The New Face of Islam

Montedoro, I suggest you read Reza Aslan's "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam." You yourself make some basic mistakes about Islam as well. First of all, you claim that all of these terrorist groups use the full Quran and don't cherry-pick, the implication being that the Quran sanctions such behavior. I don't know any Arabic, but from what Reza Aslan says, the problem lies in the fact that many Arabic words have multiple and often contradictory meanings. For example, the Arabic word for "to support" or "to respect" is also the word for "to beat" or "to hit." Such contradictory meanings mean that the Quran can often be interpreted in two or more ways, with most militants choosing to interpret it in the most violent or restrictive manner. However, this does not mean that the Quran is at fault, only those who choose to interpret it in such a manner.

Unfortunately, the authors have far too little knowledge of the Koran and the Hadith to be making these misleading assertions.
To start with, Bin Laden never said that he had the right to kill "innocents". He used the usual Islamic definition under which no person is innocent who engages, directly or indirectly, in actions against Islam. To Bin Laden, any American who pays taxes to the American government is NOT innocent.
More important, bin Laden is scarcely the only "extremist" Moslem who relies on the Koran and the Hadith in order to promote what we call "terrorism". There are many Moslem terrorist organizations in addition to al Qaeda, and they are busily killing or plotting to kill people in many countries including the Phillipines, Thailand, Chechnya, Kashmir, India, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan, and many others. Read the Hamas Charter and you will see that their call to murder the Jews is based on the Koran and on the Hadith. Hizbollah, just as murderous towards Jews and also towards Christians, is strictly based on Islamic theology. So, of course, is Shiite Iran. Bin Laden did not "cherry pick" the Koran and the Hadith. He is simply putting into practice the traditional Islamic doctrine of jihad. The entire Muslim Brotherhood, which is usually not involved directly in terrorist acts, is nevertheless in the forefront of the Moslem world for promoting Islamic imperialism by any means necessary. Yes, there was one former terrorist imam who has now come out against Bin Laden, but that is because Bin Laden has been giving Islam a bad name, not because Bin Laden is basically wrong. And, where was this imam for all those decades before last year when, in an Egyptian jail, he suddenly changed his tune? As for Saudi Arabia cracking down on those thousands of extremist imams, they are doing so only in order to protect their own regime against the purists who feel that the Saudi rulers are cooperating too much with the West. In fact, Saudi Arabia, with its unlimited oil wealth, continues to be far and away the largest exporter of Islamic extremism all over the world including the United States. They support mosques, print the hate literature and the korans which are used in them, promote anti-Semitism and general hatred of non-Moslems everywhere. For the authors to focus on bin Laden and as Qaeda is to focus on one Islamic tree and entirely miss the forest of Islamic imperialism which is the greatest threat to western civilization today and for the foreseeable future.

Radicalism of any kind eventually eats away at the base from which it derives. The Islamic radicals are now having so much trouble attacking the military opponents that it is feeding on its own moderates. Osama bin Laden did a symbolic strike on the two WTC towers. The US did real strikes on two countries. Now the radicals are watched by unmammed eyes on the sky day and night, piloted by people an ocean away. The governments they once ran are now working against them, bringing their nations into the rest of the world. The path the people are following has nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with staying alive and getting ahead.

http://www.apostatesofislam.com - You can be free of Islam!

All religions rot the mind.

Even moderate Islamic people do not have the courage to denounce the muslem extremists due to fear of retaliation. I believe that I you do not comdem a problem you becoming a silent participant. The bombing of the Danish Embassy is a good example of the cowerdness of the muslem world.

Turkish approach could be a role model in middle east.A country that is secular and democratic in Muslim world must be an example to all muslim countries,As a Turkish citizen i could support ruiing party if only i can trust them on protecting my liberties.

Relative thinking and analysis toward Mohammad's words are not being expressed freely in some states where Islam is the dominating religion of the people. It is obvious that Turkish scholars are practicing their advantage of living under a secular state, and doing what should have been done to bring old words to current new masses and educate people. Kudos to them!

To pretend that Islam is only one thing is to pretend that Christianity is only one thing or pretending that Judaism is one thing. The "New" Face of Islam isn't "new", but that buzz word certainly got my attention.

As a Muslim, although I intially agreed with Dickey, the Turkish project is just hilarious and ridiculous.

As someone who is a successful, pious, peace-loving, and educated I don't need the religious authorities of the Turkish gov't to "interpret" (just like bin Laden would interpret it another way) what I consider essential narrations and creed of my faith.

Islam is a pretty straigt forward and spirtual way of life, those Muslims and non-Muslims who seek it, live it, and practice it would not go wrong regardless of the political trends and winds that blow ever constantly.

Islam does not despise anything. They are humbled in its grace.

Welcome to fantasy island...

Islam is the spawn of Hell. A deception and lie created by, an alliance of a pedophile warrior and the father of all lies. The children of, Ismael were at one time, a great people. World leaders in, the Arts, Sciences, Literature, Medicine, Architecture, Astronomy, Archeology, etc. It is virtually all gone. The children of Ismael, now have few of these great gifts. What happened? Islam happened. It has taken from them the Gifts, of Father Abraham, and replaced them with bondage..A complete lack of freedom of choice. A culture death and destruction.

I pray for the children of Ishmael, that these bonds may be broken. And true peace and freedom once again, be a birthright.

NOBAMA!!!

Known narrations of the profhet's "sayings" total 170,000! Impossible! What does it mean to "tone down the fire and brimstone"? You still have FIRE AND BRIMSTONE!

islam dont need reform.
feto is stupid.
in turkey there are a lot of st??pid muslim, like feto.
anyone doesn change islam.
bot you can change yourself.