LogFAQs > #886254670

Funkdamental posted...

Here's part of the problem. Islam gives an impression that the faith has dangerous weak spots of interpretation. That there are suras and hadiths that can be all too easily twisted to convince the susceptible and those attracted to radical, violent solutions that there is scriptural justification -- even a mandate -- for terrible atrocities. Many non-Muslims refuse to believe that it's possible for someone to be ‘radicalized’ into doing something that's genuinely profoundly contradictory to their personality and beliefs. Instead, they suspect that cultural conditioning – and by that, I mean the role of Islam in someone’s upbringing -- has a lot to do with the softening-up process and makes indoctrination easy.

That's the challenge Islam faces in the West: to explain that modern salafists are basing their interpretations on distortions of the texts, and not drawing correct and inescapable conclusions from a crystal-clear message. To convince non-Muslims that there is nothing in genuine Islamic belief that could be misused in such a way. If that isn't possible, if it isn't clearly communicated, I fear there's going to continue to be a profound mistrust about what Muslims actually believe.

This is a bullshit non-argument. You hand wave away EVERY extremist action with "well they're just not interpreting the book right" and that's nonsense. If it was 1 or 2 people, maybe you'd have a point, but you have entire SECTS of the religion believing those verses. You have entire countries that will kill a jew on site. You have Muslim GOVERNMENTS calling for the global eradication of the jewish people. You have poll after poll after poll in Europe where "moderate" muslims are calling for a ban on homosexuality, for a restriction on human rights, for a separate set of laws for believers and nonbelievers... there is overwhelming evidence that Islam is itself a flawed set of ideas, and not that it's just "a bunch of people reading the book wrong".

Here's an earth-shattering revelation for you: those same people think YOU are reading the book wrong. Who gets to define which interpretation is "right"? Oh, the one that attempts to convince the rest of the world more of it is a good thing? Yea, I'm not buying it.
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"History Is Much Like An Endless Waltz. The Three Beats Of War, Peace And Revolution Continue On Forever." - Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz