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Last update - 17:12 20/09/2006
What's right about Islam?
By Bradley Burston

Note: This article will be followed by an experiment. In an effort to foster rational dialogue, Talkback responses to this piece will be subject to stringent new guidelines, as specified below.

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This is, we are told over-often, the Information Age.
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So how did it happen that we know nothing of Islam?

Nothing good, at any rate. At this point, we in Israel and the West can recite chapter and verse the excesses of those who speak in the name of Islam, bomb in the name of Islam, burn churches in the name of Islam, kill a nun in the name of Islam.

We smile our thin, knowing smile when we learn that a previously unknown Muslim group calling itself "The Army of Guidance" vows to attack Christian sites in Gaza in retaliation for the remarks of "the accursed infidel the Vatican." We smirk inside when the "Lions of Monotheism" denounce the "dogs of Rome."

We cluck our disapproval of restrictions placed on women in the Islamic world. We squirm with dismay at the remarks of a Shi'ite extremist who says we are doomed because we adore life, while he and his colleagues adore death. We see Islam in every ugly form a religion could take.

But we know nothing.

Certainly, we in the news media are guiltier than most of spreading the image of the Muslim as terrorist, of Islam as the enemy.

We take prurient pleasure in reproducing the hideous masks, the chilling threats, the pre-suicide tapes, the pre-beheading tapes. We trumpet the every declaration of Ahmadinejad if it insults the West, offends the Jews, denies the Holocaust, predicts the end of America, recommends the end of Israel.

The Pope has stated that he does not share the view that the Prophet Mohammed brought "things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." But many of us, in the superficiality of our knowledge of Islam, clearly do share precisely that view.

We are thoroughly schooled in what's wrong with Islam.

What we need to know, though, is what is right with it.

Specifically, we need to hear from Muslims why it is that they love their religion as they do. What it gives them. What they feel spiritually.

We need to hear them as fellow humans, describing their faith in their own words. Not political declarations. Real emotions. We need to hear them, in order to begin to see beyond the surface, to hear from the person behind the media veil we have placed over them.

Our lack of initiative in seeking balanced knowledge of Islam, has been accompanied by a failure on the part of the Muslims in our midst to initiate outreach, to spread the wisdom of Islam with the same fervor with which its extremists have preached a doctrine of hatred.

Perhaps it makes a certain cracked sense that, of late, it is a prominent internal critic of Islam who has given us some of the more positive glimpses into a believing Muslim's faith.

In a brief but powerful examination of the controversy surrounding the Pope's quotation of the Byzantine emperor, writer Irshad Manji delivered a commentary on CBS this week that was as much about the positive aspects of Islam than it was about the dispute.

Manji, noting that she was a faithful Muslim, said that rather than resorting to violence for perceived insults to Islam, "thinking is what the Quran encourages. It asks Muslims to reflect far more than to retaliate. Even if someone mocks your religion, the Koran says, walk away. Later, engage in dialogue. Wasn't that the Pope's point?

"We Muslims should remember that God told the Prophet Mohammed to 'read.' My advice to fellow Muslims: Read the Pope's speech in its entirety and you'll see that his message of reason, reconciliation, and conversation would make him a better Muslim than most of us."

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Talkback Guidelines

The guiding principles of the talkback forum for this article will be mutual respect and an openness to dialogue. Participants, even if they rule out, dismiss or oppose coexistence, must, within the confines of this forum, practice it.

Censorship will be unapologetic.

Political orientation will have absolutely no bearing on whether a comment is posted or rejected.

** Respondents who reply as follows: "Nothing" will be allowed to post, but will be adjudged snide, petty, and unimaginative by fellow readers.

The following will be grounds for deletion:

1. Racist remarks, as well as slurs on the basis of religion, ethnicity and gender.
2. Use of the terms Nazi, Hitler, genocide, ethnic cleansing, to describe the actions and policies of Israelis, Palestinians or other parties to the Israel-Arab conflict.
3. Disparaging remarks, personal attacks, vulgarities and profanities directed at other participants in the forum.
4. Advocacy of violence against individuals or religious, ethnic or racial groups, including statements which may be construed as urging attacks on leaders, officials, security forces or civilians.
5.Use of the phrase: "There are no Palestinians" or derivatives thereof.

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Previous blogs:

