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Fundamental problems: A Salon interview with author Karen Armstrong Anti-Western and extremist views pervade Saudi schools, by Neil MacFarquhar (New York Times) Understanding Islam and tolerance, by Charles Colson An
open memo to Muslims,
Fighting Islam's Ku Klux Klan, Democracy
vs. Terror, Jihad vs.
Crusade, Bigotry’s
high price, Extremist
hatred of U.S. has varied roots, Islam: A beginner’s
guide, The roots
of Muslim Rage, Muslims
for liberty,
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"…the laws of jihad categorically preclude wanton and indiscriminate
slaughter. The warriors in the holy war are urged not to harm non-combatants,
women and children, 'unless they attack you first.' Even such questions
as missile and chemical warfare are addressed, the first in relation to
mangonels and catapults, the other to the use of poison-tipped arrows
and poisoning enemy water supplies. Here the jurists differ—some
permit, some restrict, some forbid these forms of warfare. A point on
which they insist is the need for a clear declaration of war before beginning
hostilities, and for proper warning before resuming hostilities after
a truce. What the classical jurists of Islam never remotely considered
is the kind of unprovoked, unannounced mass slaughter of uninvolved civil
populations that we saw in New York two weeks ago. For this there is no
precedent and no authority in Islam. Indeed it is difficult to find precedents
even in the rich annals of human wickedness." "There’s something America needs to understand about Islam. Like Judaism, like Christianity, Islam doesn’t condone terrorism. It doesn’t allow it. It doesn’t accept it. Yet, somehow, the labels jihad, holy war and suicide martyrs are still thrown around. In fact, jihad doesn’t even mean holy war. It’s an Arabic word that means "struggle" - struggle to please God. And suicide itself is a forbidden act in Islam. How could anyone believe that Muslims consider it martyrdom when practiced in combination with killing thousands of innocents? Anyone who claims to commit a politically motivated violent act in the name of Islam has committed a hate crime against the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims. "It is not jihad to hijack a plane and fly it into a building. But in fact there was jihad done that Tuesday. It was jihad when firemen ran into imploding buildings to rescue people they didn’t know. It was jihad when Americans lined up and waited to donate the blood of their own bodies. it was jihad when strangers held and comforted one another in the streets. It was jihad when rescue workers struggled to put America back together, piece by piece. "Yes, there were martyrs made that Tuesday. But there were no terrorists
among them. There were only Americans, of every race and religion, who,
that Tuesday, took death for us. "In Madar Square in northern Tehran, the capital city of an Islamic republic that apparently won't be joining a U.S.-led coalition against terrorism, some 600 students and young professionals gathered Thursday night, according to Agence France-Presse. They lit candles and observed a moment of silence for the some 6,000 dead in New York and Washington. The crowd chanted "Death to terrorism!," "Death to bin Laden!" and "America, condolences, condolences!" "In Karachi, Pakistan--the largest city in the only nation that recognizes the Taliban government of Afghanistan--as many as 200,000 people gathered in Liaquot Bagh, a public park. The estimates of the crowds come from those who organized the event, but some of the photos make this claim somewhat plausible. Few doubt that it was by far the largest public gathering in support of America's war on terrorism, anywhere in the world. The Muthahida Quami Movement, one of Pakistan's largest political parties, organized the event and held it despite opposition from Pakistani government officials. The demonstrators held banners and signs in English, including "Terrorism is a global crime" and others that expressed "solidarity" with the U.S. and the international community. "…it is not hard to believe that the ordinary people of Iran and Pakistan do want freedom, the rule of law, private property and regular elections. And they certainly identify these ideals with the United States. President Bush may be able to count on more support among the Muslims in the Taliban's neighborhood than the "realists" in the State Department think." "The liberal ideal of freedom is not the exclusive domain of Western
culture, as some on the political left and right would have us believe.
These ideals are not examples of the West's "cultural imperialism" or
superiority. They are common aspirations of people around the world." |
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INTERPRETING
ISLAM