Comments: A Reinterpreted Islam Is No Islam

[Anonymous]

<div>We don't borrow from the west any thing we are satisfied with what we have a guidance from Allah. In fvact it is the west who borrow and copies Islamic*******VALUES</div>

[Anonymous]

as-Salamuwalikum dear brothers, al-Hamdulillah this is a good web site for us muslims living in the west. Al-Hamdulillah the comments made by the brother are excellent, and these points are needed to be bade on a broader scale, as i have seen in my local community the change in muslims. After the bombing, you can see the fear in the muslims, they seem to be confused, and every one has become defensive. the ponits made in this article needs to addressed out globally, because at times of fitnah, we see muslims taking two positions, either getting stronger from the trials or getting weaker from the trials. may Allah ta'ala make us among those who excel in times of fitnah and not give up our deen nor modify it. may Allah ta'ala first give me the Blessing to act upon what i have written. Jazal Allah...*******

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by Anonymous</p><div>We don't borrow from the west any thing we are satisfied with what we have a guidance from Allah. In fvact it is the west who borrow and copies Islamic*******VALUES</div>

</p>



Brother or sister this comment shows a lack of understanding*******on your part about what*******the author was referring to.</p>

*******The author (and Allah Knows best) was not saying take from the west their values, but rather dunia related things. </p>



I thought the article was quite good considering what we are seeing today with muslims participating in candle lighting ceromonies and what not up and down the country.</p>

[Anonymous]

there is a difference between reinterpreting the texts of quranic scriptures (something that runs against a treasure of islamic jurisprudence),and only attempting to highlight the humanistic values abundant i n islam,to face the western critics.The first is totally inconceivable,as it runs against the reasoning behind the message of islam itself,that god has preserved through the original script and the sunna of the prophet,added to them the ijtihad of the scholars.The second point is quite timely and runs with sincere attempts by muslims to purify and publicize their religion ,as it actually is,and not as often negatively depicted socially and politically.

[Anonymous]

Another pertinent point here is that are we (present day muslims)******* following or potraying the true teaching of Islam.*******Muslims should be a progressive*******and a balance ummah.</p>



<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="4">رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ</font> </p>



<font size="1">&quot;Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and defend us from the torment of the Fire!&quot;
Baqarah 201</font></p>

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[Anonymous]

Would it be concieveable that Islam (and what is this exacly?, The Umma, the Qur'an, The Hadith, etc.) is inspired for certain parts by other traditions?

The Qur'an and the Prophet testify that there is inspiration from Judaism and Christianity. Careful reading of the different Scriptures will reveal many differences. But there is a connection.*******

Some people mentioned the 'West'. What is meant by this term? When it stands for Europe and North America than we need to be aware that these parts of the world are very different in religion. Europe used to be Christian but a lot has changed after the second half of last century. (Just as it has in the Middle East) When is the West stands for Christianity than I would like to suggest the following: This religion was born in the heartlands of the Middle East. It is thoroughly Eastern. Well into the Middle Ages more Christians lived in the Middle East than in Europe. And nowadays most Christians live outside of Europe in Afrika, Asia, Latin Amerika and North Amerika.

God is mercyful. He will give us the wisdom we need to understand His revelations and how to live together.

[gag order]

while it is true that there*******are good qualities in the west there is also a tendency for the bad qualities to frequently outweigh the good. however the good qaulities of the west can also be found in abundance in many eastern societies too, so its universal.</p>



at the forefront for calls for reinterpretation is an academic tariq ramadan the grandchild of the late hasan al banna - the founder of ikhwanul muslimeen. he has taken his grandfathers non-violent reformist approach to reviving original islam and has instead embraced the western values his grandfather sought discard.</p>



tariq ramadan in my view represents and is a product of the*******evolving ikhwani methodology which can accomodate any deviation in creed or methodology. he is a continuation of the pendulum that is ikhwanul muslimeen swinging from takfirism to sufism to mutazilism and now 'westernization'.</p>

[Unregistered]

We must not accept this repression

The Muslim conscience demands a halt to stonings and executions

Tariq Ramadan
Wednesday March 30, 2005
The Guardian


The application of the Islamic penal code - known by the widely misunderstood term sharia - in Muslim societies is one of the most controversial subjects in the dialogue between the west and the Muslim world. The imposition of corporal punishment, stoning and execution in the name of religious texts on an entire society cannot be accepted. We must condemn such repressive applications, which are carried out without due legal process.

