69 million page views

Distinction between "Moderate" and "Radical" Islam

Reader comment on item: Is Islam the Problem? Is It the Solution?

Submitted by Fredric Fastow (United States), Mar 1, 2006 at 10:07

Dear Mr. Pipes:

This regards your slogan, "Radical Islam is the problem, moderate Islam is the solution."

My father, who served in the Mideast in WWII, recently gave me a small book, "Persian Gulf Command," by Joel Sayre (Random House, 1945). It is a collection of articles written for The New Yorker Magazine and it documents how the US Army delivered vast amounts of war supplies to Russia by building ports, roads, warehouses and factories in Iran.

Page 10, in the context of a description of an old railroad that, among other things, carried "pilgrims bound for the holy city of Qum," contains this:

"... that Qum prayer train mustn't be monkeyed with. Religion is something these people over here don't kid about. Back in the nineteen-twenties, they stoned an American vice-consul to death in Teheran just for taking a snapshot of a sacred fountain. We've got enough wars on our hands already without getting mixed up in any holy ones."

Sayre makes no discinction between "moderate" and "radical" Islam. Around eighty years ago (well before Israel existed to furnish an excuse to be anti-West) "they" killed an American, apparently spontaneously. Sayre seems very accepting of it, too. I'd be interested to know what you read into this passage.

Sincerely yours,

Fredric Fastow
Submitting....

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

Daniel Pipes replies:

In the 1920s there was barely anything like radical Islam as it exists today. By moderate Islam I am referring to something that is only now being formulated and only one future day will potentially become a force.

Submit a comment on this item

<< Previous Comment      Next Comment >>

Reader comments (29) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
link to Brumberg's article does not work [21 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Dag ElgvinAug 20, 2018 08:27244299
1Is Islam the Problem? Is It the Solution [198 words]MakAug 21, 2007 03:55106604
Lies [94 words]Muslim4evaApr 15, 2007 17:1089330
The problem is not Islam, it is about the interpretation [21 words]Anoop MJul 15, 2006 05:0049721
Distinction between "Moderate" and "Radical" Islam [211 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Fredric FastowMar 1, 2006 10:0738500
brumberg on pipes [86 words]dan brumbergFeb 25, 2006 21:5138038
Islamic democracy etc. [19 words]S.C.PandaJan 13, 2006 10:2531566
Brumberg ...is Right on Islam [640 words]Shivkumar SinghJan 7, 2006 12:5731232
Not encouraging, but worth debating between optimists, pessimists, and people who have been there [202 words]GKJan 16, 2006 22:1231232
Aim High Mr. Singh! [29 words]jameJan 31, 2006 18:3631232
Is the U.S. military the solution? [104 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
AaronJan 7, 2006 03:5931215
Brumberg scores [14 words]Lee W. GordonJan 4, 2006 13:1331035
What a relief [52 words]Joe MarschallJan 2, 2006 02:5130927
Comment on "what a relief" .... [109 words]J.S.Jan 3, 2006 14:3030927
Moslems understand Islam better than you do. [155 words]F. ShakkiJan 1, 2006 22:0830914
WSJ article by A. Wahid [24 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Fred RothsteinJan 1, 2006 17:0230901
Islamic Countries [148 words]John Randall PeacherDec 31, 2005 04:4930833
1Yes, but Dr. Pipes are you not skirting the issue? [185 words]J.S.Dec 30, 2005 15:1430805
moderate/secular [55 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
no dhiJan 2, 2006 23:0030805
mordernize islam. [200 words]saqApr 1, 2006 17:0330805
1Islam the Only Solution [196 words]ALIApr 29, 2007 03:2830805
Daniel Brumberg [82 words]James FerrellDec 30, 2005 12:3130792
1THERE IS ONLY ONE ISLAM! [92 words]Jennifer KingDec 30, 2005 12:2430791
The Root [80 words]Israel EvansDec 30, 2005 11:5930788
islam equals terrorism [46 words]alan winters, md, jd.Dec 30, 2005 11:2430784
what about the crusaders?? [27 words]someoneJul 15, 2006 05:0130784
3islam is the solution to all the problems of mankind [106 words]musabOct 17, 2006 14:5030784
1Islam does not equal to terrorism [129 words]Niloy IslamFeb 8, 2010 08:0830784
Interesting [307 words]Kevin GrahamDec 29, 2005 06:4130726

Follow Daniel Pipes

Facebook   Twitter   RSS   Join Mailing List

All materials by Daniel Pipes on this site: © 1968-2024 Daniel Pipes. daniel.pipes@gmail.com and @DanielPipes

Support Daniel Pipes' work with a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.Daniel J. Pipes

(The MEF is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved Apr. 27, 1998.

For more information, view our IRS letter of determination.)