Debunking the “Moderate Muslim” Myth

Islam and The Last Days

176. Debunking the “Moderate Muslim” Myth

This issue looks at the “Moderate Muslim” Myth.
SINCE YOU ASKED
We are told daily that Islam is a religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims are moderates who simply want to live in peace. While this may be true in some cases, the assertion is irrelevant. I recently wrote about what would happen psychologically to so-called “moderate Muslims” in America (and elsewhere) when they see their “team” starting to win. A renewed sense of pride and “membership” begins to grow. They no longer want a piece of the American dream. Now they think they can have the whole pie. In this issue, we’ll look at another reason not to look to moderates to “keep the peace.”
The basic fallacy in the assertion that moderates want peace is that it isn’t the moderates who are directing the course of Islam in the world today. It’s the radicals. It’s not the moderates who are marching in the streets, waging the wars, beheading their enemies, inciting violence, and teaching their young children to become suicide bombers. It’s the radicals. Where is the outcry from the community of moderates against all the violence they claim to reject? Except for a few isolated incidents, it’s been non-existent.
History offers some valuable lessons in this regard. In Hitler’s day, very few Germans were true Nazis, but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy with their own interests to care. Many thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. Most did nothing to stop them. Then, when it was too late, the majority woke up to find that the Nazis had gained control. Many families ended up losing everything.
Communist Russia consisted of people who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of over 20 million people. Those representing the “peaceful majority” were irrelevant. China’s huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
AS I SEE IT
The message from history is that the silence of peace-loving moderate Muslims has made them irrelevant. If they are not willing to speak up, they will awaken one day to find that the radicals own them, and they will be faced with a choice- join the radicals or be treated as an enemy combatant. As we have seen, millions of peace-loving people around the world have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. In addition to Germany, Russia, and China, consider what happened to the  Japanese, the Rwandans, the Serbs, the Afghans, the Iraqis, the Somalis, the Nigerians, the Algerians, and many others.
I hope this explodes the myth that peace-loving Muslims will exert a moderating force against the radicals. It hasn’t happened yet, and it never will. It’s up to us to pay attention to what the radicals are doing and to stop our government from playing into their hands. Please pass this on to your friends.

NATO regrets airstike that hits rebels latimes

No apology but NATO statement of regret after airstrike hits rebels  latimes.com

At the time of Iraq war were under the impression that America would be perceived as a liberator and Iraqis would welcome us with open arms. After 'Shock and Awe' we as nation, wondered as to 'why do they hate us?'
If any lesson learned from Iraq war, was that we can not indiscriminately bomb any country and kill innocent people.The rationale behind all these wars are that we are saving people from their own dictators, who are slaughtering them. NATO needs a strategy in which they need to make sure that mistakes are not made and anti American sentiment does not rise.

Pastor Jones Burns Quran by R Maryam

          

Pastor Jerry Jones burned Quran on March 21, which was not widely reported by the media, and I think that was a very responsible thing to do. Later on March 24, Mr. Karzai condemned the act as “a crime against the religion and entire Muslim nation,” this subsequently sparked deadly rioting in Afghanistan. The message heard by his people probably was that whole of America is burning Quran. In reality it was condemned by most. The act of Mr. Jones was no doubt very reprehensible and so was the reaction. The Muslim World needs to take a deep breath and reflect on their own actions. The Muslim youth has been committing suicide bombing through out the world and killing innocent people. No Muslim leader or country has come forward to condemn such acts, or given Fatwas against it.  On top of that man made Shariah law has also put Islam and Quran under heavy scrutiny.

 In Quran it is said, ‘Allah is Most Gracious, Most Merciful’, and then why Mr. Karzi didn’t emphasize on that instead of inciting his people. The blood of innocent lives killed in Afghanistan is solely on the people who killed them and no was else. It is the leaders of the Muslim World who are preaching intolerance and hatred.

As a Muslim I feel that we need to speak out and let the world know that all of us Muslims are not fundamentalist or extremist, but there are moderate Muslims out there who can and will condemn people like Mr. Karzi.

Shariah Law by R Maryam

Shariah is the code of conduct religious law of Islam. There is a misconception that the Shariah and Quran are synonymous, and I can not emphasize enough that they are not. Though the Quran is a major component of Shariah, but laws are also drawn from many other sources, like interpretation of Hadiths, Sunnah, Fatwa etc.  There are over one hundred sects of Islam and each sect interprets these sources according to their own philosophy, but women are subservient to men in every sect. Many countries and cultures have varying interpretation of Shariah e.g. Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan etc.These countries have legal system strongly influenced by Shariah.

Here are some of the examples:

•   The woman’s testimony is equal only to half of the man’s testimony; this is gross misinterpretation of Qurani Sura, which states that woman’s testimony is half of the man’s testimony on the financial transactions.

•  Man is allowed to have four wives.

•  In case of rape women is expected to bring forth four male witnesses or it is construed as adultery and she is stoned to death.

•  Man is allowed to beat his wife if she disobeys him.

• Man’s status is higher than that of a woman.

These are some of the examples that are from Quran and then there are many more from local laws and custom from the so called Islamic countries. Shariah Law has no place in today’s society where much is left on man’s interpretation. Many Islamic scholars over the centuries have interpreted Quran according to their own opinions, which is Fatwa. In Sunni Islam Fatwa is not binding, whereas in Shia law it maybe binding.