The Islamic world, for its part, sends contradictory messages: strong condemnations of such punishments are made by a minority of intellectuals, prominent figures and Muslim activists, while some governments try to legitimise their Islamic character by applying repressive interpretations of religious texts and sources. An important discussion on sharia is taking place in the Muslim world, but a fruitful debate has yet to materialise.
Muslim populations from Nigeria to Malaysia claim to strictly apply the sharia and yet the majority of ulama (Muslim scholars) insist that these penalties "are almost never applicable" because of the difficulty of establishing the necessary conditions. But they avoid expressing themselves clearly so as not to lose credibility with the masses.

The debate has become a case study in relations between civilisations and cultures. Should one call on the entire Muslim world to condemn these practices? Is it not possible to stipulate universal values where basic respect for human dignity is non-negotiable, while recognising the diversity and specificity of religious, cultural and historical references?

A proposal for a moratorium on corporal punishment, stoning and the death penalty generates opposition from all sides. Voices from the west assert: "This is unacceptable, is not enough!" While the Muslim world exclaims: "This is unacceptable, it is a betrayal of our sacred texts."

The call for a moratorium is necessarily addressed to the Muslim world from within its own terms of reference. We are convinced that an evolution in mentality is only possible on the basis of an internal social dynamic. Today, in the name of Islamic principles, we are launching a call for an immediate moratorium in the Muslim world.

We argue that, first, the ulama are not in agreement on the interpretation or authenticity of texts referring to such injunctions, nor on the political and social contexts in which they would be applicable. Second, the application of the sharia today is used by repressive powers to abuse women, the poor and political opponents within a quasi-legal vacuum. Muslim conscience cannot accept this injustice.

Third, Muslim populations, without direct access to many of the relevant texts, tend to believe that devotion to Islam requires a strict and visible display of punishment, partly an opposition to "the west". It is necessary to resist such a formalistic drift.

The ulama and socially engaged Muslims recognise that an internal debate is necessary and injustices carried out under a religious guise are unacceptable. The call for a moratorium has a double advantage: it would mean the immediate suspension of these practices in the name of justice in Islam and a beginning of a process of reflection on how to apply the sharia today.

Evolution of thinking cannot occur without this debate. It would allow the Muslim universe of thought to reconcile itself with the essence of its message of justice, equality and pluralism, rather than being obsessed by the formalistic application of severe punishments in the name of frustration or feelings of alienation perpetuated by the domination of the west. It is necessary to open the debate and reply with the Islamic imperative of ijtihad (critical exegesis of religious texts).

The unilateral condemnations one hears in the west will not help to move things along. On the contrary, Muslim populations are convincing themselves of the Islamic character of these practices through a rejection of the west, on the basis of a simplistic reasoning that stipulates that "the less western, the more Islamic". It is necessary to escape this perversion.

Meanwhile, western governments and intellectuals have a responsibility to allow the Muslim world to involve itself calmly in this debate within Islam: the claim to universality in the west cannot be to the detriment of understanding the cultural and religious references of "the other", the logic of his thought system and the path that leads to a common universal understanding.

On the political level, it is imperative that the selective denunciations stop: whether it is a poor or rich country, an ally or an enemy. The rejection of injustice must be made without concession. In the end, the paths that lead to dialogue and encounters demand a readiness to question one's own certainty

[Abuz Zubair]

‘No Thanks’ to Tariq Ramadan (http://islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=1222&)

[AL-KITAAB WAS-SUNNAH]

Understanding the Concept of Integration - A critical analysis of Dr. Tariq Ramadan's views. (http://islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=1254&) - Hani Abid