What is a Moderate Muslim?
Reader comment on article: [Finding Moderate Muslims:] Do you believe in modernity?

Submitted by Erik Larsen (United States), Jul 7, 2007 at 17:53

We all must understand that a "moderate" Muslim is one who will not kill himself or others in the name of Allah, or support those who do. A "moderate" Muslim is one who believes that Jihad is an inner spirtual struggle rather than a violent holy war against apostates and non-believers. A "moderate" Muslim is in the minority among Muslims.

Beyond that, however, a "moderate" Muslim, in order to call himself a Muslim, must believe that (1) women and non-believers do not have the rights of believers; (2) all man-made governments are illegitimate and must be replaced with Islamic governments (the Caliphate); (3) Shari'a law must be imposed on all persons, including the punishments dictated by the Quran; and (4) the practice of all other religions must be either eliminated or strictly suppressed. These tenets define Islam, and without them there is no Islam. A reading of the Quran makes this abundantly clear.

The "moderate" Muslims that we see among us are allowed by Islam to adapt to local customs and to submit to man-made laws (within limits) until such time as Islam has been established as the dominant religion. From that point on, however, the "moderate" Muslim will support the imposition of the four tenets outlined above.

In other words, a "moderate" Muslim is not a friend of the West. In fact, his core beliefs are at war with the core beliefs of the West, and always will be. For any Muslim to become a true friend of the West, he must become an apostate, one who has foresaken Islam, and such a person is a dead man walking.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited, before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments.

