Extremism

[level_head]

The Middle East is starting to look more sensible about Islamic extremism than is the Obama administration. Isn’t that a sad thing to say?

Here is a Saudi Arabian author being interviewed on television, and he describes the problem. He notes, correctly, that there is little difference between the “moderate” Muslim clerics and the most radical

Comments

[justgoto]

Let's hope something changes.

[level_head]

There are massive forces arrayed against positive change, sadly, not to mention the inertia and accreted history of a millennium and a half of violence. But positive change is still possible.

I believe that many brave Muslims will die trying to bring it about. Anyone who talks like al Hadad or al Sisi above instantly receives death threats. The "tiny fringe minority who have nothing to do with Islam" - these jihadists and their supporters and sympathizers - form a clear effective majority in Islam across the world.

===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle

[prester_scott]

As I believe I've said before, I don't think the comparison holds well between the Protestant Reformation in Christianity and a "reformation" in Islam of the sort that would undercut the theological basis for the Jihad against the West

[richardf8]

It would be more like the emergence of Christianity out of Judaism, or an extremely theologically liberal variant, like the Unitarian Universalists are to Christianity -- essentially a brand new religion.

I believe this is called Ba'Hai

[level_head]

And Bab's your uncle.

===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle

[deckardcanine]

Good one.

[richardf8]

So, was Ibn Taymiyyah the driving force behind the Almohades?

[level_head]

No. He was born right about the ending of that rule. His active time was the last few years of the 1200s and for about a third of a century thereafter. Almohades rule dwindled around the mid 1200s, I think.

Taymiyyah was in and out of prison a lot as his edicts alternately pleased or irritated powerful rulers from Damascus to Cairo. One of his big "accomplishments" (and important to the Muslim Brotherhood and its spin-offs today) is his ruling that it was okay to wage jihad against other Muslims, as long as they were doing something doctrinally wrong.

It occurs to me that his family were well known imams (father, uncle, grandfather and others I think) and they could have been involved. The Taymiyyah clan lived in the Damascus area; the Almohads overlapped there ultimately, so they'd have lived for generations under that regime.

===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle

[rowyn]

However unlikely it may be to take, I wish them luck with such a reformation. :/

[rowyn]

I wish them luck as well It will not happen without international pressure. As long as nations accept such violent ideals being preached, which go against every non secular government that exists, then the Jihadists will prevail