Islam or Islamist?
Andrew McCarthy asks at National Review Online, "Is our trouble with a religion or an ideology?"
He says that he disagrees with his friend Robert Spencer because he thinks that Islamists can be separated from Islam.
His analysis is correct, but his explanation is wrong.
One Truth
There is only one truth, but there are many falsehoods. Only truth is "immune from even the possibility of alteration and evolution."
Islam cannot be immutable without being true. Claims that Islam has a definitive absolute expression are not only wrong, but they are also a subtle form of idolatry.
Interact
Check out Andrew McCarthy's essay at National Review Online and join the conversation in the comments section below.
Here is a link to the conversation on Jihad Watch.
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• Several prominent former Muslims who are now Christians will tell you that a 'moderate' Muslim is not a true Muslim. Even if that might not be accurate, there is a definite progression of Muslim activity in what has been termed 'Islamization' that seems to occur in places where Muslim populations are growing, to indluce the United States. A quote from the article proposes (as others also have) that the “Islam/Islamism distinction is an artificial one imposed by the West, with no grounding in Islamic history, theology, or law." That is an interesting claim, especially when offered by former Muslims. The article maintained the millions of Muslims don't adhere to the more sever tenets of their doctrine. What does that mean? I for one have not heard a Muslims actually make that claim, but that does not mean it is necessarily false. How genuine is the 'American Islamic Forum for Democracy'? I really don't know, because it is part of the doctrines of Islam that it is perfectly acceptable to lie for one's true cause. It's called It is called “Al-taqiyya.” I think that the following from the article was well put: "That virulent Islam is ascendant in the world today. Despite the good work of Nadlahtul Ulama, it is gaining strength in parts of Indonesia. It is rolling over Europe and making inroads here in America. It is a profound threat. To assert that there can be other interpretations of Islam — constructions that adapt to Western norms — is not to claim that such constructions will inevitably succeed or that Islamism’s sharia agenda will cease to be a profound threat. It is not to give Islam a pass: Even if Islam is capable of benign interpretations, it quite naturally spawns supremacist interpretations — interpretations whose influential adherents, such as Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, echo Robert’s conclusion that their Islam is the only Islam. To draw the Islam/Islamist distinction is not to claim that everything is coming up roses or that this story must eventually have a happy ending." I served with American Muslims in Iraq, as well as local Muslims who seemed to want genuine peace and did not vocalize a desire to impose Islam on the rest of the non-Muslim world as the one true religion. I heard denunciations of 9/11, but did not hear denunciations of the form of Islam that prompted those attacks. Interesting. An even more interesting question in terms of our country might be, will moderate Muslims rise up to prevent' radical' Islamists from succeeding in their plans for America. Having said all that, I am certain that the reason God doesn't just save folks and zip them off to Heaven is that we are left here to present to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ as God's chosen means to save sinners, including Muslims, no matter what label they wear. That, my friends is the greatest privilege God has bestowed upon men. So we labor on.
Dan on Oct. 30, 2011 3:25 p.m.