Islamic countries need to observe seperation of Church and state. With religious zealots leading their governments (I know, insert Bush reference here___), no good can come of it. Their people need to want change, demand it, seize control from the Imams that oppress them in various ways…and I don’t think it’s gonna happen.
But it nice to see at least some people in Turkey at least taking a stab at reformation of the Hadiths.
The Old Testament is littered with ancient practices that if we observed them now, we’d have some strange laws…
…you know, like the “If a man steals your cow, then it is his right to rape your daughter” type stuff.
Rather than rely on the fantasists and wishful thinkers employed by the western press it might be better to actually find out what the Muslims involved have to say about the so called reformation:
and
From the same article: -
So the Guardian, the BBC and the rest of the western press having little wet dreams about an imminent Islamic reformation have proved themselves to be idiots, yet again.
deleted on reflection.
How many Islamic countries are led by religious zealots? As far as I know, most have secular statist governments. They stay in power by pandering to Islamists and exaggerating foreign threats.
Here’s a question: why do Westerners always assume that a “Reformation” will lead to liberalized religion?
Was John Calvin less dogmatic than the Catholic Church had been? Did he loosen up his church’s stands on sexual morality? Did Martin Luther? Did Thomas Cranmer or John Knox?
NO! In fact, Calvinists often had stricter, harsher views on a variety of subjects than the Catholic church had!
So, why assume a “Reformation” of Islam would make the Muslims sweeter, more secular, and LESS strict in their observance of sharia?
Indeed, a few observers of the Islamic world suggest that Islam has already HAD a Reformation, and that Arab fundamentalism has come out the winner. Pakistani and Indonesian Muslims USED to be the most liberal and tolerant of the world’s Muslims, but a huge number have no adopted the tenets of Wahabbism.
You never stopped to wonder if “Reformation” could lead to a MORE dangerous brand of Islam, did you?
I guess we just want to see a form of Islam that is not so bat-shit insane crazy but I guess that is asking too much.
Asking too much? No, not at all. At many points in history, the Islamic world was, arguably, a more rational and tolerant place than Christendom. Even a few decades back, the leading lights of the Islamic world were secular socialists like Nasser and Jinnah.
That’s why I’m suggesting that the Muslim world has HAD a major Reformation since then. Unfortunately, that Reformation did not lead to a liberalized Islam, but to a more militant Arabist style of Islam.