Mohammaed Saleem Akhtar's version of Islam

Submitted by John Bastile (Malaysia), Oct 18, 2005 at 06:21

I refer to Mohammaed Saleem Akhtar's response to my weblog and subsequent replies from others.

You mentioned that the "fault" lies in the interpretation. There are 200 different schools that have tried to interpret the koran.. each to their own liking. The wahabists are the worst.

If that's the case, your idea of reforming Islam will never materialise unless you unify Islam. To unify Islam, from what I gather, will be only possible via a military solution since muslims are already killing each other. Osama may have galvanised the militant muslims and garnered moral support from the moderate muslims. In fact, the day your lone prophet died - civil war among the muslims broke out. He had to be buried, under the cover of darkness, in a locked room. That civil war continues until today. If history is to repeat itself - any one who tried to unify Islam will be killed by its own kind. Okay, so unifying or reforming Islam is out of the question.

You mentioned that "Islam does not have missionaries to convert people." I do not want to waste my time showing you the list of websites that can contradict this statement. Have you tried "google"?

You mentioned that Islam does not want 'me' to change. Well, I have taken the London subway. I have dined in Bali. In short, I may have been killed by radical Islamists. In a way, you're right. Islam has already condemned me as an infidel to suffer under hell-fire. Islam merely wants to hasten that process. In another perspective, you're also right. Islam doesn't want to change me. That's because people like us are progressive. Malaysia is a better managed muslim country because 35% of her people are non-muslims. Turkey has offically turned secular - thanks to Ataturk. Without us, you have no war booty.

You also mentioned that the real Islam is 'not' Koran or the sayings of 'Muhammad'. In a way I understand your statement. The Koran and Hadiths are filled with absurdities and nonsense that you can't possibly defend with logic neither can you appeal to the intellectuals. Therefore, you represent a group of muslims who have to deny the validity of hadiths. People of the past have done so - the Sufis, for example. You find it difficult to abandon your faith either. Therefore, you are comfortable telling yourself that Islam means peace. Your prophet is most merciful. The perfect man. Allah knows best. ...Everyone else ...

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