STICKS, STONES, & 4 JUMBO JETS

Islam is hardly the only religion with extremists (ANANT RAMBACHAN, May, 16, 2003, Pioneer Press)

In a column published Wednesday, Cal Thomas contended that the call, by the National Association of Evangelicals, to conservative Christian leaders to tone down their condemnation of Islam is misplaced. Such appeals must be directed instead to Muslim clergy since, according to Thomas, Islam is the primary source of "incendiary language."

It is difficult to disagree with Thomas about the need for the moderate voices in Islam to reclaim the tradition from extremists who seek to privilege their own understanding and who are ready to violently silence alternative interpretations.

It is also important, however, to remember that religious extremism is not unique to any single religion, although it becomes prominent in some traditions at specific historical moments. We must be attentive to the plurality, complexity and ambiguity of all religions and take note of the fact that extremism is one strand among many others.

What is glaringly unbalanced and disquieting about Thomas' column is that he nowhere acknowledges that the characterization of Islam by the Revs. Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and others as "wicked" and "violent" is unfair and problematic. [...]

The contentious issues identified by Thomas--such as the Islamic attitude to converts to other religions, the position of the Quran on violence and state-church relationships--ought not to be ignored in the process of seeking to foster constructive relationships between Muslims and people of other faiths. Such issues cannot be glossed over in the interest of a superficial amiability, and a space has to be found in interreligious relationships for mutual critique and questioning.

Constructive dialogue over contentious issues, however, requires cultivating and nurturing a relationship of mutual trust.

Problematic? Doesn't that mean true but with qualifications? Posted by Orrin Judd at May 27, 2003 6:00 PM