March 01, 2006

Can Islam be Reformed?

A dual between Andrew McCarthy (No, Islam can't be reformed) and Mansoor Ijaz (Yes, Islam can be reformed). Start at the top and read the whole thing. (via Robert)

Update: Ground State has some good commentary here on the futility of non-Muslims becoming theologans. By their fruits, ye shall know them.

Best part--since I have recently been accused of being a 'supporter of genocide' (no, I won't provide the links to the website that hurled those accusations):

To move quickly through the absurd parts, you are grossly misrepresenting my position. I never said "Islam is evil." I don't ask that you agree with such a position, because it is not my position.

My position is that Islam is dangerous. It has many very desirable qualities, but it has many troubling aspects.....

With due respect, it is simply inane for you to suggest that I have said Islam is "irretrievably evil" such that the only "rational course" that follows from my viewpoint is that "we kill all Muslims." I won't say anything more about that than that it is beneath you.

I do worry that Islam is structurally difficult to reform. That is precisely why I am reluctantly on the negative end of this debate, and why I stressed, from the start, that the words of the Koran are Allah's own. That doesn't mean Islam requires "the destruction of all what the world has evolved into[.]" But it does pose a problem for reformers such as yourself, which is what we're talking about. That is, if you don't have an interpretation of what the troublesome teachings mean that is more compelling than what the militants are offering, you will have a hard time convincing Muslims that the militants are perverting doctrine--which is what you must do to marginalize and defeat them.

By Rusty Shackleford, Ph.D. at 04:05 PM | |