To Fix Islam, Start From the Inside

I agree with Irshad Manji. Her article was right on but let's not wait for governments (we could all grow old). Start with American women helping Muslim women. We have money to invest in seed capital for small women-owned businesses. Organize us.

As one who strongly believes in an afterlife, as you will, and that there are many paths too it I am most offended by the arogance of religious intolerance. Since no one alive and sane has seen or adequatly captured his presence in any way to be construed as overwhelmingly convincing yet so many are willing to kill their neighbor over this unprovable belief. The UN Human Rights Ammendment fails to go far enough and the organization that needs to replace it must demand that any member nation agrees to criminal penalties for any and all within their juristiction who practice religious bigotry in the form of violence and murder. Competition between religions is healthy and promotes growth, understanding, and tolerance. Those who believe someone elses belief will somehow undermine theirs are weak and unconvinced believers in the strength of their own faith who challenge the God given rights of others to choose their own path to God, via honest, informed, and educated choice. Fat Joey has it right.

Any man from any religion who seeks to impose his beliefs upon anouther is guilty of being a cultist. He who has so little faith in his own belief that he must force it on others is the weakest of all. A true religion is not forced from the pulpet but encouraged by the pulpet. Most muslems toil their lives away in cultish bondage to their faith just as do so many Catholics and fundamentalist Jews, I do not speak against their right to live this way (strong evidence points to this being healthy for them) but I do speak for the rights of those who do not. You "malikrose3" and "muslimmuslim" seem to stand clearly in favor of forcing everyone to see things your way even if you have to kill them to do it. I stand in support of the many muslims who want the vengfull violence to end in Gaza so that the people of Gaza can begin to rebuild their lives as is happening in the West Bank. Over 5 years ago I was called a fool when I said that we as Americans sent the wrong Army to Iraq. I said we should have sent 150,000 feminists and than dared Sadam to harm a hair on their heads. This is why I support Miss. Manji in her attempts to throddle radicalism in the cultist side of the Muslim world. Hatred becomes an overpowering evil as addictive as any drug and that affects rational thinking just as adversely. This makes you 2 part of the problem and her part of the solution. There is no solution but death for someone in your point of view.

Miss, Manji, I cannot agree with your article. I would like to, but I do not believe the facts support your argument. First of all, no one has or should have moral authority over Muslims except Muslims themselves. To suggest otherwise is to encourage an emotional/religious equiailent to nation building: If there is enlightenment (an arguable point) to be achieved, it must be by Muslims for Muslims...a development for which I will not hold my breath.
The second reason that your point of view cannot, in my opinion, become reality is the very detailed and impassioned point of view by poster malikrose3 (appearing just previous to my post). Most Muslims complain of Americans, while they build houses of worship and are given freedoms here, but do not attack or complain of other countries where they are actively prosecuted...even to death. I know it is currently the vogue to always blame someone else for one's misfortunes, but the Muslim promotion of America to the Great Satin is ridiculous in the extreme. I honor your desire, but your arguement is unfortunately specious.
In a month, when President Obama closes Guantanamo and the innocent are set free in America we will find out in due course whether we have persons who would disagree and negotiate for changes in policy or persons who are absolutist and violent towards those with whom they disagree. And should violence occur, by the reaction of the Muslims around the world will we know the beliefs and intent of the Muslim community. I fear that it will not be what Miss Manji would like and more in tune with the viewpoint of malikrose3.
It is clear to me that belief in themselves and in fanaticism is inherent in today's Muslims, while those of us in the so-called free world believe in nothing so much as self-flagellation, guilt (whether appropriate or not) and a need to make everyone else love us. A wise man once said, "If everyone likes your, you are doing something wrong." We don't have to believe in what someone else believes, and they don't have to believe what we believe, BUT we both must come to understand that each must be left to their own views without judgment...I don't want moral authority over Muslims, and I don't want them dictating my beliefs on pain of death. Enough.

This is a humanitarian approach as well as a very practical approach which I hope our American leaders embrace. Paula Hannah, Erie, Pa

START BY ARRESTING HATE MONGERING MUSLIM PREACHERS,CLOSE THE MADRASAS'S

There is no such thing as ???religious extremism???. God does not grade on a curve. You either get it right or you get wrong, there isn???t any extra credit for being ???extreme???. Those men who were responsible for the attacks on America on Sept 11, 2001 (and other dates), believed their religion commanded them to do so, and that they alone were following their religion correctly. There wasn???t any ???extreme??? in their point of view, they were doing what they were taught by their religion as the way to god. And that all of the moderate Muslims were falling short, failing themselves their religion their god. To label these men as ???extremists??? is to say they had excelled at their religion above and beyond that of the ???moderate??? Muslim. The post 9/11 message should have been that these men were ???religious failures??? not ???extremists???. Muslims leaders around the world should have condemned their actions and explained why those men were ???religious failures???. But they did not and indeed would not condemn them for their actions because they read and believe in the same scripture. These so called ???extremists??? are either getting their religion correct or they are not, and as I recall god does not choose from the moderately righteous. Christianity has a very long list of crusaders and martyrs, were these people ???extremists???? The church doesn???t seem to think so. As they hold them up with reverence, icons to emulate.

OK. First thing I notice is that your name is Irshad Manji. Isnt that like someone from Europe of non-Islamic background saying that should promote the same from countries like Syria or Iran? Seems like the only reason ANYONE in the middle east has any power is from oil. I hope all Gods find a way to get rid of it and put things back the way they were before it.

True. Easier SAID than DONE. In the House of SAUD there is NO FREEDOM of religion. Saud decides your religion for you.
Why should SAUD followers be free to practice THEIR religion outside SAUDi Aribia?

MANJI SURELY HAS TRIED TO THROW SOME SLIGHTLY FRESH IDEAS TO BRING THIS WAR OF THE CIVILIZATIONS TO AN END. BUT COUNTRIES SHOULD NOT THROW AWAY THEIR MONEY FOR MICRO CREDITS AS IT HAS ALL THE CHANCES TO GO IN TO THE WRONG HANDS AND OUR OWN MONEY COULD BE USED BY THE RADICALS TO HARM US. BUT STILL I DO APPRECIATE THE WISE INTENTIONS OF MANJI, .
VARON B K SHARMA
www.varonbksharma.com

Some so-called religions are just the sources of misery and evil. History is full of illustrations for regressive and destructive forces of these religions. They are so poisonous; causing their followers to have hallucinations. They are based on their blood-thirsty gods; producing angry murderers. The problem is that they brainwash a vast number of followers to the degree that they are recognized and legit; and keep on infecting people from one generation to the next because they invade heredity and DNA; just like viruses.

This is exactly the type of information that the world needs in order to understand and change the current base line that enables terrorist in the first place. Counter terrorism must address and mitigate the violent threats, and what drives belligerents to pick up arms in the first place. Cut the local support of jihadist, and you cut their ability to operate.