Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The Summit on Secular Islam
My last post discussed the Summit St. Petersburg Declaration which I felt deserved special and seperate treatment. This post provides more information about the summit.
For full coverage of the summit, start with Gateway Pundit: Secular Islam Summit: Secularism & Islamic Thought. It has pictures, video, quotes and commentary in several posts.
Follow up with Bret Stephens' excellent article on the summit in the WSJ.com. As it may require subscription, here are some of his observations :
* At this landmark Summit on Secular Islam, there are no "moderate" Muslims.
* Canadian author Irshad Manji, whose documentary "Faith Without Fear" airs on PBS next month, describes herself as a "radical traditionalist" and draws a sharp distinction between Muslim moderates and reformers: "Moderate Muslims denounce terror that's committed in the name of Islam but they deny that religion has anything to do with it," she says. "Reform-minded Muslims denounce terror that's committed in the name of Islam and acknowledge that our religion is used to inspire it." The difference is not trivial. For more than five years, the Bush administration has been attempting to enlist the support of the so-called moderates in the war on terror -- its definition of "moderate" being remarkably elastic, to put it charitably.
He notes cogently that, while the FBI is providing considerable security for the conference, the State Department has no representatives here, nor is the VOA (Voice of America) or any US-sponsored Arabic language media present.
* Al-Jazeera, however, is here, suggesting that the real Arab mainstream better appreciates the broad interest the conference's speakers attract in the Muslim world, as well as their latent power. Perhaps this is the flip side of the appeal of extremist Islam, an indication that what Muslims are mainly looking for are radical alternatives to the unpalatable mush of unpopular autocratic governments, state-approved clerics like Sheikh Tantawi, and Saudi-funded "mainstream" organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
He closes with two good questionst: If Mr. Warraq, Dr. Sultan et al. are really irrelevant to the larger Muslim debate, why are the jihadists so eager to kill them? And if the jihadists want to kill them, don't they deserve support as well as security?
Indeed. ( and a thanks to InstaPundit and Michael Ledeen for these leads).
For full coverage of the summit, start with Gateway Pundit: Secular Islam Summit: Secularism & Islamic Thought. It has pictures, video, quotes and commentary in several posts.
Follow up with Bret Stephens' excellent article on the summit in the WSJ.com. As it may require subscription, here are some of his observations :
* At this landmark Summit on Secular Islam, there are no "moderate" Muslims.
* Canadian author Irshad Manji, whose documentary "Faith Without Fear" airs on PBS next month, describes herself as a "radical traditionalist" and draws a sharp distinction between Muslim moderates and reformers: "Moderate Muslims denounce terror that's committed in the name of Islam but they deny that religion has anything to do with it," she says. "Reform-minded Muslims denounce terror that's committed in the name of Islam and acknowledge that our religion is used to inspire it." The difference is not trivial. For more than five years, the Bush administration has been attempting to enlist the support of the so-called moderates in the war on terror -- its definition of "moderate" being remarkably elastic, to put it charitably.
He notes cogently that, while the FBI is providing considerable security for the conference, the State Department has no representatives here, nor is the VOA (Voice of America) or any US-sponsored Arabic language media present.
* Al-Jazeera, however, is here, suggesting that the real Arab mainstream better appreciates the broad interest the conference's speakers attract in the Muslim world, as well as their latent power. Perhaps this is the flip side of the appeal of extremist Islam, an indication that what Muslims are mainly looking for are radical alternatives to the unpalatable mush of unpopular autocratic governments, state-approved clerics like Sheikh Tantawi, and Saudi-funded "mainstream" organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
He closes with two good questionst: If Mr. Warraq, Dr. Sultan et al. are really irrelevant to the larger Muslim debate, why are the jihadists so eager to kill them? And if the jihadists want to kill them, don't they deserve support as well as security?
Indeed. ( and a thanks to InstaPundit and Michael Ledeen for these leads).
The St. Petersburg Declaration
We are engaged in a world-wide conflict with state and non-state proponents of a violent and hegemonic ideology hiding behind the cover of a religion. Some call it the Greater War On Terror; some call it Militaristic or Radical Islamism or simply Jihadism; others cite a Clash of Civilizations. Many others, rather foolishly and short-sightedly in my opinion, refer to this as "Bush's War" - as though the dangers of a global conflict could be avoided by a tunnel vision focus on one battle area in the war or by substitution of a "safe enemy (Bush)" for the real enemy.
One recent event, the Secular Islam Conference in St Petersburg, Florida, seems to have a great deal of promise for re-framing the context in which this ideological struggle is waged. The conferees have issued a document that deserves a wide audience - both because of what it proclaims and because many of the participants are risking their lives and fortunes by their actions.
