Another Death Fatwa from Egypt

This would be another challenge for the world initiatives of interreligious dialogue. From Egypt, it is reported that Muslim village elders in Minia Governorate in Egypt have issued a death fatwa (ruling) on 14 August 2009 against a Coptic priest Father Estefanos Shehata for requesting them to allow converting part of his family home to a prayer hall. Click here to read the report.

The Idea of Islam's European Conquest

John Griffing published a challenging article today (19/08/09) in American Thinker entitled “Islam’s European Conquest: Is America Next?" Throughout the article, he proposes some examples to support his main premise: "Islam is not designed to co-exist with western civilization. It is designed to conquer it." This is a good example of how the theory of 'clash of civilizations' is applied. This theory has been applied in so many studies. The problem is that once civilizations are seen through a window of clash, the only conclusion we can take is that conflicts define civilizations. We certainly can come with a different conclusion if other theories such as the political theory of recognition is applied. Some studies argue that the future of Islam would depend on the European Muslims who experience the democracy in European society. If this is the case, Europe has contributed to the renewal spirit within Islam. Moreover, the presence of Islam in Europe at least provides a signal that 'religion has come back'. Some religious leaders have publicly acknowledged this. A senior Vatican Cardinal, for example, recently thanked Muslims for bringing back God into the public sphere in Europe.

Pakistani Public Opinion

The latest poll on the Pakistani Public Opinion released on Thursday, 13 August 2009 by The Pew Global Project Attitudes is quite interesting. The poll finds that only 9% of Pakistanis have a favourable opinion of al Qaeda and 10% of Taliban. This means that most of Pakistanis oppose al Qaeda (61%) and Taliban (70%). The poll indicates that 79% of Pakistanis are concerned with extremism in the country. While these findings confirm the notion that less and less people support al Qaeda, Taliban and extremism, ironically, the poll shows that Pakistanis embraces some of the severe laws that are usually associated with the Taliban and al Qaeda. This can be seen in the following findings: 83% favour stoning adulterers, 80% favour whipping or cutting off hands of thieves and 78% favour death penalty for those who leave Islam. Click here to view the whole report.

Turkey and Religious Minority Groups

Religious minority groups in Turkey may now have new hope. In a meeting with religious minority group leaders in Turkey on Saturday 15 August 2009, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan promised a broader democratic reforms in the country. Mr Erdogan is known by his opposition to the ethnic nationalism. His government has promised for an equality for all faiths. Indeed the issue of minority rights has been a stumbling block for Turkey's bid to be a member of European Union. On the idea of democratic reforms in Turkey and the respect for all faiths, a report in Washington Post quoted Mr Erdogan saying: "It is now for us essential to embrace all 71.5 million of this nation's people in respect and love....Are there shortcomings in implementation? There are. We will overcome these together in this struggle. I believe this democratic initiative will change many things in this country."

Religion and a Nation's Stability

Does religion has the potential to threaten a nation's stability and prosperity? The Prime Minister of Singapore would say, YES. According to the Prime Minister, aggressive way of preaching and various efforts to convert others to a particular religion certainly threaten the stability of Singapore and the nation's prosperity. Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore's Prime Minister said this in his National Day speech on Sunday 16 August 2009. Click Here for full report.

Islam and Muslims in Europe

On Islam in Europe, Hilaire Belloc, an Anglo-French writer, wrote in 1938: "The future always comes as a surprise, but political wisdom consists in attempting at least some partial judgement of what that surprise may be. And for my part I cannot but believe that a main unexpected thing of the future is the return of Islam." After seven decades, these words sound still very fresh. Indeed, discussions and publications about Islam and Europe have been overwhelming. Some observers even argue that after the fall of Berlin wall, Islam has now emerged as a single challenge for Europe and the Western world. As a result, this question is always raised: what would be the future of Europe? With the presence of Muslims, what would be the future of Western world? While a list of questions can still be posted, until recently another question emerges: Is Europe about to overrun by Muslims? Pankaj Mishra attempts to answer this last question in his latest article entitled “A culture of fear”.

