Is there a Koranic / Hadithic Foundation for Moderate Islam?
Reader comment on item: Al-Qaeda's Limits

Submitted by Dan Bartholomew (United States), Jun 4, 2003 at 13:11

In a recent paper written by my son for a graduate class in mideastern studies, I read of key original and historic Islamist "doctrines", clearly and strongly documented by abundant quotations from a particular multi-volume set of ahadith.

These doctrines included

(1) invincibility of Islamic warriors connected directly or indirectly to Muhammed and the guarantee of a glorious rewards in paradise for those who fall in the cause, especially self-sacrificing martyrs;

(2) the solidarity, support, protection, and embracing of fellow muslims. This extends even to those who an instant before were enemy, engaged in mortal combat, and killing you and yours, but who in the very instance turned to Islam by confessing Allah and his messenger, voicing the words or intent a la the Shahadith.

(3) justification of killing non-Muslims and of killing for the sake of establishing the superiority of Islam over Non-Islam. If a Muslim is killed inadvertently by another Muslim, then the killer must do pennance, i.e., release a slave.

Given this body of historic and Koranic/Hadithic doctrine--going back to Muhammed and seemingly so supportive of the jihadic, Islamist, and Wahabian tradition, I greatly wish to know of the historic / doctrinal / Koranic / Hadithic foundations and traditions for a moderate Islam. And is there such a moderate movement as such with real leaders, spokesman, scholars, traidition, doctrinal / foundation, etc.

Dan Bartholomew

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