ISIS 'Did Not Invent A New Islam' by Zaid Nabulsi

www.memri.org...

Columnist In Jordanian Daily: ISIS 'Did Not Invent A New Islam'
In his February 10, 2015 column in the English-language Jordanian daily Jordan Times, titled "We Have a Problem", attorney and columnist Zaid Nabulsi wrote that Muslims must not just protest that "Islam is innocent" of terrorists' actions but must also acknowledge that the extremism of terrorist organizations like ISIS emanates directly from the teachings of Wahhabi Islam that now permeate the Sunni world, and from messages spread by the Muslim Brotherhood and by prominent clerics like International Union of Muslim Scholars head Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi. He added that Muslims must be brave enough not merely to condemn the ideology of the terrorists, but also to renounce Islamic texts that are incompatible with basic human values, including certain hadiths that are erroneously attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the writings of certain prominent medieval scholars, such as Ibn Taymiyyah.

"Some Wahhabist Teachings, Which Have Permeated The Air We Breathe In The Muslim World, Are Simply Irreconcilable With Decent Human Values"

"[The] Negative Image Of Muslims Is Not All Just Smoke And No Fire"

"[But] this negative image of Muslims is not all just smoke and no fire. This is what those 120 Islamic scholars who sent a letter to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi last year could not fathom. [ISIS] did not invent a new Islam. On the contrary, its followers are strict adherents of the same textbooks quoted in that long letter (bizarrely addressed to 'Dr Ibrahim Awwad Al-Badri,' Baghdadi’s real name, bestowing intellectual respectability upon this mass murderer, as if one were writing a letter to the mayor of Copenhagen). In fact, the scholars’ letter was a misguided attempt to disinfect Wahhabism, to cleanse it from itself, by claiming that IS simply misinterpreted texts that are otherwise compatible with human decency. In that sense, the letter squabbled over the semantics of the alleged instructions by the Prophet to spread Islam by the sword, but it did not dare renounce the authenticity of those same sayings...

"If We Really Want To Defend Islam As A Religion Of Mercy... We Have To Muster The Courage To Identify The Specific Texts That Actually Defame Islam, Denounce Them And Permanently Cleanse Islamic Tradition Of Them

"If we really want to defend Islam as a religion of mercy, if we really want to be believed when we proclaim the innocence of this religion, we need to do more than just repeat this meaningless mantra about us having nothing to do with [ISIS]. We have to muster the courage to identify the specific texts that actually defame Islam, denounce them and permanently cleanse Islamic tradition of them."

Time to stop pussyfooting around

a reply to: Stormdancer777

I read this thread.
Anything that I have to say about it is probably off topic.
At great risk, I gave you a star and a flag.

It's something my husband and I have said for a while. The so-called Golden Age of Islam might be reckoned to be like the Roman Empire, but it fell and those parts of the world descended into their own Dark Ages from which they have yet to emerge. Their religion could be said to be acting like the Medieval Catholic Church.

Well, it's time for a Reformation and for the Middle Eastern Enlightenment.

a reply to: ketsuko

I have a feeling we will be seeing Middle East enlightenment any day now.

originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: ketsuko

I have a feeling we will seeing Middle East enlightenment any day now.

lol

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: Stormdancer777

I read this thread.
Anything that I have to say about it is probably off topic.
At great risk, I gave you a star and a flag.

at great risk?

Yes.
I have to be very careful about what I post.

In the middle ages the Muslims were enlightened and the Christians were barbarians.

In modern times they are still two groups of idiots murdering each other over which fairy tail to believe.

a reply to: Stormdancer777

I gave you a flag as this is a good topic however I think your 'analysis' is lacking and thought to help you out a bit...

And I just happened to hear a discussion on KPFK here in the City of Angeles yesterday on this subject.

Let me find the name and link....

Here it is:

ianmasters.com...

It's the second half of the program from February 16, 2015, Background Briefing with Ian Masters and he talks to Dr. Abou El Fadi:

world-renowned Islamic scholar Dr. Abou El Fadl joins us in the studio to discuss the recent displays of barbarity and murder done in the name of Islam, as well as the execution-style murders of three young Muslims in America whose killing is still being attributed to a parking dispute even though the contested parking spot was empty at the time the young students were executed by their neighbor. Dr. El Fadl is a Distinguished Professor in Islamic Law and Chair of Islamic Studies at the UCLA School of Law, who served on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom and on the board of directors for Human Rights Watch. His books include “The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists”, “The Search for Beauty in Islam” and his latest just out is, “Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari’ah in the Modern Age”.

He talks about the 'Wadhabbis' co-opting Islam and as the fundamentalist basis for extreme Islam.

He talks some history too that is quite interesting: About how the el Said Family was given power by the Brits and wrested from the Sufi (mystical and historical) rule of the holy cities and territory.

Can't forget history, can we?

a reply to: FyreByrd

“Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari’ah in the Modern Age”.

Don't know what that book is about...but the title...scares me. As soon as the muslims mention their "precious" Sharia...

"reclaiming" ?

Surely I'm misinterpreting as always.

“The Search for Beauty in Islam”

LOL...the search just keeps on...

Here's me...mocking "religious" "scolars"...

He talks about the 'Wadhabbis' co-opting Islam and as the fundamentalist basis for extreme Islam.

