Assalaamu’alaikum wr. wb.

I’m going to jump right straight into my reading log. I think this chapter is the heart of the book. It really addresses the issues that many Western non-Muslims have. One of the problems Muslim moderates face is having to deal with the equation formulated by the media: Islam = radicalism and therefore Islam -> extremism and terrorism. It’s been 10 years since 9/11 but take a look at the videos below and you’ll see that non-Muslims are still grappling with their understanding of Islam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-LhnzszFOw

http://youtu.be/MsiJdhnkvRQ?t=2m51s (Unfortunately, the experiment was based on Shia teachings and the Muslims involved were unable to give Dave better answers and experiences.)

Radicalism, extremism, and terrorism — such big words for a religion that actually teaches compassion and mercy towards mankind, flora and fauna. How did it all began? Come to think of it, resistance towards Islam stretches all the way back to the time of the early prophets when their people refuse to acknowledge monotheism. In the following video, the host of the debate raised the issue of jihad as the holy war: http://youtu.be/mTa9HL1NSio?t=26m17s. That debate took place so many years before 9/11. It almost seems as though Islam is being singled out based on that sole factor of jihad. It is the point of leverage or attack for anti-Islamists to negate the mainstream understanding of Islam as a peaceful religion. Of course, with the opening of online floodgates to vast information, people have become more selective of the materials they come across. However, while some are able to discover the truth about Islam, many others become more discriminating of Islam. Every single aspect of Islam is scrutinised — sharia law, women’s rights, the inheritance law, etc.

Of course, moderate Muslims try their best to explain minute details but it definitely gets harder along the way. Questions like “Why does God talk about hellfire and punishment in the Quran many times if he is compassionate?”, “How come men are able to have many wives but women can’t have many husbands?”, and “Why do women receive a smaller share of the inheritance?” become a challenge for the everyday Muslim who is continuously learning and improving his Deen. I believe it has reached a point whereby it discourages Muslims from conveying da’wah as they tend to be put down by those who have a firm resistance against Islam. There is also a fear of being influenced into converting out of Islam; naudzubillah.

Back to the chapter. It compares the views of moderate Muslims and radicals, which is interesting as there are many similarities. I’m going to give only one example as I think it will do the authors injustice to talk about their findings at length (so make sure you have a chance to read the book). The Gallup poll results show that both politically radical Muslims (94%) (note that politically radical does not mean those who indulge in violence) and moderate Muslims (90%) view religion as an important aspect in their lives. What is remarkable is that for other positive aspects they were surveyed on (such as establishing relationships with the West and having a good education), the results came in close with those politically radical making up a higher percentage. If you don’t understand what I have just typed, I meant that politically radical Muslims are more interested in establishing relationships with the West than moderate Muslims and so on.

So why are the politically radicalised in more danger of becoming extremists if they believe in diplomacy and are intelligent? This is my answer: Sometimes, when people think they are intelligent, they feel that they know enough not to continue learning or that their minds are closed to other perspectives. Then again, it is wrong to falsely accuse without having an understanding of their socio-political background. Politics in each country is different and the idea of radicalism in politics may differ according to one’s definition. I might be politically radical too to some of my fellow citizens by having an alternative view to how the country should be governed.

Again, I think the point is to not jump to conclusions quickly and isolating people who think differently as sometimes people turn evil not because they choose to but because they were made to believe they are. Just like boys who speak softly and move gently and play dress-up with their sisters. They are not gay but when adults see them acting like that, they kept accusing him of being gay and in the end, he just grows up to be gay. Our words and actions may not only misguide ourselves but may misguide others. Let’s work on becoming better Muslims by polishing on our akhlaq as well.

Wassalaam.

Assalaamu’alaikum wr.wb.

Firstly, I’d like to clarify that my posts, in relation to the book Who Speaks for Islam? are not reviews of the book itself. What I’m doing is simply a reading journal whereby I think about and express my opinions on what I’ve read. So, please do not treat my opinions as proper reviews of each chapter. I think this is a book that you have to read yourself in order to judge whether it really as good as it seems to be or if you find it lacking in certain areas. For a short review, read this. For a different (and more scathing) opinion read this. Alternatively, you can just search for reviews using your favourite search engines.

Anyway, I finally got around to reading the first chapter. It was quite a bore as the authors did a lot of explaining about Islam and Muslims. You know, things like the five pillars of Islam. I guess the first chapter is more catered to an audience that do not know what Islam is about or have negative notions about it. If you’re not into regurgitating what you already know, just skip Chapter 1. It just basically clarifies what jihad means and in a way, it sounds like the authors are trying hard to rectify the 9/11 impact on non-Muslims. I think it would’ve been better if they mentioned the pillar of Ihsan. Ihsan really is the pivotal point of the entire argument of Islam being a peaceful religion instead of a catalyst for terrorism. Seriously, I do forget that fact sometimes. We’ve always been taught about the five pillars of Islam and the six pillars of Iman but never really about Ihsan. Take a moment and reflect. Just how many times have the word “Ihsan” been brought up during your religious studies as a child? As for me, my teachers have drilled the pillars of Islam and Iman into me but only one teacher reminded me about Ihsan. See, that’s the problem, isn’t it? We often differentiate Islam from other religions using Islam and Iman when the core of the difference lies in Ihsan. Mercy. It’s a powerful principle but easily neglected. Just how many of us have been able to forgive the people who have hurt us? Why the lack of mercy upon others when we ourselves yearn for mercy from Allah, especially during Judgment day? Extremism and terrorism are definitely devoid of mercy.

I also want to point out that I’m quite uncomfortable with certain expressions used like how Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is a “living Quran”. I’m not sure how the authors came to that. It gave me an impression that he (s.a.w.) is being treated like a walking encyclopedia about Islam. Maybe it’s just me reading too deeply into it but hey, after doing textual analyses and studying semiotics, I can’t help but overthink what a word actually means. (Good luck to whoever is going to be my future spouse. *Evil maniacal laughter*)

I was just being silly but putting that aside, chapter 1 is a bit of a let down after a grand opening in the introduction. I’m still going to read on as I want to find out the results of their research. Plus, there are still other contemporary issues to cover besides misinterpretations of jihad.

I’m actually enjoying this and I’m glad that you guys are enjoying reading my thoughts too. Silly or not.

Wassalaam.