Threat to Muslim moderates

Submitted by A. Lee Stewart (United States), Sep 23, 2003 at 14:15

The silence of Muslim moderates since 9/11 and before speaks volumes. I am so grateful for your integrity and the style of your teaching. An entire nation needs to hear what you are saying about the threat to moderate Muslims that is apparently built into the teaching of the Qur'an: to question any thing in the text is forbidden because the book itself is said by Muslims to be "written by God," therefore, there is no author subject to argument. To question the Muslim version of "God" is considered "blasphemy," subject to extreme punishment including death.

Could it be that the tyrants within have always had an airtight constraint on criticism of Islam and their methods no matter how extreme by other Muslims? Does it matter taht there are moderates given the constraints under which they practice their religion? Are the extremists unstoppable? How clever. What to do?

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