There is no extreme Islam...only Islam. There are however extreme people. They all drink from the same well...extreme or otherwise.

a reply to: Stormdancer777


WOW they have the whole of the West looking and hoping for their enlightenment and reformation. And when they work it out we will be happy and can live in peace and all this other stuff. But none of this is going to happen until they have properly intimidated the world. Suddenly then great peace brokers will emerge out of the cult, the new and improved, upgraded and retro fit for modern times ect. And like we are supposed to give a dam anyway.

All of this mad violence over the last decade and current have has the effect of more and more folks getting educated about Islam. Now its even taken on a sort of soap opera effect. And what are we looking for now some sort of Islamic Walker Texas Ranger to set it all aright, bring it under control, demonstrate the ability to bring "peace" to the thing to the cheers and applause of the world. Thats why this whole thing looks so ridiculously scripted and contrived.

Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea

John

If only people would take the time to read the Quran and learn the history. Everything is right there for all to read. ISIL has a playbook and they follow it to the letter. The ignorance is beyond me and it will mean our eventual downfall, sooner rather than later I sure.

We'll have to rip the Old Testament out of the Bible as well. We should have a public burning of it. Most of it is horrible, violent, intolerant. Just because we don't have a rash of stonings by Christians at this moment, doesn't mean it couldn't happen, based on the Old Testament. It's in there, and stonings are highly encouraged/required. We all know that by taking the Old Testament and shoving it into oblivion, this will immediately eliminate any possibility of future violence in the name of Christianity. Right?

a reply to: Stormdancer777

I am always heartened when people examine their religious tradition honestly. IS and the broader conflicts in the Muslim world are growing pains. Several models of an Islamic future have been posited over the last century. Attaturk gave an example of forced modernization, Nasser a secular Pan-Arabism modeled on National Socialism, Iran a theocratic pseudo-republic based on Plato...

Unfortunately most attempts to create a society that is both modern and fundamentally Muslim have tended to lean towards authoritarianism. This may be due to the cultural belief that the Qu'ran is an inerrant authority. Perhaps what Islam needs is not so much a "Reformation" as it needs a "New Scholarship." (The "New Scholarship" was the movement among Christian academics to view the Bible as a text, rather than the literal word of God.)

a reply to: Stormdancer777

It's much like how Christians don't use the old testament, the one filled with all the hatred and violence anymore, because the religion became more peaceful, more tolerant. Less about judgement and more about understanding, and allowing the higher power to judge in the end.

Religions evolve over time. Islam is next to go through that transition, but the writers here are correct. Moderate Muslims and academics have to come together and denounce these texts that are not in line with current Muslim values.

There needs to be mass protests that show solidarity between moderate Christians and the followers of Islam. There needs be an open dialogue. Nations and their leaders have to come together to resolve these issues.

Or else, the bloodshed will just continue.

~Tenth

originally posted by: tothetenthpower

Religions evolve over time. Islam is next to go through that transition, but the writers here are correct. Moderate Muslims and academics have to come together and denounce these texts that are not in line with current Muslim values.


~Tenth

I have seen website after website with Muslim scholars explaining that the violent texts were written in a different time, and shouldn't be applied literally anymore. What more must they do?

I think the reason Christianity evolved is because regions became more stable. When you have instability - politically, economically - you are going to have people using/misusing their religion to justify anger/hatred/prejudice/violence. How the Middle East regions become more stable -- I don't know the answer. But just denouncing the text isn't going to make things stable - IMHO.

a reply to: kaylaluv

What more must they do?

Much like nobody really cares when the Pope says something, a lot of people don't care when religious scholars say things. It has to come from the people.

It's gotta be 50 thousand Muslims marching in some city somewhere, showing solidarity between all races, religions etc.

think the reason Christianity evolved is because regions became more stable.

This is a good point. Instability does result in conflict. It's also easier to get large groups of people to follow you for all the wrong reasons.

~Tenth

a reply to: kaylaluv

I have seen website after website with Muslim scholars explaining that the violent texts were written in a different time, and shouldn't be applied literally anymore. What more must they do?

Stand in front of a column of IS Toyotas and denounce them live on TV. That might actually be a useful martyrdom.

originally posted by: kaylaluv
We'll have to rip the Old Testament out of the Bible as well. We should have a public burning of it. Most of it is horrible, violent, intolerant. Just because we don't have a rash of stonings by Christians at this moment, doesn't mean it couldn't happen, based on the Old Testament. It's in there, and stonings are highly encouraged/required. We all know that by taking the Old Testament and shoving it into oblivion, this will immediately eliminate any possibility of future violence in the name of Christianity. Right?

And when Christians and Jews start living literally by it in the modern world, you might have a point. Until then ... you are simply drawing a contrived moral equivalence.

We aren't the ones marching people down to the sea to slit their throats because they professed the wrong faith, tossing them off of building tops because they might have slept with the wrong gender, crucifying people for being thieves before shooting them in the head, slaughtering men and handing their women over to be breeding slaves, or burning them alive.

We look at it, glean what lessons we can from it and then go on with our lives.

originally posted by: ketsuko


We aren't the ones marching people down to the sea to slit their throats because they professed the wrong faith, tossing them off of building tops because they might have slept with the wrong gender, crucifying people for being thieves before shooting them in the head, slaughtering men and handing their women over to be breeding slaves, or burning them alive.

We used to be the ones doing that (and in some unstable parts of the world, we still are).