April 10, 2006

SHOULDN'T THEY HAVE MET AT WITTENBERG?:

Imams vow to preach values of Islam, West (Tom Heneghan, April 10, 2006, REUTERS NEWS AGENCY)

European imams have pledged to work harder to prove that Islam is compatible with democracy and that the majority of Muslims living in the West support human rights, free speech and pluralism.

More than 130 prayer leaders from across the continent, in a meeting sponsored by Austria as the current president of the European Union, agreed that Islamic theologians in Europe must do more to establish that their faith does not clash with Western values.

The declaration published yesterday amounted to a catalog of homegrown moderate views that Western politicians have been urging Muslim leaders to draw up as a bulwark against radical Islamic ideologies from the Middle East. [...]

The conference's declaration urged Muslim theologians to point out chapter and verse how Islam fits with Western values. [...]

"We need some new thinking," said Ayatollah Sayed Abbas Ghaemmagami, head of the Imam Ali Islamic Center in Hamburg, Germany, a leading Shi'ite center in Europe.

"Today, we are in dire need of a social model that is just and realistic [and can] arrive at solutions to the problems that prevent integration and peaceful living together," he said.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 10, 2006 11:00 AM
Comments

"The conference's declaration urged Muslim theologians to point out chapter and verse how Islam fits with Western values ..."

Shoot! Sounds like slim pickings to me, fellers but ... aw heck boys - knock yourselves out!

http://www.rickmcginnis.com/movieblog/slim_pickens_bomb.jpg

Posted by: Louis Bert at April 10, 2006 12:34 PM

Sola scriptura would be a good start.

Posted by: BrianOfAtlanta at April 10, 2006 12:41 PM

Are their conclusions meant to be distributed and preached to the Muslims or to the non-muslim west?

Posted by: BC Monkey at April 10, 2006 1:03 PM

The whole issue is what exactly constitutes "Western values". The average American wouldn't want to assimilate into the current European version, so why should we expect Muslims to do so?

Posted by: b at April 10, 2006 1:15 PM

Which is why they need Muslims, so there'll be some values worth preserving in Europe.

Posted by: oj at April 10, 2006 1:17 PM

Asking why you are so willing to abandon European Christians to muslims is racist? To an atheist liberal perhaps, but i was under the impression you were a Christian conservative.

Asking you to provide examples of worthy muslim values is bigotry? I notice you still can't name any.

You advocate nuking muslims in Iran, but for some reason claim that a future where these same muslims took over Europe would be a good thing. I don't see how asking you to explain this connundrum is racist.

You won't hear from me again, unlike some I respect other peoples property.

Posted by: Carter at April 10, 2006 3:47 PM

I heard today on Rush a question for Bush.

Mohammed gave his people the very first constitution and it's compatable w/democracy.

Bet you didn't know that.

Posted by: Sandy P at April 10, 2006 3:50 PM

Of course it's compatible--over half of Muslims live in democracies.

Posted by: oj at April 10, 2006 4:02 PM

live in and participate are 2 differnt things, look at what's happening in Arkansas.

Separate but equal doesn't work.

At some point, you have to believe what they say.

Posted by: Sandy P at April 10, 2006 6:04 PM

They have much higher turnout than we do--judged by actions we're less democratic.

Posted by: oj at April 10, 2006 7:25 PM

Lots of Communists live and vote in western democracies as well, so I guess Communism is compatible as well. I guess David was correct about OJ being a real leftist.

Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at April 11, 2006 3:45 PM

Who's talking about Western democracies?

Posted by: oj at April 11, 2006 3:50 PM
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