his book, "The Satanic Verses." Questions "If this isn't about Islam, why the worldwide Muslim demonstrations in support of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda? "Why did those 10,000 men armed with swords and axes mass on the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, answering some mullah's call to jihad? "Why are the war's first British casualties three Muslim men who died fighting on the Taliban side?" Rushdie, forced into hiding when the late Ayatollah Khomeni declared the fatwa in 1989, accused Islamic fundamentalists -- he calls them Islamists -- of having hijacked the religion. Muslim voices Rushdie said that since the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington previously timid moderate Muslim voices had at long last started to be heard. "If Islam is to be reconciled with modernity, these voices must be encouraged until they swell into a roar," he wrote. "If terrorism is to be defeated, the world of Islam must take on board the secularist-humanist principles on which the modern is based, and without which their countries' freedom will remain a distant dream".

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
Anik
11/06/01 at 17:00:12
asalaamu alaikum, I think he is just passing his opinion, not necessarily trying to take the reins of moderate Islam (whatever that is anyways)... please understand I am not supporting him at all of course... I see his point to a certain extent, understand it, and I think he has his labels wrong but in some ways has his arguement slightly correct. Moderate muslims shouldn't be roaring- all muslims should be roaring, the roar of true Islam, not some privatized geo-political understanding of it. Muslims shouldn't start to sectarianize their society like the Western media, and Rushdie is trying to do to Islam. We should unite, be common, for Allah Subhana.  What he say by "moderate muslim" is one who relaxes a bit of Islam for the duniya (an even smaller bit of duniya)... I think he has a great analysis for a non-believer, it's even somewhat true, to make it in this world's eyes, muslims may have to relax Islam, but forget that!  We don't have to live up to some Western "modern" view of the world. What we have to do is start to change the term "fundamentalist" synonymous with "peaceful understanding muslim" and eliminate "moderate" as a term of the "modern muslim" for our own better understanding. Again, dont' support him, but I think he's right to a certain extent about the war on Islam by the West, he made a good point , very true, but remember he said "IF" muslims wish to reconcile with modernity (secular, atheistic, desire-driven modernity). asalamu alaikum. abdullah,.

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
Kashif
11/06/01 at 17:23:31
assalaamu alaikum Of course Rushdie's view of 'moderate' Muslims is restricted to those who agree to "secularist-humanist principles." So for those who want to see a total revival of Islam - i.e. you and I - we're not included. We'd be lumped together with 'those fanatics' because we believe in such anti-secularist and anti-humanist values as non-separation of the religion from the state. Kashif Wa Salaam
NS

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
Anik
11/06/01 at 23:19:04
asalaamu alaikum, Completely agree with Kashif... I re-thought what Rushdie said and I think he was saying, more or less, that Islam has no place in the world unless hypocrisy enters the religion. asalaamu alaikum. abdullah,.

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
kareema
11/07/01 at 15:38:27
Isn't it funny what these secularists propose? You basically have to gut Islam and make it only a name is what they are saying. What's the use of Islam if we are ony using it's name? Further, if you look at history, the US is likely an example of personal liberties extremism, one very far from the center. I remember an hadith that an lier or trickster may say a 100 things, with 99 of them being false, but we should look for their 1 true statements. Salaam,Kareema

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
Kashif
11/07/01 at 17:00:48
assalaamu alaikum I know this is nit-picking, but i don't think that its the fact that hypocrisy would enter religion. Its more a case of saying 'we accept part of Allah's laws and reject another part.' And about this there is a severe warning given by Allah in the Qur'an for those who do this: "Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? What then is the re ward of such among you as do this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous chastisement, and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do." [2:285] Thus, Islam as its meant to be is to be followed in whole. At the same time, its noteworthy to keep in mind *why* people can be so pro-secularist. In my opinion, one of the reasons is because it brings back horrendous memories from history of the time when the Church had a hand in running the affairs of the State/people's private lives. As you may have read, this resulted in often oppressive rules being placed upon the commonfolk, and absurd punishments for scientists (termed heretics in their day). To give you one example, when America was discovered the Church initially refused to believe this arguing that since the God was in a Trinity, and the trinity was three, the world should reflect that and as such there could only ever be three continents! They have no idea of the thousand years during which Muslims lived their lives not separating the religion from the State. Another reason would also be the bad press that countries who have religious administrations get over here. Kashif Wa Salaam PS Just as a side point who do these non-Muslim 'Islamic-experts' think they are telling us who is 'moderate' and who is 'extreme?' We are able to set these limits ourselves using the Qur'an and hadith as a guide without needing any assistance from them.
NS

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
momineqbal
11/08/01 at 01:30:00
[slm], Secular accordinig to one dictionary means:Worldly rather than spiritual.. I think we should try and explain to non-muslims that Islam is unique in the way that it is not just about spirituality but also concerns itself with worldly affairs. So that it is completeand holistic way of life. In these terms Islam is the most secular religion on earth. Also Islam is usually very tolerant towards secularism but secularism usually is intolerant towards Islam. Wassalam

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
kareema
11/14/01 at 15:40:50
Yeah Kashif, I see your point, but look at all the problems secular regimes have had-Russia, China, Germany all secular nations are big offenders of human/civil rights, as well as the US abroad. So really, the 'religion causes oppression'nonsense is simply propaganda that needs to be rebutted.

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
Anik
11/14/01 at 22:41:33
asalaamu alaikum, I would disagree Kareema... religion doesn't cause oppression directly, but it does give us excuses for oppression. asalaamu alaikum. abdullah,.

Re: Apostate Salman Rushdie becomes voice for "moderate" Islam
kareema
11/15/01 at 16:18:11
Umm...yeah, that's just what I said, isn't it?
Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author. The rest © Jannah.Org