|
Ex -Prez of Indonesia says Islam doesn't have to be violent
Extremism Isn't Islamic LawBy Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid Tuesday, May 23, 2006; Page A17 For a few days this year the world's media focused an intense spotlight on the drama of a modern-day inquisition. Abdul Rahman, a Muslim convert to Christianity, narrowly escaped the death penalty for apostasy when the Afghan government -- acting under enormous international pressure -- sidestepped the issue by ruling that he was insane and unfit to stand trial. This unsatisfactory ruling left unanswered a question of enormous significance: Does Islam truly require the death penalty for apostasy, and, if not, why is there so little freedom of religion in the so-called Muslim world? The Koran and the sayings of the prophet Muhammad do not definitively address this issue [Because, I suppose, they go only 99% of the way]. In fact, during the early history of Islam, the Agreement of Hudaibiyah between Muhammad and his rivals stipulated that any Muslim who converted out of Islam would be allowed to depart freely to join the non-Muslim community [the most recent piece of enlightened thought on the subject happened 14 centuries ago]. Nevertheless, throughout much of Islamic history, Muslim governments embraced an interpretation of Islamic law that imposes the death penalty for apostasy. It is vital that we differentiate between the Koran, from which much of the raw material for producing Islamic law is derived, and the law itself. While its revelatory inspiration is divine, Islamic law is man-made and thus subject to human interpretation and revision. For example, in the course of Islamic history, non-Muslims have been allowed to enter Mecca and Medina. Since the time of the caliphs, however [this bit of moderate Islam ended thirteen centuries ago], Islamic law has been interpreted to forbid non-Muslims from entering these holy cities. .. Muslim theologians must revise their understanding of Islamic law [actually the law would have to be changed in all 4 judicial schools of the Sunni and all 4 of the the schools of the Shia - but how hard could that be], and recognize that punishment for apostasy is merely the legacy of historical circumstances and political calculations stretching back to the early days of Islam. Another islamic apologist gets his blather in the WaPo Posted by: mhw 2006-05-23 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=153480 |