July 06, 2007
It's not just me
Rod Dreher asks on the Dallas Morning News editorial board's blog why more "moderate" Muslims aren't reclaiming their religion from the terrorists -- and cites to a couple of Muslims who feel the same way.
I keep banging on about why it's important to address Islamic theology, and to not hold back on challenging the ideas driving Islamic radicalism. Which means having to get a lot more specific in questioning Islamic theology. If you don't believe me, listen to a couple of prominent Muslims arguing the same thing.
Dreher quotes former jihadi Hasan Butt, who I previously discussed here, then posts a passage by Irshad Manji, a Canadian reformer.
Although the vast majority of Muslims aren't extremists, it is important to start making a more important distinction: between moderate Muslims and reform-minded ones. Moderate Muslims denounce violence in the name of Islam but deny that Islam has anything to do with it. By their denial, moderates abandon the ground of theological interpretation to those with malignant intentions, effectively telling would-be terrorists that they can get away with abuses of power because mainstream Muslims won't challenge the fanatics with bold, competing interpretations.
To do so would be admit that religion is a factor. Moderate Muslims can't go there.
Reform-minded Muslims say it's time to admit that Islam's scripture and history are being exploited. They argue for reinterpretation precisely to put the would-be terrorists on notice that their monopoly is over.
The media, as has been observed time and and time again, really doesn't get religion, so we tend to avoid serious engagement with it, beyond platitudes and notions. We can't afford this.
Dreher's right about the media's inability to competently report on religion. If you're getting your information on Islam from the legacy media (i.e., the local fishwrap) and not on-line, you're seriously uninformed.
Posted by Mike Lief at July 6, 2007 06:39 AM
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