Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Wrestling Islam from the Extremists

Abou El Fad wrote a book titled 'The Great Theft - Wrestling Islam from the Extremists'. He differentiates between puritans (extremists) and moderate Muslims. Here is a paragraph that reveals how Muslims are divided just as we are.

Puritans believe that they are not aggressors but are simply exercising their basic right to self-defense. Their argument with moderate Muslims is "Everything you've said about the moderate position is idealistic and naive. The reality is that the West, and the United States and Israel in particular, use sophisticated weapons to kill civilians Muslims, and we have no way to defend ourselves or to strike back at them. Therefore, what we have is a situation in which dire necessity justifies violating the sacred law. We commit acts of what you call terrorism, not because we like it, but because this is the only way we can prevent the West, the United States and Israel, from massacring Muslims at will."

He is afraid that the whole fabric Islam morality could be undone under the guise of necessity. The logic of necessity means compromising the ethics and moral virtues of Islamic faith. Assuming that terrorism does somehow allow Muslims to fight back, and even become victorious, the question is: At what price this victory? If the price of a political victory is moral defeat and also the violation of the ethics of Islam and the teachings of the Koran, how is it victory at all? Often the response to this question is what distinguish a moderate from a puritan.

Funny how we are on different sides, yet we are wrestled with the same issue.

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