Can Islam be reformed?

[phk]

Can Islam be reformed?

By: Ali Sina

When the US Secretary of State Colin Powel said that Islam is not incompatible with democracy, the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hamid Reza Asefi, mocked him and said, " US officials' comments on Islam clearly prove they do know nothing about Islam and Muslims.”

If Asefi has said only one word of truth in his entire life, this is it.

Today the questions that everyone asks are whether or not Islam can be reformed, and whether or not it can accommodate democracy.

A friend of mine wrote: "Pentateuch is very similar to the Quran: same intolerance, same draconian laws, etc. yet the great part of the Jews finally rejected the literal interpretation of their holy scriptures and proved they could evolve."  

Also, Christianity has allowed for change; The Church of the 16th century was as repressive as the Talibans and the Wahhabis. Yet Reformation took place, nonetheless. And even the Catholic Church is finally opening up.  

Can’t then we extrapolate that the same could happen to Islam?  

No. The idea that since Christianity and Judaism reformed then Islam can also be reformed is untenable. Islam is not comparable to Christianity, Judaism or any other religion.  

Christianity is essentially a religion of the heart. It were statements such as “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” and “My kingdom is not of this world” that allowed the Christians to keep their faith while permitting secular governments to evolve independent of the Church. A Christian does not feel any contradiction or dichotomy by living with secular laws and practicing his religious beliefs. One can be a Christian in his heart and secular in politics. Therefore reform in Christianity did not mean renouncing faith.  

There are very few Jews who believe that the Pentateuch is actually the word of God. In all the five books attributed to Moses, he is referred to in the third person. Then the book of [JLP1] Deuteronomy ends by giving an obituary about Moses and how his tomb has been lost. This allows the Jews to be open about their interpretation of the Bible because it is clear, at least to the thinking majority of them, that the Bible is not the textual word of God but was written by humans, who were allegedly inspired, yet fallible nonetheless.    

Also, living in Diaspora[JLP2]  for 2000 years with no temporal authority has forced the Jews to learn how to adapt their Jewish laws (Halakhah) to the exigencies of the non-Jewish world, which allows them now to create a secular state in a country built through religious imperatives.    

However, reforming Islam is not something that a Muslim would ever consider. Those who ask such question are always the non-Muslims. For a Muslim this question is pointless. The thought of reform would not even pass the mind of a Muslim. He would tell you that the problem with the Islamic world is in its inadequate interpretation of the Sharia and not in the Sharia itself.  

Quran is considered to be the verbatim words of God. The verse "This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion" 5:3 reverberates in the ears of every Muslim. It leaves no room for interpretations and reformations. How can anyone improve or change something that is perfect?    

History shows that all attempts to reform Islam have failed. The Sufis tried to interpret the Quran esoterically and mystically. The Mu’tazelis went as far as to suggest that if there is a contradiction between the revelation and reason, the latter should prevail. Some modern day Islamists such as Ali Shariati and Sorush have tried to use Islam as a political tool to bring Islamic world out of the dark ages and into the modern world. However all these attempts have failed, and Islam is now in the darkest phase of its existence. As a matter of fact, every time Islam is taken into equation, even nominally, for a social change, the result is catastrophic because the gravitational pull of the Quran towards fundamentalism quashes every other consideration. The Quran cannot be interpreted or reformed. The will of God cannot be surpassed by the will of people because of convenience and expediency. Any minor deviation from the Quran is considered to be a direct challenge to its authority and would invalidate the entire faith.

[The Duke]

Which brings me to my next point, gentlement.  Don't smoke crack.

[Erc]

Which brings me to my next point, gentlement.  Don't smoke crack.

Seconded.

[opebo]

Like any religion, Islam can be made harmless when no one believes in it anymore.

[Ebowed]

Like any religion, Islam can be made harmless when no one believes in it anymore.

You include atheism, secular humanism, and Unitarianism in that statement, correct?