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July 2, 2006
The enigma of Islam: The two faces of Muhammad
RenewAmerica tells us that American Muslims say that Islam is a religion of peace. Jihadist leaders abroad describe Islam as a religion of war against you infidels.
They can't both be correct, because that would mean that there are two Muhammads and two Qurans - that Muhammad was like two different persons at two different times and the Quran is like two contradictory books pasted together. So who is correct, American Muslims or Jihadist leaders?
Fred Hutchinson says at RenewAmerica - Both are! And the Quran is for sure like two contradictory books pasted together. You infidels may find this hard to understand, but don't be too confused:
How do Muslims decide whether to lean toward the peaceful or the jihadist verses? American Muslims tend to think for themselves on this issue, and generally lean towards the mild Meccan verses, even if their leaders disagree. Arabs in the Middle East have a tendency to follow the teachings of a mufti or mullah, or to follow what their family, clan, tribe, or community decides. If their clan or their mullah goes jihadist, they will probably follow them and become jihadist, at least in theory. Although Muslims in Arabic countries are less prone to independent thought than American Muslims, many appear to be secretly peaceful for pragmatic reasons, while publicly joining the jihadist chants to keep up appearances.Interesting article, but me thinks Mr. Hutchinson smokes too much funny tobacco. Anyway, read it and let me know what you think.Some conservative Muslims refuse to go militant until they perceive a threat to the "ummah," or the Muslim community. However, Muslim teachers are not in agreement about what constitutes a "threat" and how the "ummah" is to be defined. Therefore, there is no formula by which one can predict who will go jihadist or who will moderate their views. As a result, Muslim leaders are capable of volatility in their policy and influence.
Posted by Abdul at July 2, 2006 11:35 PM