This link will take you top the Summit web page and the names of its co-signers. Here is the text of The St. Petersburg Declaration as released by the delegates to the Secular Islam Summit, St. Petersburg, Florida on March 5, 2007 :
"We are secular Muslims, and secular persons of Muslim societies. We are believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the West and Islam, but between the free and the unfree.
We affirm the inviolable freedom of the individual conscience. We believe in the equality of all human persons.
We insist upon the separation of religion from state and the observance of universal human rights.
We find traditions of liberty, rationality, and tolerance in the rich histories of pre-Islamic and Islamic societies. These values do not belong to the West or the East; they are the common moral heritage of humankind.
We see no colonialism, racism, or so-called “Islamaphobia” in submitting Islamic practices to criticism or condemnation when they violate human reason or rights.
We call on the governments of the world to
We demand the release of Islam from its captivity to the totalitarian ambitions of power-hungry men and the rigid strictures of orthodoxy.
We enjoin academics and thinkers everywhere to embark on a fearless examination of the origins and sources of Islam, and to promulgate the ideals of free scientific and spiritual inquiry through cross-cultural translation, publishing, and the mass media.
We say to Muslim believers: there is a noble future for Islam as a personal faith, not a political doctrine;
to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Baha’is, and all members of non-Muslim faith communities: we stand with you as free and equal citizens;
and to nonbelievers: we defend your unqualified liberty to question and dissent.
Before any of us is a member of the Umma, the Body of Christ, or the Chosen People, we are all members of the community of conscience, the people who must chose for themselves. "
That's a great statement. Not a Clash between Civilizations or Religions but between the Free and the Unfree. Made by Muslims, whom Bret Stephens terms "radicals" as opposed to "moderates" - perhaps like those American radicals of 1776.
One recent event, the Secular Islam Conference in St Petersburg, Florida, seems to have a great deal of promise for re-framing the context in which this ideological struggle is waged. The conferees have issued a document that deserves a wide audience - both because of what it proclaims and because many of the participants are risking their lives and fortunes by their actions.
This link will take you top the Summit web page and the names of its co-signers. Here is the text of The St. Petersburg Declaration as released by the delegates to the Secular Islam Summit, St. Petersburg, Florida on March 5, 2007 :
"We are secular Muslims, and secular persons of Muslim societies. We are believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the West and Islam, but between the free and the unfree.
We affirm the inviolable freedom of the individual conscience. We believe in the equality of all human persons.
We insist upon the separation of religion from state and the observance of universal human rights.
We find traditions of liberty, rationality, and tolerance in the rich histories of pre-Islamic and Islamic societies. These values do not belong to the West or the East; they are the common moral heritage of humankind.
We see no colonialism, racism, or so-called “Islamaphobia” in submitting Islamic practices to criticism or condemnation when they violate human reason or rights.
We call on the governments of the world to
reject Sharia law, fatwa courts, clerical rule, and state-sanctioned religion in all their forms; oppose all penalties for blasphemy and apostacy, in accordance with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights;
eliminate practices, such as female circumcision, honor killing, forced veiling, and forced marriage, that further the oppression of women; protect sexual and gender minorities from persecution and violence;
reform sectarian education that teaches intolerance and bigotry towards non-Muslims;
and foster an open public sphere in which all matters may be discussed without coercion or intimidation.
eliminate practices, such as female circumcision, honor killing, forced veiling, and forced marriage, that further the oppression of women; protect sexual and gender minorities from persecution and violence;
reform sectarian education that teaches intolerance and bigotry towards non-Muslims;
and foster an open public sphere in which all matters may be discussed without coercion or intimidation.
We demand the release of Islam from its captivity to the totalitarian ambitions of power-hungry men and the rigid strictures of orthodoxy.
We enjoin academics and thinkers everywhere to embark on a fearless examination of the origins and sources of Islam, and to promulgate the ideals of free scientific and spiritual inquiry through cross-cultural translation, publishing, and the mass media.
We say to Muslim believers: there is a noble future for Islam as a personal faith, not a political doctrine;
to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Baha’is, and all members of non-Muslim faith communities: we stand with you as free and equal citizens;
and to nonbelievers: we defend your unqualified liberty to question and dissent.
Before any of us is a member of the Umma, the Body of Christ, or the Chosen People, we are all members of the community of conscience, the people who must chose for themselves. "
That's a great statement. Not a Clash between Civilizations or Religions but between the Free and the Unfree. Made by Muslims, whom Bret Stephens terms "radicals" as opposed to "moderates" - perhaps like those American radicals of 1776.
