Dhimmi-no-more's repeated arguments with Islamists show that Islamic doctrine cannot be sustained

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Dec 17, 2019 at 23:09

Dear Dr Pipes, Arguments between our own DNM and your Islamist guests on this forum follow the same pattern. DNM picks a particular meaning of an Arabic word and Islamists try to convince him that the word means something else. We see this pattern month after month and year after year.

This argumentation certainly never proves whether DNM is right or the Islamists but it shows that Islamic doctrine is unsustainable. You see, we all would like to believe that someone like Allah can give us a set of rules that we can use to conduct our lives from A to Z so we neither have to think nor decide for ourselves. And there never is any ambiguity. That is also Islam's promise. I have heard many apologists say that what they like about Islam is that it does not give people choice to think.

Unfortunately, Allah cannot give us a word at a given time that we can follow for all times to come. Any devine message is subject to handling by human minds. First, we have to understand the meaning of the text as DNM and his opponents try to do. It is well known and stated often that even if a text is well preserved the language around it changes and meanings of words change. What can we do? Nothing much! Unless Allah speaks again and continuously, we are doomed. Then, if we get past the issue of meaning, we fall into the trap of interpretation. For example, even if we agree that music is haram, we have to interpret what kind of music might not be haram. I had the privilege of reading your (Dr Pipe's) essay (You need Bethoven to modernize). The essay describes how Islamic experts are much in disagreement about what kinds of music are halal or haram. There goes down the drain even more the power of Allah to give us a message that can hold for ever. Tough luck for us!

In actuality, Allah speaks to us constantly; Muslims just do not know it. Allah tells us that when you live your lives with humility and without pride and stubbornness and when you love your neighbor, things star to fall in place and no message frozen in time is needed.

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