Salaam ALeikum There has been a lot of talk recently about reform. Islamic reform, specifically. One article read thus:

"For Muslims to reform would entail abandoning their sacred book and traditions. The leaders throughout the Islamic world, who are educated in the Quran and the hadith, simply cannot make this leap. The mental shock would be too severe"

And another...
"why is there no air time for the many young educated Arabs who would very much like to see contemporary Islam reformed? Are there no humanistically minded young Islamic thinkers who could put the lie to the assertion that we in the West are faced with a phalanx of extremists only? That there are no Solzenhitsyns to rebut the polically correct appeasers?"

First of all, Islam is not in need of reform. Never has been and never will. What Islam needs is for people who don’t have a stinking clue about Islam to put away their wanna-be-scholar pens and zip up their lips.

It is true that Muslims need to be educated about their religion. But that is true of any religion. I think one problem is that many Christians are trying to look at Islam from a Christian point of view. In other words, in the past when society changes, it came in direct conflict with Christian principles. Instead of Christians holding their ground and following the word of God, they opted out for the changing views of society. They have manipulated God’s Law, picking and choosing what they will hold as tenets and essentially weakened it to the point where it is no longer recognizable. Christianity has never been a static religion. It has been tweaked and updated to the point where it really is no longer Christianity. No one rests on Sundays. Abortions are okay. War is rampant. Children do not honor their parents. Bibles gather dust on some shelf in one of wall of the guest room. Grace is for sissies and the teachings of Christ are just warm fuzzies found on bumper stickers and novelty T-shirts. Now the Christians want that for us.
Well, I guess they always have...I wasn't around for the Crusades but I think that was about spreading Christianity far and wide.
Anyways...'

I am really getting sick of people saying, “why don’t you all Moderate Muslims speak out against those terrorists?” Excuse me, but I am a Muslim but it is not my responsibility to babysit 1.3 billion other Muslims in the world. I do what I can but frankly I think it’s a stupid question. It just shows me that people are paying less attention to logic and more to pundits and opinionated “news” broadcasters.

I mean is it just me? Or is there something fishy about that request. SPEAK OUT!!! they say.
Hmm...
I have always spoken out about things that I feel are injust or play assinine. Since 911 I have seen hundreds of Muslims (personally) and thousands (via net and tv and print) speak out against terror. I have seen fatwas that have been issued against killing people for the sake of politics.
Someone said yesterday that CAIR released a Fatwa against terrorism YESTERDAY, just after that dipshit Michael Graham was suspended for calling Islam a terrorist organization (among other things).

The problem with that brilliant statement is that CAIR has been speaking out against violence as long as I can remember. So, to give credit to this wingnut Graham for CAIR's issuance yesterday is retarded.

So, the civilized world is calling out to MO-DERATE Muslims. I still wonder what a Moderate Muslim is. I googled it and what I see is alot of bigoted crap. Okay here is a lesson.

1. Because Islam is a system of life, i.e., affecting social, legal and spiritual ideals, then to be a moderate Muslim would mean to me that one would take the laws of God and soften them.
2. This does not work in Islam with good results. The more a muslim sheds off his or her islamic belief and teaching the more apt they are to commit offenses against themselves, society and God.
3. The Muslim who is extreme in his or her belief, meaning follows Islam as best they can to the T, it is they who are going to be beneficial to themselves, society and God.

Moderate Islam is not Islam. Moderate Islam is half-baked. Moderate Islam is watered down. Have some wine with your brunch Ahmed....Pope Bush said it was okay...oh and don't skimp on the virgineeya ham....Moderate Islam is the REASON for these people who strap on bombs and walk on to a train.

I am not saying that easing restrictions on Muslims will lead them to become TERRORISTS...well, possibly. Allah's (swt) law is the way it is to make society livable. To ensure that people respect each other and themselves. If a person strays a little from their responsibilities then it is possible that a slippery slope manifests itself.

Moderate Islam is only going to make the world uglier. Because if a person elects to moderate something so perfect they are just asking for trouble.
Anways,
Number 1…the day I become a moderate Muslim, someone please slap me. Hard. I want to be as much of a Muslim as I can be. Because the more Extreme Muslim I am the more safe the world will be.
Number 2…Where shall you like to speak out to? Do you think we Muslims are all connected by some Islamic friends and family network on out cell phones? Who do we speak out to?
Number 3…I don’t like your freaking definition of Terrorist to begin with. In your eyes a terrorist is a Muslim who has committed an act of violence. Sure blowing up stuff is terrorism. But I don’t hear anyone speaking out against Ariel Sharon blowing up stuff. I don’t hear anyone calling Israeli Settlers who stab and shoot and beat to death young Palestinians as terrorists. I don’t hear anyone calling the columbine kids at terrorists. I don’t hear anyone calling serial killers terrorists.

However, if a Muslim runs over a squirrel because he was speeding, he suddenly becomes a terrorist. And then out come the Bill Oreillys. “Mr. Hooper, can you prove to us that there is no place in the Quran that condemns killing squirrels?” “Hmmm, why no I cannot”. “There you have it. The Quran hates squirrels…” Roll credits.

You see, I will say it again. Islam is not in need of Reformation. Islam has been around 1400 years. Ignorant people come and go, from all religions. Christians, keep your reformation and go back and read your Bible. That’s my advice.

For the first writer above, I can only say, ya you’re right. Muslims are not going to make that leap. (Inshallah they will not) What a really idiotic thing to say. BEHOLD YOU MUSLIMS. LEAVE YOUR HOLY BOOK AND HADITH BEHIND. COME! LETS ALL REFORM. That might work for some of the more opportunistic leaders and some oppressed and illiterate Muslims who do not know any better. But, If you think that will help your cause, think again my friend. Your best bet is to hope and pray that Muslims become more and more Islamic.

And as for the 2nd writer above, I can only shake my head. I am not even sure what he or she is saying.

True reform must lie in the actions coming from the imperialistic minds of world. Those minds that put self-interest over the interest of humanity are a formidable foe of this world. Those people who see the green dollar and the black oil as God. These people are the ones to worry about.

As for us Muslims, we need to stand or ground and continue to follow the law of Allah (swt).