Re the ancient fallacy

Submitted by Benjamin Lee Hegeman (United States), Feb 7, 2011 at 13:10

This from the 'pen; of a reader who values your contribution.

Your premise, Daniel, argues that religion (islam) has nothing to do with Islam's present problem." (Your paragraph that starts with: "How easy to jump...." ) this paragraph places you in the unenviable position for the rebuttal: 'the emperor has no clothes.' (or as we say in chess, your Queen is exposed.) The reverse is infinitely stronger: Todays' global political-cultural Islam is unimaginable without her deeply rooted Koranische weltanschauung. Your statement subtracts if not bifurcates their Koranishe Weltanschauung from their present ummah's ideological crisis, and by so doing, you reinforce the aenemic 'hear no religion, see no religion, speak no religion' defense of secular academia. Political Islam is an impossible 'theological' enigma for contemporary Muslims and their dilemna is that Muhammad bequeathed them this Gordian Knot. Islam (as see in their sacred texts) is the 90% under-water part of their historically floating iceberg.

Benjamin lee Hegeman PhD

SIM lecturer in the History of Christian-Muslim Relations

Department of Intercultural Studies

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".