The Moderate Muslim

In this installment, we will cover a little bit more of Muslims who are against terrorism and radical Islamist/Jihadist. Please let me know if any of this has made you think differently about the average Muslim. As for the photo on the top of the page, disregard the added bumper stickers and cardboard, but ask your self a question. Do you think Muslim women want to come to this?? Because that is what will happen.

Tawfik Hamid, was born into Islam. His parents were secular Muslims in Egypt. I will leave a link on the bottom where you can read what he thinks of the State of Israel.

Tawfik Hamid joined the extremist Islamic group Jamma’a Islameia, while he was a student in medical school. In his studies he was learning to heal, but in his thoughts, as he says, he “dreamed to die for Allah and to share in terrorist acts.” His colleague in these formative days of the terror movement was Dr. Al Zawaheri, then an acquaintance with whom Tawfik used to pray, and now the number two person of Al Qaeda.

Eventually Dr. Hamid questioned the hatred and impulses to violence that participation in extremist Islam was fomenting within him. When he began to preach in Mosques to promote a message of peace instead of violence and hatred, however, he himself became a target of the Islamic extremists who had been his friends. They threatened his life, forcing him and his family to flee Egypt, then Saudi Arabia and from there to the West.

Some of you may have seen interviews he has given to several well know publications. Including, The Wall Street Journal, and National Review, among others. You can do a simple search of his name and get info on interviews and appearances.

A courageous as well as scholarly initiator of Islamic reformation, Dr. Tawfik Hamid seeks to build new thinking within Islam to overcome the hatred and violent extremism that have metastasized within his religious tradition as he states: “in order to make LOVE prevail you should defeat Hatred”!

Another name I would like to bring up is Tashbid Sayyed. He wrote for Pakistan Today. Founded Muslim World Today. And was even memorialized by “Jihad Watch”, when he passed away earlier this year. So, was he not a moderate Muslim? Or do you consider him, not a “true” Muslim? Since he was on the board of Jihad Watch, they must have thought he was. I could write more about this man but you can look him up if you are interested.

Next, Dr Wafa Sultan, she also calls for reform in Islam. If she is no longer a Muslim, then disregard. For the sake of these posts I am strictly using Muslim voices to show there are moderates out there. As far as I can tell, Dr Sultan has not renounced her religion or converted to another.

Here we have another Egyptian, Sa’d Al-Din Ibrahim, the same applies here as Dr Wafa Sultan. Here is a Iraqi rock star (if he’s not, he should be), Iyad Jamal al-din, who believes in a secular government. Doesn’t sound like a radical terrorist to me. Have I mentioned Irshad Manji?? She is another Muslim calling out for reform.

Abdul Hadi Palazzi, Internationally respected pro-Israel authority on Islamic law and distinguished secretary general of the Italian Muslim Association, says that Israel’s right to exist as a nation is described in the Quran. He is against terrorist murder in the name of Islam. Wow, sounds radical to me.

Nonie Darwish, the founder of Arabs for Israel, I told you about yesterday. Her father, Mustafa Hafez, co–founded the Palestinian Fedayeen, a precursor to the PLO terror organization, and was assassinated in Gaza by Israeli commandos in 1956.

Dr. Khaleel Mohammed, PhD, Muslim Zionist, Islamic law specialist and Assistant Professor at the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. Says the Quran clearly states that the Holy Land was promised by God to the Jewish People. Doesn’t sound like a radical terrorist to me either.

Khaled Abu Toameh, an Israeli Muslim, who fights anti-Semitism, and speaks the truth about the PLO/PA. Amir Taheri, speaks out against radical Islam, but I am unsure if he is still a Muslim.

Salim Mansur, a Muslim writer, who has written numerous articles critical of radical Islam, and sometimes of Islam itself. “Instead of acknowledging the reality of the Arab-Muslim world as a broken civilization, we Muslims tend to indulge instead in blaming others for our ills; deflecting our responsibilities for failures that have become breeding grounds of violence and terrorism.” Does that sound like a person who agrees with the terrorist ideology??

Salma Abdallah, another Israeli Muslim. As a proud Muslim woman, Salma believes that coming to terms with realities is of utmost importance today. She councils her Muslim community to accept the existence of the State of Israel and see the positive values that derive from its being a part of the Middle East. She also encourages Muslims to take responsibility for mistakes made in the past and not to blame others, like Jews, Israelis, Americans and so forth. And finally she advises them to deal with the problems within their communities and to take responsibility for improving their own culture, education and community life. I could put that on all of these people, they all deserve a standing ovation.

A lot of these people are from Egypt. President Anwar Sadat, who was killed at the hands of radical Islamist/Jihadist, should be proud of these people.

That should keep you going until the next installment on this topic. Hopefully since yesterday you are able to see that there are MANY Muslims who stand up against radical Islam. They do so at risk of their own life, and the lives of their families. We all know what the terrorists are capable of. Instead of thinking that all Muslims are the same, try and open your mind to the fact that they are NOT. The same way that not all Christians are the same.

The KKK professes Christianity, are all Christians racist?? Some Christians have blown up abortion clinics and killed doctors, are all Christians of that mindset?? Amish Christians dress and behave differently than most Christians, does that mean everyone else is wrong?? The Bible speaks of taking slaves, does that mean we should repeat the practice?? Do you see the point yet?? Want to borrow my glasses??

Interesting reading for all:

http://www.somebodyhelpme.info/righteous/Tawfik_Hamid/Why_I_love_Israel_based…