Follow Islam, Don't Reformulate It

Here's a link to an Interesting article by Merryl Wyn Davies, a Welsh convert to Islam and co-author of The No-Nonsense Guide To Islam, that I just came across on DeenPort.

Islam is a religion of peace... But how do we convince you?
by Merryl Wyn Davies
Sunday Herald - 10 July 2005

The author is a student in London and I feel that some of her thoughts and sympathies about being Muslim in Britain are worthy of considering. However, as a staunch traditionalist I found her assertion that "We have to get beyond just acting out the strict letter of laws whose essence is to constantly be rethought to keep them alive and pertinent" somewhat ill-conceived, since if we could get all Muslims to follow the letter of the law, we wouldn't have any more terrorist and suicide bombings being committed by Muslims!

This is not to say that we don't need to use wisdom or understand our present context in our application of the law. However, the root of the problem today seems to be that many Muslims are more worried about politics instead of self-purification, a point which Merryl Wyn Davies did indeed touch on, and that they aren't following the moral guidance that Islam already offers. So it's not that we Muslims need to reformulate our religion, but simply that we need to follow the one that we already have. Those who make claims to the contrary are almost always those who: 1) have been duped into believing that Islam does advocate terrorism; or 2) are extremely liberal Muslims who have an agenda of getting rid of aspects of Islam that don't fit their personal tastes. Since the co-author of Ms. Davies' aforementioned book was none other than Ziauddin Sardar, I think the latter is a distinct possibility.

Anyway, here are some excerpts from the article that I can certainly agree and sympathize with:

“The monsters who planned and executed the attacks so callously are supposedly Muslims. Faith is between each individual and God. What is in the hearts of these terrorists, God alone knows – I certainly don’t.”

“These evil-doers violate every principle and precept I cherish. To condemn such fanatics is no test. To ask how such horrors make me feel is more telling. Where do I begin? And more importantly, will you hear what I mean?”

“You might call it the ‘onward Christian soldiers’ syndrome, ‘marching as to war’. What it means to those in the pews is ‘follow the path of the Prince of Peace’. But in whichever religious tradition it occurs – and it afflicts them all – eventually such language has to be jettisoned. It always gives aid and comfort to those who would pervert the message to their own malicious, brutal ends.”

Deen On...