Sanitizing Islam

Submitted by Salvador Vargas Rivera (United States), Aug 14, 2002 at 06:59

Mr. Pipes:

You quoted appropriately the turkish case as the best example (and only one so far) for the future of Islam, showing that it is possible to change Islam in a positive way. Problem is you left out, whether inadvertently or not, one small albeit important item: Kemal Ataturk proceeded with a program of modernization, secularization and cutural engineering of Turkey by using the most ruthless means and sheer brute force.

He dealt with the threat of fundamental Islam which was his main challenge in an very simple and effective manner: by exterminating it, since he knew there was no possible negotiating nor reasoning with it. Thus the turkish case shows that Islam cannot be reformed. It has to be either sanitized or eliminated.

Salvador Vargas Rivera,
Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico

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