Islam Debate: Zeba Khan & Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1/7)

Zeba Khan argues that Islam is a religion which values knowledge and compassion above destruction and violence. She concedes that there are as many interpretations of Islam as there are Muslims, but stresses that the vast majority of them espouse virtuous principles.

The only way to reconcile the Qur'an's peaceful passages with its violent verses is to look at the actions of the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world. According to a recent Gallup survey, 93% of Muslims around the world are peaceful, mainstream Muslims, and of the 'politically radicalized' 7%, only a small minority advocate the use of violence.

This tiny proportion is motivated by politics, not piety. These extremists, who seek to use the Muslim faith to justify their hate and violence, do not speak for Islam. The idea that they do is propagated by the media, who refuse to extricate themselves from this narrative of 'Islam Vs. The West.'


Ayaan Hirsi Ali believes the reason the motion for the debate is not 'Is Christianity a religion of peace?' or 'Is Judaism a religion of peace?' is because those would be academic questions. Unfortunately, placing Islam under the microscope is not an academic exercise: it is a pressing and timely issue, precisely because religion continues to inspire Muslims around the world to commit violent deeds.

Faisal Shahzad, who failed to carry out his attack in Times Square earlier this year, was a middle-class professional: he went to business school, had worked as an accountant, and had two children. And yet, due to a combination of political and religious factors, he was prepared to carry out a horrific attack in the centre of New York.

The religious motivation is directly attributable to the founder of Islam, Muhammad, who said that polytheism had to end, that all mankind had to be united under one god. Throughout his life, and in adherence with these principles, Muhammad conducted sixty-five campaigns of war, all of them successful. This militaristic history, combined with feelings of victimhood resulting from the weakened status of the Islamic countries in the world since the end of the 19th century, has lead to an increased preparedness among some Muslims to resort to violence.
http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/islam-is-a-religion-of-peace

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Islam Debate
• Maajid Nawaz
• Douglas Murray
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• Zeba Khan
• Religion of Peace
• Islamism
• Jihad