Islamic Reform ?

[olddutch]

"At 6pm on Wednesday 26th May 2010, Oxford's world famous Sheldonian Theatre and Divinity School will open its doors to hear two of the most illustrious religious authorities write a new and unprecedented chapter in the ever polemical topic of reform in Islam.

Oxford University Islamic Society is honoured to host Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson (Zaytuna Institute, USA) and Professor Tariq Ramadan (Oxford University, UK) to participate at this ground-breaking conference, entitled: Rethinking Islamic Reform

The conference seeks to address the phenomena of how, in the post 9/11 world, it has grown to be an axiomatic truth that Islam needs to reform. Whether it is Western policy-makers seeking to protect themselves from Muslim extremists, humanitarian activists fighting to liberate silenced Muslims, or Muslims themselves responding to new paradigms faced in the 21st century, all are agreed that something within Islam needs to change. The question though, is what, and perhaps more pertinently, how? Our distinguished guest speakers are well placed to answer "

http://forum.mpacuk.org/showthread.php?t=46741

So - what needs to change and perhaps more pertinently how ?

[beso]

Islam ned the same change as its brothers, Judeism and Christianity.

The faithful need to wake up to the fact that Neolithic goat herders did not have the ultimate comprehension of moratlity and truth.

[anotheoldgit]

It has already been said by a poster in the link that /// Islam has survived for nearly 1,600 years; it is the predominant faith in 57 countries; it is indestructible.///

If it is indestructible, then it must be controlled.

How do we control it? We can start by not encouraging it, in other words take every humanitarian measure possible from stopping it expanding in countries that are not at the moment predominately Muslim.

[jackthehat]

And how are you going to implement that, AOG ?

[jake-the-peg]

Much of the Islamic world was in the distant and even in the recent past a very tolerant place.

I'm not just talking about the medieval civilisation that accepted Jews when England had expelled them - just 40 years ago places like Cairo were very different

There has been an increasing fundamentalism in some Islamic countries not dissimilar from what happened in Europe in the early 17th century. Those Islamic countries need to accept that tolerance of other views is needed if conflict is to be avoided.

That applys equally to groups like suffis and bah'ais as it does to the West

[youngmafbog]

Jack, how about these for a start ::
1) No mosques in places that are contentious.
2) Mosques are NOT out of bounds to the UK plod
3) Laws that apply to UK people equally apply to muslims
4) those that profess death to us are locked up - permenantly
5) No benefits to these people (extremeists)

[neil42]

i have an idea,maybe the govenment should tax religion,i mean they tax everything else lol

[sandyRoe]

Christianity needed The Reformation to make it suitable for the modern world. Islam needs something similar. Not least because they followers of Islam deserve to be free of the theocratic weight on their shoulders. How it's to be brought about Allah only knows.

[keyplus90]

Muslim terrorists and extremism was almost a never heard scenario before 9/11. To solve the problem there are few things Muslims have to do and few for the Muslims have to be done.

Muslim world have few issues going on for decades eg, Palestine, Kashmir and now Afghanistan and Iraq in recent times. Core issue out of these is that of Palestine. And double standards of the West have disappointed Muslims for generations so few of them decided to get some attention using different ways.

Then the biggest change that Muslims themselves need is the change in leadership. They need leaders who have courage to make decisions instead of taking dictation.

[jackthehat]

YMB - Your answers to <How do we control it? We can start by not encouraging it, in other words take every humanitarian measure possible from stopping it expanding in countries that are not at the moment predominately Muslim.> stop and start in the UK.

I was hoping that AOG to give me a more 'global' answer...........

[modeller]

sandie The Reformation did not make Christianity suitable for the modern world. It changed some of the extremes of RC for similar extremes of protestantism. During the past 400 years there have been Christian religious wars and there are many Christian cults which practice their fundamental interpretations of the Bible. Look at the US, religion dominates their culture. Religion is a powerful means of controlling the masses. It always has been , the difference nowadays is the ability by leaders to communicate easily their own doctrines, for their own interests. Its politics .
We can't stop extremism but we should discourage it.