Questions around the Idea of Interfaith Dialogue

Over the past 3 decades 'interfaith dialogue' has become a very famous phrase. However, there are still so many questions to be asked. What does interfaith mean? What happens to faith when it becomes interfaith? Who is included in interfaith and who is not? Does interfaith dialogue imply understanding? Is understanding necessary in order to pursue an interfaith dialogue? While attempts have been taken to address these question through so many publications and through the formation of many multifaith groups, the questions around the notion of 'interfaith dialogue' will still be faced from time to time. I would even argue that the more our society involves in interfaith dialogue, the more questions we encounter. It makes sense when some supporters of interfaith dialogue argue that interfaith dialogue is 'a moment of teaching and learning at the same time'. In his article, published by Examiner.com, D. Andrew Kille attempts to address some important questions about interfaith dialogue.

India and Religious Violence

The anti-Christian and anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat (2002) and Orissa (2002) have a big consequence for India. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has added India to a list of countries that fail to protect the rights of religious minority groups. As reported in BBC Leonard Leo, the chair of USCIRF, said that it was "extremely disappointing" that India has done "so little to protect and bring justice to its religious minorities under siege. India's democratic institutions charged with upholding the rule of law, most notably state and central judiciaries and police, have emerged as unwilling or unable to seek redress for victims of the violence. More must be done to ensure future violence does not occur and that perpetrators are held accountable."

Jesuit Advises Muslims On How to Resist Evangelical Missionaries

David P. Goldman

Prof. Dr. Felix Koerner, S.J., has fraternal advice for Muslims beset by Christian missionaries: don’t overreact, but develop your own consciousness as Muslims in order to respond to them. An invitation to go over to the other side, he added, really is a stimulus to refresh one’s own thinking about one’s faith. After several years at Ankara University in Turkey, where he collaborated closely with the “new Muslim theologians” of the so-called Ankara School, Fr. Koerner now teaches at the Gregoriana in Rome.

The Catholic Church, the Jesuit Islamologist explained in an interview with the German-language Catholic news agency, has has found a “pleasantly relaxed tone” in which to address Muslims, in contrast to Pope Benedict’s 2006 Regensburg address. Now, he adds, Muslim intellectuals have come to respect the pope. The Church has no aggressive intent of converting Muslims, but proposes to bear witness through charitable work. And of course, through helpful hints about how to fend off those annoying evangelical missionaries.

In a 2005 book, Fr. Koerner presented the new Muslim theology from Ankara to German- and English-language readers; I reviewed it some time afterward. While the Western press briefly hyped the Ankara theologians as the answer to a maiden’s prayer for an Islamic reformation, Fr. Koerner thought the work of poor quality, calling it “tin-opener theology.” In short, it was an attempt to pull out of the Koran conclusions which exegete found convenient. As he wrote at the time,

The [Ankara University] revisionists’ vision is still restricted to one type of question: ethics. If they ask only, “How can we make the Koran ethically acceptable today?”, they are selling the Koran under price … Hermeneutics has then a merely mechanical function: we know what there is in the Koran, ethics; and we know what must come out, modern ethics. The only question left is, how do we get it out? Hermeneutics has become a tin-opener.

We had seen the rich gardens of Muslim tradition, and the locked gates before us. That was why we set out on our expedition. It was the quest for the lost key to the garden’s fresh fruits which made us go. And now we are busy with tin-openers and baked beans. The expedition can only succeed if we remind ourselves of its initial intuition. Questions such as “Does God exist?”, “Who are we, who are we to be?”, and “What does it all mean?” had made us uneasy enough to set out; questions which were promised answers from beyond the gate. In that light, “The Koranic rulings were meant to bring justice” is rather disappointing a discovery.

If only the Muslims left theological reform to the Jesuits, rather than their own theologians, those pesky missionaries never would have a chance.

Source: First Things