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07. Mar 2006

A Muslim Manifesto

 
Hvor er de moderate muslimer henne, og hvorfor hører man ikke så meget til dem?

Dette har f.eks. Jyllands-Posten, men også alt for mange andre (såvel højreekstremister som folk, der burde vide bedre) spurgt om gang på gang; sandheden er naturligvis, at der er masser af dem, og hvis de får chancen, taler de såmænd, til de bliver helt blå i hovederne - men der er lissom ikke rigtig nogen, der vil høre: De har ikke "nyhedens interesse" i samme grad som nogle få fanatikere, der brænder flag af og plyndrer deres egne byer.

Det har de to muslimske intellektuelle Zeyna Baran og Mustafa Akyol forsøgt at gøre noget ved, i form af et nyt islamisk manifest, læser vi hos Spiegel Online:
Recently, the disrespectful cartoons about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) published in Jyllands-Posten resulted in an extreme reaction among many Muslims worldwide. While we understand the feelings of our co-religionists, we strongly urge them to refrain from rage and violence.

A zeal for Allah is rightful only when it is expressed in an enlightened manner, since Allah himself has ordained a restrained response. When the early Muslims were mocked by their pagan contemporaries, the Koran ordered not a violent backlash, but rather a civilized disapproval: "When you hear Allah's verses being rejected and mocked at by people, you must not sit with them till they start talking of other things." (Koran 4:140) The Koran also describes Muslims as "those who control their rage and pardon other people, [because] Allah loves the good-doers." (3:134) Therefore all demonstrations against the mockery of Islam should be peaceful. All critiques of Islam should be countered not by threats and violence, but by rational counter-argument.

We also believe that terrorist acts can never be justified or excused. None of the challenges Muslims face, such as oppression or military occupation, can justify attacks against non-combatants. In the Holy Koran, Allah orders Muslims to "never let hatred of anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice." (5:8) The true Islamic sense of justice is well-established in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh); even in time of war - let alone peace - Muslim soldiers should never "kill the old, the infant, the child, or the woman." Those who do so are not martyrs, but cold-blooded murderers.
(...)
We support and cherish democracy - not because we reject the sovereignty of the Almighty over people, but because we believe that this sovereignty is manifested in the general will of people in a democratic and pluralistic society. We do not accept theocratic rule-not because we do not wish to obey Allah, but because theocratic rule inevitably becomes rule by fallible (and sometimes corrupt and misguided) humans in the name of the infallible God.
(...)
We regard Christianity and Judaism as sister faiths in the common family of Abrahamic monotheism. We strongly denounce anti-Semitism, which has been alien to Islam for many centuries but which unfortunately has gained popularity among some Muslims in recent decades. We accept Israel's right to exist, as well as the justified aspiration of the Palestinian people for a sovereign state and hope that a just two-state solution in Israel/Palestine will bring peace to the Holy Land.

In short, we strongly disagree with and condemn those who promote or practice tyranny and violence in the name of Islam.
Dette er mere sekulært indstillet, men minder ellers en del om, hvad vi tidligere citerede Aziz fra City of Brass for, under overskriften There is no insult to Islam:
Islam is infinite. They can burn the Qur'an, or insult the Prophet SAW, or outlaw the hijab. But they can never erase the delicate calligraphy of Deen upon the muslim's soul. Our religion is infinitely greater than the sum of their scorn, and as such we have no opinion on their insults as they matter, in the end, not even the tinest whit.
Den slags holdninger - som såmænd er udbredte nok i den islamiske verden (hvor man heller ikke bryder sig om folk, der sprænger bomber hist og pist), og i udgangspunktet minder en del om den tolerance, man historisk set har set hos muslimske ledere som f.eks. Saladin og hans efterfølgere - får ikke helt så megen omtale eller så god presse som alle helligkrigernes udgydelser. Hvorfor mon?
Link til A Muslim Manifesto.

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