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Title	By	Date
Reasonable Questions from Dr. Pipes EXCEPT... [78 words]	Jamal	Sep 10, 2007 08:55
⇒ What is a Moderate Muslim? [270 words]	Erik Larsen	Jul 7, 2007 17:53
↔ 4 False Tenets. [1325 words]	Manuel F. Nuñez	Dec 30, 2007 20:04
Where do I take the test??!! [18 words]	Qasim Manzoor	Apr 22, 2007 11:49
I failed [6 words]	farooq	Feb 22, 2007 17:21
Proven point. [114 words]	Atiem Q	Jan 23, 2007 13:55
What is this ... [57 words]	mimi	Oct 18, 2006 02:40
Yeah, but... [632 words]	Trevor Swoverland	Aug 30, 2006 16:08
↔ Wrong! [32 words]	chris	Mar 10, 2007 00:03
↔ oh really? [33 words]	zen	Apr 2, 2007 06:56
↔ Before correcting others... [79 words]	Gov	Jun 30, 2008 12:28
We the AMERICANS will defend Israel and crush the Arabs who instigate global problems! [221 words]	Justin	Aug 22, 2006 16:30
↔ 5 minutes [64 words]	Michael	Aug 27, 2006 20:11
↔ re: 5 minutes [72 words]	david	Feb 1, 2007 21:00
↔ there you go [15 words]	Frank Cotton	Aug 20, 2007 12:17
↔ Cute but Ignorant Comments... [1101 words]	Manuel F. Nuñez	Jan 2, 2008 09:06
Questions Muslims can't answer!! [3411 words]	Salman Saeed	Jul 9, 2006 08:26
↔ Muslims Do Answer!!! [149 words]	Azmat Zuberi	Aug 11, 2006 17:51
↔ reply [203 words]	a name would only bias the response	Sep 30, 2006 21:12
↔ I recently chose Islam after living as a Roman Catholic [616 words]	dBirch	May 29, 2007 17:10
↔ I am a Roman Catholic married to a Muslim..... [177 words]	Brenda Bakkali	Aug 16, 2007 19:16
↔ Muslims don't have answers reply [318 words]	asma	Aug 22, 2007 08:40
a moderate muslim answer and critique [1626 words]	Abdul Rahman Reijerink	Jun 28, 2006 09:24
Phew! I failed. [74 words]	Ahmed	Jun 20, 2006 19:54
↔ Does it matter? [224 words]	Ahmed	Jun 21, 2006 20:38
↔ fending ignorance [130 words]	a name would only bias the answer	Sep 30, 2006 20:40
↔ The bottom line......... [19 words]	Tim J	Oct 2, 2007 02:37
Jihad [37 words]	Correction	Mar 4, 2006 01:42
↔ Jihad [68 words]	Correction 1	Apr 19, 2006 10:47
Question: did Mohammed kill? [28 words]	Mark	Feb 23, 2006 07:37
↔ Muhammad killed no one. [99 words]	Hajj Dawud Ahmad	Jul 14, 2007 00:42
response [w/response by Daniel Pipes] [124 words]	Khalil	Nov 28, 2005 08:27
↔ Re: I am a historian of Islam [60 words]	Hamza Zuberi	Feb 15, 2006 09:51
↔ Modernity? Why not? [242 words]	Subriah Esharc	Jul 15, 2006 02:40
Understand the subject before judging it. [414 words]	Hamza Zuberi	Nov 10, 2005 00:38
No straight answers! [57 words]	Mushtaq Ilyas	Nov 7, 2005 10:44
With my due respect, America is not the world and 500 years is not the whole human history [51 words]	Abdou Niane	Nov 2, 2005 04:54
Congratulations to all Muslims who failed this test. [72 words]	Mahmud	Oct 21, 2005 14:05
i agree modernity [53 words]	mohamed mustafa	Oct 14, 2005 19:16
↔ Missunderstanding & Misuse Islam Flexibility [152 words]	Citra Pratiwi	Jan 12, 2006 13:04
Here is another question to ask [49 words]	Mark Sharp	Sep 29, 2005 08:25
↔ Yes and yes again... [159 words]	alia	Dec 6, 2007 15:01
Definitions [27 words]	Mélissa	Sep 26, 2005 14:34
I have failed as a good Muslim should [17 words]	Danial Khan Hadi	Sep 25, 2005 02:53
↔ modernity [15 words]	emy	Oct 24, 2006 17:51
FAILED IT ALSO...BY A HUGE MARGIN! [77 words]	Tiger	Sep 20, 2005 16:57
I failed the test [29 words]	Muslimah	Sep 13, 2005 12:11
Keeping a watchful eye . . [251 words]	Susan	Sep 7, 2005 12:42
Being A Moderate Muslim [188 words]	HaSsan	Jul 26, 2005 03:07
↔ fight extremism [19 words]	lavinia	Sep 30, 2006 22:37
I passed the test! [237 words]	Hamid Ahmed	Jun 18, 2005 09:45
↔ i appreciate moderate muslims [176 words]	Karen	Apr 21, 2007 03:11
Questions that should be asked of Christian fundamentalists [269 words]	Kenneth Corbin	Jan 24, 2005 18:36
↔ Fundementalists are oppressors! [128 words]	duane	Apr 22, 2006 18:27
↔ ;-) [13 words]	Abdul Rahman Reijerink	Jun 28, 2006 09:28
↔ Eh? point by point response [1307 words]	Saikat	Aug 21, 2006 15:12
↔ blasphemy [42 words]	Keoni	Feb 13, 2007 02:15
Islamic Counter-Reformation Means Minimal Modernity [156 words]	GWK	Jan 13, 2005 14:26
↔ God bless the brave [184 words]	Abdul Rahman Reijerink	Jun 28, 2006 09:38
Some comments to "Moderate muslim's test": [1006 words]	LK	Jan 10, 2005 06:04
