Islamic scholar calls for ideological campaign against extremists
November 17, 2015
An influential Egyptian Muslim leader has said that imams must work actively to curb extremist ideology, the AsiaNews service reports.
Abbas Shoman, the deputy sheikh of Al Azhar University, the leading institution in Sunni Islam, suggested that Muslim leaders should visit mosques and rebut extreme interpretations of the Qu’ran. He called for action to control the teaching in European mosques. “Those who control the religious discourse, they and their concerns need to be reviewed,” he said.
The Egyptian leader suggested that Al Alzhar University might open a center in Europe to educate Muslims in a proper understanding of their faith. He added that moderate Muslims would need protection against extremists.
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Posted by: samuel.doucette1787 -
Nov. 18, 2015 2:55 PM ET USA
garedawg, you hit on one of the key problems at the heart of Islam: no central authority to interpret the Koran. You might say that Islam is the proto-Protestant heresy. Belloc said that Islam is a Christian heresy from outside the borders of Christendom because it denied the divinity of Christ and the Incarnation.
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Posted by: garedawg -
Nov. 18, 2015 10:30 AM ET USA
It's all about interpretation. I compare the Muslims to the Protestants, who have a holy book but no magisterium to interpret it. After all, it wasn't too long ago that Protestants used the Bible to justify chattel slavery. But just as there have been decent Protestants with reasonable interpretations, there are reasonable and decent Muslims.
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Posted by: loumiamo -
Nov. 18, 2015 6:57 AM ET USA
While Mr. Shoman's effort is admirable, it's also a complete waste of time unless they edit out those verses in the Koran that endorse those terrorist acts which Muslims call holy. Not only will this never happen, but it will also never even be considered. Which explains why all Muslims may not be active terrorists, but all of them, all of them, support those terrorists in their heart of hearts.
