Daniel J. Pipes

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To Sohail - Questions

Reader comment on item: How the West Could Lose
in response to reader comment: What Questions

Submitted by Michel (United States), Feb 5, 2007 at 13:08

Sohail:

Plato a bit further up had an exchange with Mo.
See " To Mo , on logic and reason, on Muslim and Islam, the right to condemn".

I'd appreciate your comments.

As far as I am concerned, I have a much simpler mind and much less knowledge about ISLAM than Plato.
I individually see categores of Muslims throughout the globe, living within much different frame conditions.
All of which requiring a custom-tailored approach, as far as the West is concerned.

My highest level of interest is on modern western Muslms living in Europe or the Americas within our industrialized, capitalistic, Judeo/Christian based societies.

Noah calls all these Muslims member of a migratory attack, infiltrating, subversive with a long term strategy to outgrow us and implement Sharia Law.

I, on the other hand, believe that there is amongst the 30 M Muslims just in the USA a silent majority of people who practice their religion, yet do not intend to subvert the system. I met some of those.

Reading about the theology as presented by many here who seem to have quite some knowledge about the Quran, that seems to be a paradox. In other words, much evidence was presented that one can not be a true Muslim and at the same time be a productive, peaceful member of our (western) society. One can not be US citizen first and Muslim second and that religin would always override everything else.

My specific ( Noah calls them "naive") questions were listed in my post " I call out all moderate muslims..."

In a nutshell, I was wondering, if within ISLAM there is a movement for a needed reform, as obviously the same happened within Christianity. Is there room in your religion to consolidate these ancient, sometimes very brutal texts with modern life? What does the local mosque teach? Are these horrendous acts by Al Khaeda and the likes, the beheadings on video, islamic terrorism really condoned? What are your scholars doing about it, - after all these acts have a religious "justification"? Why the silence in the islamic world instead of an outcry against such?

When we experienced deplorable terrorism of our own, politically or otherwise motivated, everybody stands up against it including all churches. Why do we see so little of that from within your culture?

Let me once again strongly advise you to reflect strictly inwards, as any finger pointing will be responded to with finger pointing. I am not interested in propaganda but honest, self-critical reflection.

It would further help me, to understand your mindset, if you could roughly outline, where you are located.
(I am in Southern CA, US Citizen of European ( Swiss) origin.

Thanks in advance.


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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 and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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