Iasius..

Submitted by Saleem Akhtar (United States), Oct 26, 2005 at 21:08

Iasius.. You wrote:

Quote "Your reply "it SHOULD concede, otherwise it wouldn't be reformed" to my question, rather knocks the bottom out of the key premise of the faith, renders Islam itself redundant and condemns ALL Muslim "activism" since 620 C.E., Muhammad (PBUH)'s prophethood included, doesn't it? Moreover, it augurs disastrous ramifications for the Muslim."

This applies strictly to the saudi wahabist and the irani extremist shia versions of islam, not the other schools such as shaafis, sufis, etc. I agree with you that most probably the arabs or the iranis are still living in the mideival times, but reformation or ijtehaad again is part of islam that has not been done. Again my personal opinion (may be i am wrong) is that arabs are playing a nationalistic game here. They do everything for the arab league, yet when dealing with the non-arab muslims, they use the 'Islam card'. Again reformation of islam is just a means to make it more compatible with the current state of societies.. maybe compare to prestantism vs cathlocism.


Your quote : "The very advent of Islam, according to the Holy Quran, was purportedly to rid mankind of other - "false" - religions and lead humanity, wallowing in the "sin" and "filth" of wrong belief, to sensually ecstatic rewards of jannat through the "one and only true" religion. Your reformed Islam would need to abrogate the fundamental premise of fallacy of every other doctrine, for, to tolerate the existence of falsehood is akin to saying something as ridiculous as, "I know so-and-so is a thief, but I concede to him his right to steal"!"

See thats why I urge you to study the other formats of islam. I think what you are saying again applies to wahabism and the irani extremist shia version.


Your quote: "BTW, religion cannot "fascinate" anyone, even the most pious, except perhaps the clergy, and then only as a means of eking out a living for otherwise incompetent people in a competitive world that demands some minimal skill to earn honestly. It is nothing but a retrograde imposition on natural human dynamism, and its thirst for novelty and variety. It can only enthrall and enslave, never fascinate!"

- Agreed.

Your quote: "It is only when all of us abandon our equally contrived, make-believe identities and interact on the basis of rational humanism alone, that peace will have a chance."

Again, I cant agree more. But lets not forget that this forum is visited by the educated or intellectuals who can think on these lines. Dont assume the common man on the street (specially in 3rd world countries like middle-east) can even imagine an iota of this philosophy :)

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