Muslims Against Sharia.org

 

So, not knowing what to blog about, I decided to google Reform and Islam. The first site that came up was Muslims Against Sharia at www.reformislam.org. Initially, I thought, “Hey, maybe this is about educating people and providing the truth about Islam. Or maybe, it is about bringing Muslims back to the Qur’an and spiritual side.” But,the bold print of the topics and their goals definitely proved me wrong. The goals for this organization are to educate Muslims about the dangers presented by Islamic religious texts, educate non-Muslims about differences between Moderate Muslims and Extremists, and finally, to educate everyone that Moderate Muslims are victims, as well. Ok. I understand the second goal, kind of agree with the third one, but am confused with the first. Reading further, their Manifesto cleared up some questions, but mostly provided new ones. One of the points is to acknowledge the mistakes made; I believe they

mean that it is important to recognize the reason for the religious travesties in the world. So far, so good.

Then, they speak of inconsistencies in the Qur’an…but, if the Qur’an is Islam, would that not seem to say that there are inconsistencies in Islam? But, then again, they say “Islam has no place for violence.” This confuses me. I mean, if a Muslim believes there are inconsistencies in the Qur’an, and if Islam encompasses the Qur’an, how can Islam be perfect and the Qur’an imperfect? I find this statement of the organization to be at a great fault. Especially, all the works we have read advise Muslims to go to the root of Islam (go to the Qur’an) and reconnect with God. The organization further states that since some of the phrases in the Qur’an are outdated, it is important to keep up with current times. I just feel that this defies the principles set forth by the works we have read. Personally, I think saying the Qur’an is “not current” and has faults strikes an integral part of Islam. Why must what is current determine what should be followed and right? I think I have much more confidence in the works of Rumi, Ghazali, Iqbal, and al-Muhasibi than the organization. But, if you are able to look at the site, what do you think? Is it just me who feels that their manifest defies some key principles of Islam?