The War for Islam's Soul Continues

It's almost terrifying to watch the factions of Islam struggling for the fate of the religion. On the one side are forces for understanding and liberalization--those who would see the Muslim world at peace with other nations and religions. They hope for a better world for their children, for respectful worship of Islam, and for Arab entry into the modern world.

On the other side are arrayed forces who want Muslims to be, quite literally, slaves to the most strict interpretation of their Qur'an. They would have women subjugated, Jews eliminated, and infidels frightened into submission of Allah.

And, no, I really don't think I'm exaggerating.

Reading the Arab News on a daily basis provides a window into both worlds. Reformers plead for a renewed sense of responsibility and openness while the more "conservative" side calls for the destruction of Israel. It's worth remembering that the Arab News is not the frightening wing of Islam--it is a reasonably moderate view of the Arab world.

This is from Hussein Shobokshi in today's Arab News:

It did not take long for the renowned terrorist and war criminal Ariel Sharon to show his real face. As soon as the carefully choreographed photograph opportunity with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, and George W. Bush was over, Sharon went on with his favorite pastime of killing innocent Palestinians. Ariel Sharon is simply a product of hate.

Through the entire article, there is not a single mention of the continued suicide bombings (one of which might have been a direct violation of the cease-fire). There is not a mention of the Palestinian responsibility--or of Arab aggression against Israel. Instead, it is a hate-filled rant against Jews and Israel.

Not enough?

Also in today's Arab News is an article about the Israeli decision to release certain political prisoners. In deciding to release some, Israel is refusing to release any prisoners who were directly part of bombings or killings. Members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, therefor, need not apply for early release. The Arab response is incomprehensible.

“If the decision isn’t changed, it will have a bad effect on the process,” Abdelrazeq [Palestinian Prisoner Affairs Minister] added. The Palestinians have insisted Israel must be prepared to release all of the estimated 6,000 prisoners currently in detention, but Lapid poured cold water on such hopes. “We will not release soldiers who participated in the war to destroy Israel,” said the Israeli minister.

Why is it hard for Palestinians to understand Israel's reluctance to release murderous terrorists? At so many steps, it feels as if the Palestinian leadership sets up road blocks so that the peace process cannot progress. Their goal is not peace, nor is it a Palestinian state that coexists with Israel. Their goal, instead, is to eradicate the Jews, claim Israel as their own, and keep the West on the sidelines (or even sympathetic) while they engineer that victory.

And at my most cynical moment, I find that bright little point of hope. In the Christian Science Monitor, I found an article by Agmed Nassef called "A Muslim Wakeup."

Muslims pride themselves on their faith's steadfast stand against prejudice and the Koran's proclamation that "We have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other."

When I lived in Amman, Jordan, last year, the anti-Jewish diatribes that usually followed the calls for justice for Palestinians during Friday sermons disturbed me a great deal. Out of disgust, I eventually stopped going to the congregational prayers there. Sadly, I encountered much of the same at mosques throughout the Arab world.

The anti-Israeli feelings are still notable in this piece, but the desire to reclaim a more liberal understanding of Islam is just as palpable.

But as Tariq Ramadan, European Muslim scholar and grandson of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood founder Hasan El Banna, states, "There is nothing in Islam that gives legitimization to Judeophobia, xenophobia and the rejection of any human being because of his religion or the group to which he belongs."

That almost sounds like the "religion of peace" we've all been hearing so much about. In fact, the author of the article has cofounded a magazine that has a very interesting feature--"Hug a Jew."

Earlier this year, when I cofounded MuslimWakeUp.com, a progressive online Muslim-American magazine, my project partner and I began a feature called "Hug-a-Jew" where we interview Jewish Americans about their work in support of civil liberties and social justice, and then we proceed to give them great big bear hugs. We then display the hug photos prominently within the articles. We use this feature to show, in a lighthearted way, that standing for justice for the Palestinian people and showing a loving spirit toward Jews are not mutually exclusive.

There truly is a war for the soul of Islam. The victor is not in the hands of the West--the changes must be internal, must be accepted by the majority of Muslims with their hearts as well as their minds. The West is not powerless, though.

By continuing to act with kindness, respect, and consideration, we can show Muslims that ours is not a war with their religion or their culture. By continuing to act with swift strength and conviction, we can show that we will not tolerate terrorist acts. By continuing to support Israel and the peace process, we can show that we do not desire the destruction of Islam, but a just peace and a prosperous coexistence.

Read "Prisoner Warning For Israel.
Read "Harry Potter and the Peace of Sharon.
Read "A Muslim Wakeup.
Visit MuslimWakeup.com. (Fair warning: this site is still very left-oriented in its view of the current administration and of Arab-Israeli relations. Take it for what it's worth.)

Posted by zombyboy at July 8, 2003 04:08 PM | TrackBack