Which are inherently radical religions? [248 words]	LK	Jan 10, 2005 04:22
Islam appears to be inherently radical [265 words]	Mark Sharp	Dec 31, 2004 15:18
↔ Response to commenter Mark Sharp [345 words]	Victoria	Feb 6, 2005 07:45
↔ you need to get out more [230 words]	Abdul Rahman Reijerink	Jun 28, 2006 09:53
Perhaps not the best inquiries [348 words]	Rob James	Dec 30, 2004 16:45
Question of tolerance [201 words]	azism	Dec 30, 2004 09:39
Proselysing is not anti state [460 words]	Garry Prior	Dec 29, 2004 21:28
Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam [w/response by Daniel Pipes] [378 words]	Ansar Raza	Dec 27, 2004 22:39
↔ Ahmadis and "peace" [44 words]	JpEditor	Feb 8, 2008 11:50
Questionnaire overextends its reach. [196 words]	Emmanuel Parello	Nov 19, 2004 21:01
Read before you ask questions [w/response by Daniel Pipes] [79 words]	alia robia	Nov 5, 2004 00:36
↔ Message to Alia Robia and Hamza Yousif [315 words]	Ashoorina	Dec 16, 2004 15:32
↔ Message to Ashoorina [409 words]	Angel	Dec 28, 2004 00:40
↔ a muslim girl in a muslim country [184 words]	maram	Feb 26, 2006 08:39
↔ Regarding Hamza Yusuf: You should read about people before making false assumptions. [160 words]	Manuel F. Nunez	Dec 23, 2007 03:06
Feed the brain well [520 words]	Reem	Oct 31, 2004 21:17
↔ Message to Reem and Hamza Yousif [1122 words]	Ashoorina	Dec 16, 2004 17:11
HAMZA YUSUF FAILS THE TEST OF DANIEL PIPES [84 words]	Jacob Raphael	Oct 13, 2004 16:53
Re accusation of funding terrorism [57 words]	Roslyn Frankl	Sep 27, 2004 21:52
Modernity and tradition [36 words]	Esfandiar Gghafari Nasab	May 2, 2004 07:42
No such thing as Moderate Islam [58 words]	Mona Abousenna	Apr 10, 2004 07:29
just curious.... [855 words]	Joseph Cato	Jan 24, 2004 21:37
Modernity? [559 words]	Joseph Breeden	Dec 18, 2003 22:40
The test [393 words]	Amr Sabry	Dec 17, 2003 11:05
Racism is not answer [727 words]	weasel	Dec 17, 2003 02:08
Are all Muslims extremists? [532 words]	hindutva	Dec 16, 2003 05:38
↔ Google - "Quran kill" ... unbelievable [53 words]	Ward Pdan	Sep 19, 2006 13:08
↔ ISLAM:The bitter truth [421 words]	INDIA 4 HINDUS	Sep 27, 2006 16:47
↔ he killed and approved of killing [52 words]	david bare Proffessor of divinity	Oct 4, 2006 11:20
↔ Not all Muslims are extremists! [78 words]	Jasmin	Oct 24, 2006 00:32
↔ MISINFORMED [59 words]	jANIS	Dec 29, 2006 14:03
↔ In response to hindutva, Dec 16, 2003 at 05:38: Are all muslims extremists? [122 words]	observer	Jan 4, 2007 19:49
↔ When? [9 words]	chris	Mar 10, 2007 00:39
↔ Sherman's march on Iraq [1711 words]	B	Jul 10, 2007 01:28
↔ response to observer, Sikhs are NOT hindus, and hindutva IS NOT hinduism. [251 words]	khk	Jul 26, 2007 17:08
↔ SIKHS ARE NOT HINDUS. [100 words]	quag	Jul 26, 2007 17:15
What is a moderate muslim? [114 words]	A.Nielsen	Dec 14, 2003 12:22
Modernity Question [13 words]	Deep Basu	Dec 11, 2003 07:46
Your Useful Questions - an Excellent "Islamist-Litmus Test" [w/response by Daniel Pipes] [396 words]	Goran Andrijasevic	Dec 8, 2003 01:46
Substitute others [40 words]	Michael Powell	Dec 7, 2003 19:41
↔ response to Mr. Powell: Some ideas are essential if we are too live peacefully [215 words]	Bob Greene	Dec 16, 2003 23:02
Radical Muslims challenge the thinking we thought was universal [749 words]	Jonathan Pfeffer	Dec 7, 2003 01:34
Domination. [20 words]	eric mudasi	Dec 5, 2003 03:09
Typical Moderate Muslim [129 words]	N. Khan	Dec 4, 2003 13:48
↔ In response to "Typical Moderate Muslim" [530 words]	Hayyah	Jan 25, 2005 14:04
↔ Clarification of my earlier comment [225 words]	hayyah	Jan 25, 2005 14:13
↔ Moderate PERSON, that happens to be a muslim... [245 words]	Alia	Dec 6, 2007 14:34
The Fallacies of Depending on "Moderate" Islam [601 words]	David Ryan	Dec 4, 2003 12:16
Should we Privilege Theological Liberalism? [642 words]	Peter J. Herz	Dec 4, 2003 08:10
Do you believe in modernity? Nov.26,2003 [37 words]	S.C.Panda	Dec 4, 2003 05:45
I would like to apologize to you [27 words]	Jason Eritano	Dec 2, 2003 12:52
Khilafism is the fundamental difference [46 words]	Steven Johnson	Dec 1, 2003 18:56
↔ khilafa .. the need of the time [35 words]	Mohhammad al haj	Mar 27, 2006 03:12
↔ Khilafa call tiresome [89 words]	Abdul Rahman Reijerink	Jun 28, 2006 10:31
