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The Islam of Arabs and Persians and Others

Reader comment on item: The Rushdie Rules, 25 Years Later

Submitted by Robert (United States), Dec 15, 2016 at 08:11

Islam is a part of Abrahamic family of religions, as many believing Muslim scholars would acknowledge.

As Non-Believing outsiders Geert and Pipes are obviously addressing other Non-Believers.

Looking as the other two Faiths, Judaism and Christianity, from a secular point of view, change happens. Judaism went through several changes including those which occurred when the Temple was destroyed, resulting in the "replacement" of the Priesthood by the Rabbinate. In the case of Christianity, in the West, the most noticeable occurrence, arguably, was the Protestant Revolution.

In Islam the was the Shina-Sunni split. In Islam, the rise of Sufism, and the teaching of Muslim Brotherhood, inspired by the writing of al-Banna and Qutb.

In Judaism, there was the rise of Hasidim, and the splintering into Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstruction.

In my view the issues of the changes in Religion should be viewed in its Geographic, Political, and Historical contexts, for a better and more informed sociological, psychological, and anthropological perspectives.

In Europe, North Africa, Asia, particularly East Asia, Islam flourished under two Empires, the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire - until the World War One.

The history of these Empires, and the timescale under which the experienced initially the domination by the British Empire, and the reactions to Modernity, and Western Institutions, Science, and Technology, shows that these Shocks are still unfolding.

We see that the Iranians (= Persians) have instituted a Theocracy. The Turks (former Ottomans) are in the process of replacing their Secularism with Islamism, of a Turkish sort. In the Arab heartland, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iraq, ISIS and "Holy Wars" are raging against "Infidel" encroachments. And in Europe and the United States, the label "Islamophobia" has emerged as a defensive euphemistic neologism.

In summary I see this debate between Wilders and Pipes in reality as an attempt at Prophesy as to the Outcome of this Struggle. Wilders claim is that Islam, as embodied in its Holy Scriptures is Essentially Evil and that this alleged Evil will only manifest itself more clearly and obviously.

But as Wilders is the Pessimist, Pipes is the Optimist. Pipes views Islam as a Dynamic Religion and that, in effect, it has the potential to come to terms with Modernity, the West, and Globalization.

Observing that the world is in a state of war in which Muslims are dying in overwhelming numbers in comparison to other Religions, or Non-Believers, and millions are displace to live in new neighborhoods, environments, and countries, it is difficult to imagine that Islam will not change; and as Terrorist Muslims commit Suicide or are killed by Drones, there obviously is a change here enforced by Death to the Most Extreme forms of Islam. Will these Muslim Cadavers and Corpses become Martyrs to other Muslims of Islam? Being an optimist myself, I tend to think the answer is No.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (22) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
The Islam of Arabs and Persians and Others [472 words]RobertDec 15, 2016 08:11234698
getting better [26 words]y Brandstetter MDJan 8, 2015 03:37220165
defeatism the 4th -ism [298 words]mythNov 12, 2014 14:28219287
Changing interpretations of the Koran [331 words]JAMES MATKIN QCNov 11, 2014 17:53219283
4Telling God to shut his mouth [74 words]Wallace SchwamNov 10, 2014 11:18219272
... and our countries should be safe, and safe from the brutality of Islam. [106 words]FactsRuleNov 10, 2014 00:59219261
Sadly democracy and human rights are at odds with the Islam faith even with a moderate interpretation [387 words]JAMES MATKINNov 9, 2014 20:38219255
I'm with Wilders [77 words]Thomas FNov 9, 2014 15:54219252
Two different people? [245 words]Ron ThompsonNov 9, 2014 15:15219251
2No it wil not getting better - it had 1400 years of getting better [28 words]HermanNov 9, 2014 14:51219250
One man's thought [136 words]macdaddyNov 9, 2014 14:18219249
1Wilders Is Correct on Abrogation [286 words]Mike RamirezNov 9, 2014 13:04219248
1Q2:256 [73 words]dhimmi no moreNov 19, 2014 07:06219248
Can Islam change? [119 words]Reuven Ofir, Ph.DNov 9, 2014 12:22219247
bs won't cut it [52 words]Mohammed Waza Khiddif Id'ullahNov 27, 2014 03:48219247
1ISLAM cannot get better unless... [104 words]SunshineNov 9, 2014 12:02219246
2Why being Muslim pays [208 words]josef zuaresNov 23, 2014 16:43219246
2Great 15 min talk. [2 words]EdwardNov 5, 2014 11:02219179
1Notes on your speech [831 words]Michael S.Nov 5, 2014 08:50219177
The Rushdie Rules, 25 Yrs. Later! [310 words]Luciana R.Nov 10, 2014 00:38219177
Learning to enact Change [886 words]Michael S.Nov 17, 2014 13:29219177
1For the most part, we have to kill them. [921 words]Michael S.Nov 22, 2014 19:17219177

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