Prospects for the development of moderate Islam
Reader comment on item: Daniel Pipes fights the worldwide threat of Islamism - from Malibu
in response to reader comment: Response to Mr. Ian Campbell

Submitted by Edward Halper (United States), Mar 9, 2007 at 02:16

Faqi: The non- Muslim world is in a stupor denying the reality of Islam and its ruthless violence being inflicted all over the world ever since it was born.

There were golden periods when Muslims were able to live side by side with Jews, Christians, and Hindus. Unfortunately, they were not long lasting.

Faqi: They all hate the West, but still keep creeping into western countries by hook or by crook. 90% of asylum seekers coming in to the western countries are Muslims - but yet they hate the west and the life style....

This is the most optimistic line in your comment. They are coming to the west, not for the freedom, but for the economic opportunities. We need to make sure they understand that the price of admission is respecting the rights of others. This does not come easy to Islam. Nor is it easy for the west to maintain its own values as your first statement suggests. If, though, we can insist that Muslims conform to our values or be deported, we can use their economic motivations to pressure Muslims to adapt themselves. It is only Muslims who will be able to make Islam compatible with modernity. As I said, we need to give them the space to do it. We deprive them of this space when we allow so-called leaders to prey upon recent Muslim immigrants, as in the Minneapolis taxi drivers case.

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