Islam can be reformed

Submitted by dhimmi no more (United States), Jul 18, 2017 at 07:41

Dr Pipes

Islam can be reformed and indeed Islam had the likes of المعتزلة or al-Mu'tazila in the 3rd century of Islam and they tried to reform what was emerging as Islam They believed that the Qur'an is a created book And it is not un-created

http://articles.islamweb.net/media/index.php?page=article&lang=A&id=66724

Yes they failed and Ibn Hanbal's orthodoxy won the debate and now we can see the consequences of such orthodoxy of wars terrorism, destruction of great civilizations forced Arabization and the cultural hegemony of the Arabs. So there is always hope for a new Mu'tazila movement.

However the new Mu'tazila reformers will not be from Muslims living in the West but from Arabic speaking Muslims in the Middle East after all it is their religion and the Arabic language is central to it And it is happening after all who would have imagined just a few years ago that young Saudi men and women are leaving Islam and demand to see it reformed

Following the death of Muhammad the early Khalifa was called Khalifatu Allah or Allah's Deputy on earth which means that he was both the religious leader (al-Imam) and in charge of government So the Khalifa was in charge of the sacred and the profane

Later on the Ulama wanted part of the leadership and the Khalifa became Khalifat Rasul Allah or the deputy of the prophet of Allah and this limited his rule to the profane

I suspect that the young reformist leadership will have to get rid of the rule of the Ulama and in this way the rule of al-Shari'a al-Islamiyya will diminish or even be replaced by man made laws

Again this is only for Sunni Islam

Oh the rule of non Arabic speaking Muslims (Indians and Pakistanis etc...) It will be marginal at best and in the end they will follow what the Arabs will do

Wishful thinking? May be!

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