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Secularizing Islam

Reader comment on item: [The RAND Corporation and] Fixing Islam

Submitted by Robert Armstrong (United States), Apr 8, 2004 at 11:47

1.Islamic fundamentalism, like all fundamentalisms, has two main ideas, Literalism and Inerrancy. It adds to these the idea of abrogation. The Quran is to be taken literally. It is assumed to be free from errors. And within the Quarn the later revelations are taken to supercede the earlier ones.

2.Abrogation is the real problem. The earlier revelations are the more moderate and less political ones. Superceding them with later more violent and politically orientated revelations turns Islam into a political ideology. Unfortunately this ideology resembles Nazism in that it requires the believers to conquer the world, enslave the non-believers, and murder the Jews. At this point war between this ideology and the West is inevitable.

3.Before we can secularize Islam we must deal with secularism's dislike of religion. The world view of secularism is that of reductive materialism. From the viewpoint of the reductive materialist religion is nonsense and the religions are fools. The religious will not be comfortable with religion until secularists are comfortable with spirituality. The secularists will not be comfortable with religion until they can accept the idea reductive materialism is just one way of viewing reality and the successes of science do not prove it is absolutely and unarguably the only way.

4.Fundamentalism is a reactionary phenomenon. Unfortunately it is a reaction to the world view of reductive materialism. If we try to secularize the Islamic world without first dealing with secularism's discomfort with religion and loyalty to the reductive materialist world view we will only create more fundamentalists.

5.Sufism is the spiritual component of Islam. Sufism is what makes Islam a religion. More to the point Sufism is what moderates Islam as a religion. Those who see Sufism and spiritual practice as a important part of Islam are our friends. We should treat them as such.
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Reader comments (52) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
5Islam is a socio/economic/political system [277 words]engrJan 25, 2011 03:14182028
5The Devilish Plans [240 words]Shahid Saeed KhanJul 16, 2007 03:53103774
islam [26 words]dmenAug 1, 2007 07:16103774
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2To Radin [153 words]Shahid Saeed KhanAug 25, 2008 01:03103774
4ISLAM WILL BE ESTABLISHED. [92 words]The MuslimFeb 25, 2009 01:47103774
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1Keep Turkey out of the EU! [765 words]Michael d.H. (GER)Jul 1, 2004 08:2415861
Keeping Turkey out of the EU [85 words]JojoNov 28, 2006 08:5315861
See the Freedom [86 words]Shahid Saeed KhanJul 16, 2007 08:2515861
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Nick Berg and Fixing Islam [45 words]Jim FredJun 7, 2004 01:3415561
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Its a Fairy Tale [94 words]Shahid Saeed KhanJul 16, 2007 04:2614815
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Turkey & Secularists [210 words]G SinghApr 18, 2004 04:2114763
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Beginning of the end of ideology [169 words]Sean DoyleApr 15, 2004 06:5814718
How to fix Islam [51 words]Ricky D. CalhounApr 14, 2004 16:1214702
Islam punishes Western stupidity for 14 centuries. Now is USA. [185 words]Stan SzczepkowskiApr 13, 2004 15:0814647
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Errors in Dan Pipe's article [532 words]silasApr 10, 2004 07:2214601
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French approach to secularists [233 words]John HadjiskyApr 8, 2004 16:0714568
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1Secularizing Islam [301 words]Robert ArmstrongApr 8, 2004 11:4714552
I doubt that! [139 words]Salafi FundamentalistOct 17, 2007 07:4414552
Fundamentalist & Violent [90 words]Timothy B. RobertsApr 7, 2004 23:5614543
Very Interesting [182 words]AvrahamApr 7, 2004 23:3514542
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Islam [74 words]Sahir KhanOct 6, 2009 13:1814538
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Secularization of Islam [5 words]Ray AtwoodApr 7, 2004 13:5914529
At last! Someone thinking long term. [162 words]Dr. Laina Farhat-HolzmanApr 7, 2004 13:1314527
Minority and majority [90 words]TanruApr 7, 2004 00:5214514
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Confused [83 words]MeganApr 6, 2004 17:2114504
Whose Islam? [209 words]Vijay DandapaniApr 6, 2004 11:4614498
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Religion building or demolition? [143 words]Rick FlandersApr 6, 2004 10:5814496
1What about Arab Nationalism? [160 words]Jonathan PfefferApr 6, 2004 10:0314495

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