The Fallacy of moderate Islam

Submitted by Skiltz (United States), Oct 4, 2014 at 14:20

While I thoroughly respect Pipes' scholarship, I'm in complete agreement with Ibrahim on this issue. In fact, with due respect, I believe that Pipes' position is actually completely misguided and unscholarly.

He states that a "moderate Islam could emerge" if Muslims "adapted their religion with regard to slavery and interest, the treatment of women, the right to leave Islam, legal procedure, and much else."

Indeed, if Islam were to make this kind of substantive reform of its basic theological and jurisprudential tenants it would cease to be Islam - it would be called "neo-liberalism with an Islamic scent." Furthermore, propagating the idea of the existence or potential of "moderate islam" disarms people in understanding what a truly venal and asymmetric ideology islam is in regard to Western philosophy and culture.

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