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Errors in Dan Pipe's article

Reader comment on item: [The RAND Corporation and] Fixing Islam

Submitted by silas (United States), Apr 10, 2004 at 07:22

Daniel Pipes usually hits the nail on the head but he's consistently misunderstood Islam's true nature. His article "Fixing Islam" represents a step in the right direction.

I'll comment on a few points.

His goals are excellent:

"The immediate war goal must be to destroy militant Islam and the ultimate war goal the modernization of Islam."

But if you compare Benard's and Pipe's approach, one is left with little hope because Benard places her hope on the Modernists, while Pipes places his hope on the Secularists. Both downplay the other's favorite son.

Pipes makes a significant mistake in calling Turkey a success story of our time. Turkey is no success. It is not a true democracy: several times during the last 50 years, their army staged mini-coups and nullified elections or removed politicians from power, outlawed Islamic political parties, and influenced political policies. Muslim fundamentalists are active in Turkey and have murdered dozens, if not hundreds of liberal thinking Turks and a few Westerners, and have carried out bombings recently. The war against the Kurds has been carried out brutally, with the Turks basing troops in Iraq, to further crush the Kurds.

No, Turkey cannot suffice as our "success story". The people of Turkey would have chosen a more Islamic form of government had they had the freedom to do so. Only the strong arm of their military has prevented them from that taking that step.

Pipes is moving in the right direction when he states:

Only when Muslims turn to secularism will this terrible era of their history come to an end.

But he leaves the major problem untouched: Islam itself.

Trying to force Islam to fit into a secular mold is like trying to prohibit iron particles from aligning in a magnetic field. There is a natural force or inclination in Islam. It does not take much study of the Quran, Hadith, and Sira, to understand violence's fundamental position in Islam. The problem isn't "militant Islam", the problem is real Islam itself. That is why so many Muslims worldwide are not engaging in violence, or support violence against non-Muslims.

Study Islam's historical relationship with all that is non-Muslim. It is a relationship of dominance and violence. From the time when Muhammad's murdered his political opponents in cold blood, to Abu Bakr's massacres of Arabs who wanted to leave Islam, to the 9/11 attacks, the murdering of Buddhist monks in Thailand, the killing of Catholic nuns in Algeria, etc., real Islam has shown its true face. Like a leopard it cannot change its spots Islam cannot help but be violent. Only when the non-Muslim forces have proven themselves stronger have the Muslims sued for peace.

Islam has never been a religion of peace, only of dominance. Islam, real Islam, is a poison in humanity's body. Those that say Islam is a religion of peace are ignorant or deceptive. Those that believe that are naive and ignorant.

Pipes urges a good step: encourage Muslims to become secular. I say there is a better way, a method Pipes omitted: encourage Muslims to follow Jesus. People do not thrive well on atheism because they know that there is more to life than just dumb luck. Christ came to give mankind truth and abundant life.
Submitting....

