What really is a moderate Muslim?
by KateWild 95 Replies latest members adult
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LoveUniHateExams
Good debate.
Irshad Manji makes good points and her aim of reform and independent thinking are spot on. Hopefully she will encourage 'a generation of muslims to think for themselves'.
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KateWild
I think Muslim women who are activists for Muslim womens rights are brave and to be commended. I find it interesting that posters define them as moderate Muslims. I think they are anything but moderate. They are very determined for change in Islam and are making this known as much as they can regardless of consequences. All power to them I say.
In as far as defining what a moderate Muslim is I think this thread has been the example that there are many ways to define a moderate Muslim and to use the term is useless.
Kate xx
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humbled
Kate,
If you get the time to watch the video that would be good.
I don't think anyone said Irshad is moderate--she sees herself as a reformer. I said she is more than moderate.
Further, though Irshad and Malala are female, when they talk about rights--they talk of HUMAN rights not only the rights of women. Malala's struggle is for compulsary education for girls and boys--all children. Irshad is talking about the problem with Islam. She says the problem with Islam is Muslims. Muslims who do not shoulder the responsibility mandated by the quran to answer to Allah/God personally--regardless of the teaching a mullah might throw down.
It is a very good debate for anyone of any religion---or none--to watch.
good topic.
Maeve
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KateWild
I don't think anyone said Irshad is moderate--she sees herself as a reformer.-humbled
Yes I noticed she corrected herself when she refered to herself as a moderate Muslim and then said she was a reformed Muslim, this further emphasies my point that the term moderate Muslim can be defined in so many ways that it's pointless to use it.
Kate xx
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bemused
They are free to question and make up their own mind on how their religious book is interpreted and taught.-Simon
I agree that this is how a moderate muslim might see themselves. We can but hope that they then take the next step to realising that if they are making their own mind up on ethical and moral issues and not adhering blindly to an old book, then actually they don't need the book at all.
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Simon
Yes I noticed she corrected herself when she refered to herself as a moderate Muslim and then said she was a reformed Muslim, this further emphasies my point that the term moderate Muslim can be defined in so many ways that it's pointless to use it.
I don't think that's actually the reason for the difficulty. I think the real problem is that the label 'moderate' is applied too liberally to people who are clearly not really moderate.
If you come up with a definition for how moderate religious people think, act and behave then many who are labelled 'moderate muslims' often don't fit the definition at all which is why we then have trouble with the term. It's not the definition, it's the application to people who don't really fit but the scale is so far out of whack we base things relatively, i.e. "these people are not as extreme as the other group so they must therefore be moderate".
This is why I made the exaggerated point on the other topic that there are not really any moderate muslims - there are only real muslims and pretend muslims (not being dishonest but trapped in it by accident of birth).
How can someone be a moderate believer of an ideology that is itself far from moderate? Is that even possible?
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LoveUniHateExams
'How can someone be a moderate believer of an ideology that is itself far from moderate?'
Exactly. The ideology itself needs to be reformed.
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new hope and happiness
I think a " moderate Muslim" is a label.
I have a label " Skeleton"
I think we all fit that label?
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LoveUniHateExams
@new hope and happiness
Please explain.