Sept. 11, the day that coexistence died
The Pope did us all a favor
Why the jihad is doomed
Let's change our name to No
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Fragile cease-fire
Olmert: Gaza cease-fire is fragile, may be short lived.
Unbalanced stance
Italy FM: EU stance on Israel in past swayed by intolerance.
  1.   Islamic goods 10:10  |  Yosef 20/09/06
  2.   What`s right with Islam 1000 years ago 10:13  |  Genghis Khan 20/09/06
  3.   Excellent idea 10:15  |  Maral 20/09/06
  4.   TOTALLY AGREE ! 10:20  |  Messaoud 20/09/06
  5.   RESPECT TO ALL OF THE GOD`S PROPHETS 10:29  |  indrajaya 20/09/06
  6.   Bradley isn`t dealing in reality 10:29  |  David 20/09/06
  7.   Why we cant see anything right 10:34  |  Vincent 20/09/06
  8.   what is right with Islam? #1 10:36  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  9.   What the West doesn`t know about Islam? #2 10:45  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  10.   Mia Culpa 10:47  |  Karim 20/09/06
  11.   what is right with Islam? #3 10:49  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  12.   David 10:49  |  Maral 20/09/06
  13.   GENGHIS KHAN.Talk about the here and now.Apartheid in Malaysia. 10:50  |  PETER SM 20/09/06
  14.   What is right with Islam? #4 10:52  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  15.   Khalid 10:54  |  Skylark 20/09/06
  16.   what is right with Islam?#5 10:55  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  17.   what`s not good about islam? 10:56  |  wadha 20/09/06
  18.   What is NOT right about Islam 11:00  |  Nicole 20/09/06
  19.   ISLAM by Mohammad Al-Asi Imam, Washington Mosque, USA. 11:01  |  PETER SM 20/09/06
  20.   to vincent : a moslem concept of honour 11:01  |  wahbi 20/09/06
  21.   Khalid-#8- 11:02  |  Daniel Leopold 20/09/06
  22.   no no khalid 11:02  |  sweis Melbourne 20/09/06
  23.   What is wrong with Islam(ism) today 11:04  |  Shalom Freedman 20/09/06
  24.   A Beautiful Religeon? 11:04  |  Niall 20/09/06
  25.   Vincent: Muslims are under duress, occupied, tormented 11:07  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  26.   INDRAJAYA`S RESPECT 11:14  |  Isaac Leal 20/09/06
  27.   Islam 11:16  |  Brian 20/09/06
  28.   What is wrong with Islam and all other religions? 11:17  |  Daniel Leopold 20/09/06
  29.   The Past vs. The Present 11:17  |  Dror 20/09/06
  30.   skylark: Israel commits crimes to protect settlements not protect 11:23  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  31.   It`s spiritual vs secular, not Islam vs Christianity 11:26  |  Carlos 20/09/06
  32.   DROR cont. 11:27  |  Dror 20/09/06
  33.   Violence in Islam is actually discouraged 11:28  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  34.   Khalid 11:39  |  skylark 20/09/06
  35.   Nicole #18: Terrorism 11:41  |  Michael II 20/09/06
  36.   To Khalid - Violence in Islam is actually discouraged 11:41  |  Richard 20/09/06
  37.   #5 Huh? 11:44  |  What? 20/09/06
  38.   glorious aspects: Ali and the Jew 11:44  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  39.   Khalid-#33 What`s wrong with Islam 11:45  |  Daniel Leopold 20/09/06
  40.   What`s Right About Islam 11:46  |  Ammar Khalid 20/09/06
  41.   Skylark... 11:46  |  Maral 20/09/06
  42.   Islam invented social security 11:48  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  43.   The wrong myths 11:49  |  Lena 20/09/06
  44.   Re: Mia Culpa 11:52  |  Ammar Khalid 20/09/06
  45.   To PETER SM 11:53  |  Genghis Khan 20/09/06
  46.   To Daniel Leopold 11:58  |  Genghis Khan 20/09/06
  47.   To Shalom Freeman 12:00  |  Genghis Khan 20/09/06
  48.   Daniel: oppressed people often lose mental equanimity 12:03  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  49.   Islamic Terror 12:04  |  Naim S. Mahlab 20/09/06
  50.   Khalid, What does this mean? 12:04  |  JewishHeart 20/09/06
  51.   To Nicole 12:08  |  Genghis Khan 20/09/06
  52.   GRIEVE 12:15  |  Mario Fiorito 20/09/06
  53.   Jewish heart 12:19  |  Khalid 20/09/06
  54.   Khalid can`t accept responsibility 12:20  |  Richard 20/09/06
  55.   Exactly! 12:21  |  Karl 20/09/06
  56.   Islam recognises the Jewish Prophets 12:26  |  Amoz 20/09/06
  57.   TO GHENGIS KHAN 12:29  |  Nicole 20/09/06
  58.   what`s wrong with Islam 12:32  |  eliXelx 20/09/06
  59.   Second Message of Islam 12:36  |  Abdulrahman 20/09/06
  60.   I protest the Koran`s many negative references to Jews! 12:39  |  Ohev Tsion 20/09/06
  61.   reply to ali and the jew 12:39  |  eliXelx 20/09/06
  62.   Bradley`s Forum 12:45  |  Ronnie Wolman 20/09/06
  63.   Muslims cannot stand EACH OTHER !!! 12:45  |  Klaudia 20/09/06
  64.   Why islam is peace and love for me 12:56  |  Hilal 20/09/06
  65.   Violence and Religion 12:58  |  Ammar Khalid 20/09/06
  66.   Mr. Burston`s claims 12:58  |  little guy 20/09/06
  67.   To Nicole 12:59  |  Lena 20/09/06
  68.   Islam and modernism c.q. capitalism 13:06  |  Mark B. 20/09/06
  69.   Ohev Tsion:It will be interesting to see the comments 13:06  |  Ronnie Wolman 20/09/06
  70.   Vincent 13:08  |  Walid