Michael,
Interesting post. It has some really good points that people have to realize. A couple are:
"By recognizing bin Laden's evil for what it is, Muslims have the opportunity for self-reflection on what their religion truly means. By recognizing bin Laden's evil for what it is, Americans can begin a process of engagement with the vast populations of the Muslim world. "
Agreed. Muslims should start studying their religions and scripture and see if they are ascribing to peaceful traditions, and selecting the good points of Islam to practice, but ignoring all the negative, violent tenants. They must realize what their true tenants are, and if there are violent and evil ones, they must cleanse their religion from it. If they do not, then as far as I am concerned, they may not like them, but they are doing nothing to change them. Therefore they either, 1) agree with them, 2) do not feel strongly enough against them to take the chance to step up and change them (moderatly agree or disagree with them), or even they 3) fully disagree with them, and are too weak to do anything about them. Therefore, the strong minded radical will always win, and be the reflection of Islam we see. All three are unacceptable! Muslims cleansing the Muslim religion is the only acceptable option. Otherwise, someone else is going to have to do it outside the Muslim world, and that will be construed as a holy war. And it will be messy! And I agree the Americans need to help, and engage the Muslim world with education, information to straighten out this radical Islamic mess!
"But Osama bin Laden's version of Islam is different even from Wahhabism. And it certainly is different from more moderate forms of Islamic fundamentalism, let alone traditional Islam. Bin Laden's Islam has even gone beyond being a religious sect. It has become, like the Leninism it in significant ways replicates, a political ideology. Even his calls to action are political war cries: the crusades, the land of the two holy mosques, the 80-year-old political betrayal of the Arabs. He would, and has, killed Muslims who disagree with his beliefs — or rather, with his need for control. He joyfully makes war on innocent civilians, war even the most passionate partisans of the Sharia have difficulty justifying. It is both ironic and revealing that Osama bin Laden, who makes use of the products of these Wahhabist schools, seeks to overthrow the Saudi regime itself."
But if bin Laden's version of Islam is different then most others, but it is a brand that can be remotely justified by Islamic scripture, who is to say that his brand is any better or worse than any other, even a more peaceful one? I understand, from a human nature perspective, people will choose to believe in the more peaceful versions. However, just as long as a justifiable brand of radical Islam exists, whose willing to live with the radical ones, and all of them? I think we rather live with none of them, then all of them, including a radical form that the bin Ladens of the world subscribe to. The better answer is, cleanse the religion of the radical forms of Islam, and only leave this world with the peaceful ones. And this is a Islamic responsibility, if Islam is truly peaceful and loving. Clean up your own house before outsiders have to do it for you!
This point, I would dare the writer to substantiate:
"Thus, in its modern form, bin Laden's kind of extremism has much more in common with Stalin, Hitler, and Mao than it does with Islamic tradition. Like those state terrorists, bin Laden is at war with his own people. And finally, I have baldly asserted that bin Laden and his extremists are evil, pure and simple, and Islam is not."
I would like the writer to use Islamic history and Islamic writings such as the Quran and the Hadith to prove this to me. He can prove elements of Islam are good and not evil. I will not deny that! But he definitely can not prove against the violent, extreme elements of Islam. Both exist! And that, IMO, should not be acceptable to humans across the entire world!
God Bless,
IGIT |