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Reader comments (52) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
5Islam is a socio/economic/political system [277 words]engrJan 25, 2011 03:14182028
5The Devilish Plans [240 words]Shahid Saeed KhanJul 16, 2007 03:53103774
islam [26 words]dmenAug 1, 2007 07:16103774
2islam... [183 words]Amir KahnSep 12, 2007 09:58103774
To Shahid Saeed Khan [85 words]RaadinAug 22, 2008 14:42103774
2To Radin [153 words]Shahid Saeed KhanAug 25, 2008 01:03103774
4ISLAM WILL BE ESTABLISHED. [92 words]The MuslimFeb 25, 2009 01:47103774
The hidden Truth [191 words]Toseef FarooqJan 13, 2006 01:2831554
5Leave us Hindus alone [177 words]An Indian & a HinduAug 2, 2010 08:4131554
Modernism, Secularism and Naivete [342 words]Kevin James BywaterJul 28, 2004 23:3316163
1Keep Turkey out of the EU! [765 words]Michael d.H. (GER)Jul 1, 2004 08:2415861
Keeping Turkey out of the EU [85 words]JojoNov 28, 2006 08:5315861
See the Freedom [86 words]Shahid Saeed KhanJul 16, 2007 08:2515861
2Aphrodite [65 words]Christine ToskosAug 15, 2010 15:3115861
Nick Berg and Fixing Islam [45 words]Jim FredJun 7, 2004 01:3415561
Can the Muslims be Friends with the Jews and Christians? [110 words]Frank WilliamsonApr 24, 2004 07:0614851
Fixing Islam -- You can't get there from here [434 words]Chris ChrismanApr 21, 2004 10:5714815
Its a Fairy Tale [94 words]Shahid Saeed KhanJul 16, 2007 04:2614815
Thank you, but... [239 words]Larry R BeardApr 20, 2004 15:3514795
Turkey & Secularists [210 words]G SinghApr 18, 2004 04:2114763
Unconvinced [93 words]Roger WilkinsonApr 15, 2004 07:5514719
Beginning of the end of ideology [169 words]Sean DoyleApr 15, 2004 06:5814718
How to fix Islam [51 words]Ricky D. CalhounApr 14, 2004 16:1214702
Islam punishes Western stupidity for 14 centuries. Now is USA. [185 words]Stan SzczepkowskiApr 13, 2004 15:0814647
interesting approach but... [234 words]the criterionApr 12, 2004 19:0714626
Errors in Dan Pipe's article [532 words]silasApr 10, 2004 07:2214601
Secular Arab and Muslim Mind as the only way out of global terrorism [120 words]Mona AbousennaApr 10, 2004 07:1914600
Secularism is the cause of terrorism [155 words]Yousef BakkarMar 10, 2010 13:1514600
French approach to secularists [233 words]John HadjiskyApr 8, 2004 16:0714568
Non belivers cannot change Islam [78 words]Mansouf MalehApr 8, 2004 12:3814556
1Secularizing Islam [301 words]Robert ArmstrongApr 8, 2004 11:4714552
I doubt that! [139 words]Salafi FundamentalistOct 17, 2007 07:4414552
Fundamentalist & Violent [90 words]Timothy B. RobertsApr 7, 2004 23:5614543
Very Interesting [182 words]AvrahamApr 7, 2004 23:3514542
End of Islam [153 words]DaveApr 7, 2004 20:0014538
8END OF ISLAM, it is certain that they will end unless they change. [71 words]BalachandranMay 5, 2006 03:2514538
I agree 100% [24 words]Prakash PaditJul 23, 2006 23:3914538
2End of Islam [22 words]avnerAug 6, 2009 07:0014538
Islam [74 words]Sahir KhanOct 6, 2009 13:1814538
1End of Islam [303 words]think peacefullyMay 29, 2010 21:4414538
Secularization of Islam [5 words]Ray AtwoodApr 7, 2004 13:5914529
At last! Someone thinking long term. [162 words]Dr. Laina Farhat-HolzmanApr 7, 2004 13:1314527
Minority and majority [90 words]TanruApr 7, 2004 00:5214514
Fixing Islam [179 words]Kevin ShannonApr 6, 2004 23:4214512
Theology of Muslim modernists [672 words]IBRAHIM A.B.Apr 6, 2004 21:1714508
Is There Hope? [116 words]Hannah HallApr 6, 2004 20:1714506
a message from a christian living in an islamic country [63 words]MichaelFeb 26, 2007 08:3214506
Confused [83 words]MeganApr 6, 2004 17:2114504
Whose Islam? [209 words]Vijay DandapaniApr 6, 2004 11:4614498
Waste of Your Time, Disbelievers [54 words]Jihadist4LifeMar 4, 2009 23:5314498
Religion building or demolition? [143 words]Rick FlandersApr 6, 2004 10:5814496
1What about Arab Nationalism? [160 words]Jonathan PfefferApr 6, 2004 10:0314495

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