How can we trust "broad-minded" Muslims?

Submitted by Phil Hamm (United States), Aug 13, 2002 at 19:00

I am a fundamentalist Christian in the true sense of the word. I take literally the words of Christ as they were written in the first century and believe that they cannot be "modernized". Christ's primary doctrine is that God loves us and died for our sins and we are to love others. In contrast to Muslim basic beliefs, Christ's kingdom is not of this world and it is not His purpose, nor mine as his follower to subjugate non Christians to a Christian government (admittedly, it has been tried in the past). I will not change my opinion on this and don't respect those who twist and turn the ideas of the Bible.

In the same vein, I don't expect fundamentalist Moslems ever to change their views for the same reason. "Liberal" Muslims are looked upon as compromisers by fundamentalist Muslims just as I do a "liberal" Christian. From what I can see a fundamentalist Muslim is one who sees the Koran as being for jihad, for subjugating at best non Muslims, and for ruling the world according to the laws of Allah. Consequently, I am having a hard time accepting the broad-minded Muslims, knowing that behind them are the un-changing Muslims who will forever want to rule in the name of Allah. I am not so sure Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, and other Muslim nations can take on the liberal stance of Turkey without, frankly, a violent overthrow of their existing governments, OR, a violent enforcement of laws against the blood thirsty rhetoric of the fundamentalist Muslim clergy and their followers.

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