"Moderate Islam is the Solution?"

Submitted by William Johnston (United States), Dec 11, 2014 at 11:10

Although I have had long-standing, close contact with some Arabs, less with Muslims, that does not make me an expert, either on Arab culture or Islam. On the other hand, as an inveterate autodidact, I have availed myself of the more than ample opportunities to do some independent study of the two. (I count The Middle East Forum, MEMRI, and Daniel Pipes among the authoritative, intelligent sources of information available.)

With respect to the Crown Prince, I have difficulty accepting what he said at face value. Is he presenting the face of Moderate Islam? For that matter, what is "Moderate Islam" and how do I identify it when I see it? Given my understanding of the concepts underlying taquiyya and kitman, how can I tell? And, even if there is such a thing as "Moderate Islam," of what consequence is it either to the ummah or to the kafir? In other words, does it really matter? To me, this is a serious question.

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