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kalikshama -> RE: Is there REALLY a difference........ (1/12/2012 7:13:30 AM)
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So, What Is A Radical Muslim, Anyway?
By Jay Hargett
Copyright 2007, Jay Hargett
I began research into this subject matter after reading Robert Spencer’s book, “A Politically
Incorrect Guide To Islam” and trying to decide if he was the “Ann Coulter” of anti-Islamic rhetoric or not.
While the work is well written and well documented, it is equally harsh in its condemnation of the current
“mainstream” position that Islam, as a religion, is more peaceful and tolerant that its “radicalized”
elements. But, as I began to write, I ran into a problem with coming to grips with the question that titles
this paper.
As this paper will attempt to put forward a definition of a “radical Muslim”, you will come to see
what I have seen in my research that this is a bit more difficult that you might imagine. The problems with
coming to a definition have been two-fold: 1) The fact that Islam itself is much more diverse than you
might imagine; and 2) Those who would characterize Islam as being fundamentally radical are often times
willing to paint others with the same wide brush stroke.
So, I want to begin the paper with this quote from Ibn Warraq, a Christian convert, apostate, under
a death sentence by believers of his former faith, and author of the book, “Why I Am Not a Muslim”;
“There are moderate Muslims, but Islam itself is not moderate.”
So many times, radicalism can, and often is, equated with a more fundamental belief in a given
religion. From polygamist beliefs within Mormanism to abortion doctor killings in evangelical Christian
beliefs, sects like the Shi’ite, Wahhab and Berber within Islam are also tolerated but not embraced by the
overwhelming majority of mainstream believers. When a liberal or “progressive” in this country refers to
the “radical right”, they are referring to those who have evangelical beliefs in Christianity. Those same
fundamentalist Christians refer to the “radical left” as being believers in an exclusively secular existence,
with the requisite moral relativism. The characterization of people using the term “radical” has become a
handy tool to criticize those whose beliefs do not match our own. The difference in this discussion of
“What is a radical Muslim anyway?” will be the fact that an act of war has been declared on the very
“radicalism’ that brought about the attacks on 9-11.
Read more: http://www.raleightavern.org/radicalmuslim.pdf
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