Multiculturalism [79 words]	Jason Eritano	Dec 1, 2003 16:17
aren't we forgetting something [119 words]	mark leci	Dec 1, 2003 11:28
still their source is one [82 words]	T.A.	Dec 1, 2003 04:40
Where is modernity in Islam? [213 words]	samy mikhail	Nov 30, 2003 22:36
↔ wrong perception. [202 words]	bilal ahmed	Oct 8, 2007 16:44
↔ LOL [74 words]	Esmeralda	Oct 9, 2007 03:28
Who's moderate? [359 words]	James	Nov 30, 2003 20:07
Great idea. . . But. . . [177 words]	Lilith Paloma	Nov 30, 2003 10:37
Great questions [22 words]	Sriram	Nov 30, 2003 00:48
In addition [67 words]	Adelaide Gerol Meisner	Nov 29, 2003 22:46
Questions are concise and to the point [125 words]	Ed	Nov 29, 2003 22:18
what is Israel's obligation [81 words]	y Brandstetter	Nov 29, 2003 16:44
Moderate Islam? [134 words]	Charles	Nov 29, 2003 14:19
Maybe Not [173 words]	Nicholas G. Wion	Nov 29, 2003 00:24
Global Goals of Islam [109 words]	Fred Trinker	Nov 28, 2003 18:37
Another test for Moderate Muslims [10 words]	Stan Brin	Nov 28, 2003 07:44
Now You See Me, Now You Don't [444 words]	Alo Kievalar	Nov 28, 2003 07:12
Distinguishing Free Speech From Terrorist Propaganda [102 words]	Yirmeyahu Ben-David	Nov 28, 2003 06:53
Re Article- Thanks [5 words]	Bill McCraw	Nov 27, 2003 20:19
Great suggestions but ... [161 words]	Ivan Barna	Nov 27, 2003 20:01
Your commentary on Muslims [9 words]	Walter D'Ull	Nov 27, 2003 17:47
You must not trust them at all [175 words]	f shawki	Nov 27, 2003 17:38
another 'Useful Question'? [106 words]	ron thompson	Nov 27, 2003 17:15
Thanks [27 words]	Robert G. Mogull	Nov 27, 2003 13:36
Nice ! Very nice Daniel [133 words]	Kaiser	Nov 27, 2003 12:49
The Myth of Tests for (and of?) Moderate Islam. [393 words]	Patrick Moore	Nov 27, 2003 12:05
Remember the Left [330 words]	Jason Eritano	Nov 27, 2003 10:33
Is Muslim Modernity Possible? [132 words]	Darwin Barrett	Nov 27, 2003 10:25
Islamic Leadership in the United States [182 words]	Professor Nitza Nachmias	Nov 27, 2003 03:47
Excellent questions [24 words]	Joseph M. Ellis	Nov 27, 2003 02:29
Nice Try, BUT WRONG [37 words]	mvm	Nov 26, 2003 23:54
Pretence is more than just a possibility its a near certainty [137 words]	Lloyd Lionel Klein	Nov 26, 2003 18:52
↔ If you really want to know the truth. [140 words]	A guy	Jul 4, 2008 17:53
Moderate? [49 words]	Charles Tisse	Nov 26, 2003 18:48
How fine a line, or, where's the cameleon? [177 words]	yonason	Nov 26, 2003 16:51
One question only [105 words]	Boris Galinsky	Nov 26, 2003 14:31
Tolerance [110 words]	Stephen Berman	Nov 26, 2003 14:19
Moderate what? [159 words]	Gideon Kanner	Nov 26, 2003 13:49
DO YOU BELEIVE IN MODERNITY [76 words]	Frank Malek	Nov 26, 2003 13:16
Thank you [259 words]	Susan Petrea	Nov 26, 2003 13:12
Civil Liberties should be supspended [310 words]	Jason Eritano	Nov 26, 2003 13:04
Profile Me! [76 words]	Marc Segan	Nov 26, 2003 11:01
Muslim definition of "innocence" [39 words]	Alex Coalson	Nov 26, 2003 10:43
Islam vs. Modernity [133 words]	Arlinda DeAngelis	Nov 26, 2003 10:43
Pipes' Intelligent Analysis of Islam [396 words]	Anne Helton	Nov 26, 2003 10:33
ONE Islamic cleric? [64 words]	Scott	Nov 26, 2003 10:31
Modernity [32 words]	Sandy Price	Nov 26, 2003 10:29
Moderate criteria [w/response by Daniel Pipes] [269 words]	Boris Frenkel	Nov 26, 2003 10:21
TRUTH is Hard to Find due to al-taqiyya and al-tauriya. [1266 words]	D. Walls	Nov 26, 2003 10:02
↔ You make the truth even harder to find [198 words]	Abdul Rahman Reijerink	Jun 28, 2006 10:11
Islam and Modernity [274 words]	Vijay Dandapani	Nov 26, 2003 09:51
↔ In response to commenter "Vijay" [275 words]	Reem	Oct 31, 2004 21:29
Where Are the Moderate Muslims? [w/response by Daniel Pipes] [58 words]	Richard Rheiner	Nov 26, 2003 09:47
Blame the Left [207 words]	Jason Eritano	Nov 26, 2003 09:45
Questions for "Moderate" Muslims [67 words]	Orley Swartzentruber	Nov 26, 2003 09:40
↔ Response to Swartzentruber [37 words]	Bob	Dec 16, 2003 14:26
I agree, except for one point [w/response by Daniel Pipes] [209 words]	David Bernstein	Nov 26, 2003 09:26
What is Islam [282 words]	Budd Kopman	Nov 26, 2003 09:18
Solution? [5 words]	Morton	Nov 26, 2003 09:16
Moderate Muslims [40 words]	Patrick Mulligan	Nov 26, 2003 09:05

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