An Amazing Muslim Website

[pitchu]

I often have to check myself from feeling blind rage at Islam, in general. When I stumble upon something like this, I'm glad for any rationality I've managed re: Islam. These people are to be applauded.

 

Below is the first part of their Manifesto.

 

More here:

 

http://www.manifeste.org/article.php3?id_article=18

 

Manifesto

 

We are women and men of Muslim culture. Some of us are believers, others are agnostics or atheists. We all condemn firmly the declarations and acts of misogyny, homophobia, and anti-Semitism that we have heard and witnessed for a while now here in France and that are carried out in the name of Islam. These three characteristics typify the political Islamism that has been forceful for so long in several of our countries of origin. We fought against them there, and we are committed to fighting against them again-here.

 

Sexual Equality: A Prerequisite for Democracy We are firmly committed to equal rights for both sexes. We fight the oppression of women who are subjected to Personal Status Laws, like those in Algeria (recent progress in Morocco highlights how far Algeria lags behind), and sometimes even in France via bilateral agreements.* We believe that democracy cannot exist without these equal rights. Accordingly, we unambiguously offer our support for the "20 ans, barakat!" (20 years is enough!) campaign of the Algerian women’s associations, demanding the definitive abolition of the two-decades-old family code. It is also for this reason that we oppose wearing the Islamic head scarf, even if among us there are differing opinions about the law banning it from schools in France. In various countries, we have seen violence or even death inflicted on female friends or family members because they refused to wear the scarf. Even if the current enthusiasm for the head scarf [among some Muslims] in France was stimulated by discrimination suffered by immigrant children, this cannot be considered the real cause of the desire to wear it; nor can memories of a North African lifestyle explain it. Behind this so-called "choice" demanded by a certain number of girls is the promotion of a political Islamic society based on a militant ideology which aims to promote actively values to which we do not subscribe.

 

Stopping Homophobia For Islamic fundamentalists (as for all machos and fundamentalists), "being a man" means having power over women, including sexual power. In their eyes, any man who favors equality of the sexes is potentially subhuman, or "queer." This way of thinking has proliferated since the rise of political Islamism. Its ferocity is equaled only by its hypocrisy. One of the organizers of the demonstration on Saturday, January 17, 2004, in favor of the head scarf declared that "It is scandalous that those who claim to be shocked by the head scarf are not shocked by homosexuality." Undoubtedly he thinks that a virtuous society hides women behind head scarves or puts homosexuals behind bars, something we have already seen happen in Egypt. We shudder at what the triumph of these attitudes implies for "shameless" persons in society-like women who fail to wear the head scarf or homosexuals or non-believers. In contrast, we believe that recognition of the existence of homosexuality and the freedom for homosexuals to live their own lives as they wish represent undeniable progress. As long as an individual-heterosexual or homosexual-does not break the laws protecting minors, each person’s sexual choices are his or her own business and do not concern the state in any way.

 

Fighting Anti-Semitism Finally, we condemn firmly the anti-Semitic statements made recently in speeches in the name of Islam. Just like "shameless" women and homosexuals, Jews have become the target: "They have everything and we have nothing," was something that we heard in the demonstration on January 17. We see the use of the Israel-Palestine conflict by fundamentalist movements as a means of promoting the most disturbing forms of anti-Semitism. Despite our opposition to the current policies of the Israeli government, we refuse to feed primitive images of the "Jew." A real, historical conflict between two peoples should not be exploited. We recognize Israel’s right to exist, a right recognized by the PLO congress in Algiers in 1988 and the Arab League summit meeting in Beirut in 2002. At the same time, we are committed to the Palestinian people and in support of their right to found a state and to be liberated from occupation.

[Karl-777]

Here's another good Muslim site:

http://www.freemuslims.org/

 

...We believe in the re-interpretation of Islam for the 21st century where terrorism is not justified under any circumstances.

 

We believe in the separation of religion and state.

 

We believe that democracy is the best form of government.

 

We believe in the promotion of secularism in all forms of political activity.

 

We believe that equality for women is an inalienable right.

 

We believe that religion is a personal relationship between the individual and his or her God and is not to be forced on anyone.

 

The fanatical theocrats in both Xtianity and Islam continue to be a threat to civilization everywhere.

Of course, the radical fundies of any stripe have little or no conception of Universal Esotericism or Spirituality. The radical fundie religionist is concerned with domination and guilt/control mongering over the largely ignorant sheeple, who fill fall for whatever bullshit and fear-mongering the fundie prelates promulgate in their efforts to maintain power. (e.g. promises of "72 virgins" in the afterlife for blowing themselves up and killing others along with themselves. The uneducated underclasses are especially vulnerable to this type of brainwashing, as they have never had anything in this life, and fall victim to the control-mongering of the self-seeking hierocracy, not one of whom has ever or will ever don a suicide-bomber belt.)

 

Every Muslim should read the excellent books of Sufi Mystic and Master Hazrat Inayat Khan,

('The Music of Life', etc.) and start paying attention to Suras like 9:108, 2:256, 109:6, 4:29, 5:8, etc.

 

Hopefully, rationality will begin to make inroads into the dark abyss of 7th-century fundamentalist barbarism, with the efforts of groups like those mentioned at the web pages cited above here. I applaud them as well.

 

K

[pitchu]

Here's another good Muslim site:

http://www.freemuslims.org/

 

 

Hopefully, rationality will begin to make inroads into the dark abyss of 7th-century fundamentalist barbarism, with the efforts of groups like those mentioned at the web pages cited above here. I applaud them as well.

 

K

Thanks for the link, Karl, and for sharing the same hope. I just know how scared so many Muslims are for their safety, making it impossible to guess how many might share these more enlightened social views.

[Dhampir]

My question: is there any more scriptural support for their position as opposed to the fundamentalists?

[pitchu]

My question: is there any more scriptural support for their position as opposed to the fundamentalists?

I wouldn't know, D. Ashamed to admit I've only leafed through the Q'ran..er..Quoran...mmm...Koran...their scriptures.