Islamic moderates cite Quran for support (against Islamists)

[stumbler]

By Brian Murphy
*THE ASSOCIATED PRESS *

CAIRO, Egypt - The e-mail messages from Muslims began moments after the release of a religious edict condemning al-Qaida. They came from every corner of the world. Soon they were tumbling in too fast to handle.

“I couldn’t even read them all. There are at least 1,000. Maybe more,” said Mansur Escudero, secretary-general of the Islamic Commission of Spain. "The tone was nearly all the same: ‘It’s about time someone did it. Bravo!’ "

The fatwa, issued on the anniversary of the Madrid train bombings that claimed 191 lives, was believed to be the first cleric-sanctioned condemnation directly against Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. But it highlights a wider, critical dialogue emerging across the Islamic world.

Moderate Muslims are increasingly turning to Islam’s sacred core - the Quran and the laws and traditions it inspires - to defend their views and discredit radicals as part of a “counter-jihad” for Islamic hearts and minds.

Terrorist attacks by al-Qaida and other violent groups add urgency to the ideological debate, which challenges the long dominance of Saudi Arabia’s fundamentalist Wahhabist strain that has used its wealth and influence to mute moderate Islamic voices. …

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Full article

 

[stumbler]

This is only indicative of a trickle, but the fact that they are starting to talk out is important. It would seem that their faith has been ruled by the gun for a long time, so speaking out of turn means risking everything.

 

[Lance]

Let’s pray that the trickle turns into a stream, the stream into a river and the river into a torrent. I am convinced that once freedom gets a toe hold in the Islamic world we will see a much more peaceful Islam. Freedom will bring personal prosperity and when the average guy has a home, car, job, food, family and bank account to lose by supporting terrorism he will cease to do so.

 

[Norwich]

Lance:

Let’s pray that the trickle turns into a stream, the stream into a river and the river into a torrent. I am convinced that once freedom gets a toe hold in the Islamic world we will see a much more peaceful Islam. Freedom will bring personal prosperity and when the average guy has a home, car, job, food, family and bank account to lose by supporting terrorism he will cease to do so.

Poor lance, you fall into the western trap of assuming that others want the same as you. *car, job, food, family and bank account, *A vast number of Arabs (and other nationalities) are not as bent on aquiring “earthly” goods as you seem to think. For the majority peace and freedom to live their own lives, not your life, is what they really crave, not to be subject to the whims of big business, not to pay interest (they call it ussary) on loans or earn it on what they lend, and what they cry out for most is to be able to live their lives in their way without any interference from others. That means what they see as terrorists from either side.

 

[caroljm36]

Well the moderates can cite the Meccan verses, which Mohammed wrote when he was still trying to win people over, and the extremists can quote the Medina verses, which he wrote after he realized the Jews and Christians were not going to recognize him as a prophet. And so it goes…