Moderate Islam - does it exist? If yes, how do YOU define it?

As an added note/clarification, the tax was instituted for protection for those who didnt participate in the military. In early Islamic history, when the Romans laid seige to a number of cities in Syria, the officials in the affected cities returned the jizyah to all those who had to pay as a result of their failure to protect them from occupation. The condition of paying jizyah was simple, as Sir Thomas Arnold notes in his Call to Islam: they expressly mentioned that they paid this jizyah on condition that 'the Muslims and their leader protect us from those who would oppress us, whether they be Muslims or others.'

More recently, in Ottoman history, The Migaris, a group of Albanian Christians, were exempted from the jizyah for undertaking to watch and guard the mountain ranges of Cithaeron and Geraned (which stretch to the Gulf of Corinth).

This was also the only form of taxation that existed at the time. For Muslims, they were required to pay Zakah (Required Charity) annually, and for Non-Muslims, they paid the jizyah, which was customarily less than Zakah (which is only 2.5% of ones annual savings). Funny how such a minor administrative cost has turned into a major point of contention to try and prove that Muslims treated Non-Muslims like 2nd class citizens....

 

This is what is to be done to idolaters:

17:4. And this is told thee, and hearing it thou hast inquired diligently, and found it to be true, and that the abomination is committed in Israel:

17:5. Thou shalt bring forth the man or the woman, who have committed that most wicked thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be stoned.

17:6. By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he die that is to be slain. Let no man be put to death, when only one beareth witness against him.


This is what parents should do with an unruly son:

21:18. If a man have a stubborn and unruly son, who will not hear the commandments of his father or mother, and being corrected, slighteth obedience:

21:19. They shall take him and bring him to the ancients of the city, and to the gate of judgment,

21:20. And shall say to them: This our son is rebellious and stubborn, he slighteth hearing our admonitions, he giveth himself to revelling, and to debauchery and banquetings:

21:21. The people of the city shall stone him: and he shall die, that you may take away the evil out of the midst of you, and all Israel hearing it may be afraid.


This is the punishment for a girl having premarital sex:

22:20. But if what he charged her with be true, and virginity be not found in the damsel:

22:21. They shall cast her out of the doors of her father’s house, and the men of the city shall stone her to death, and she shall die: because she hath done a wicked thing in Israel, to play the w**** in her father’s house: and thou shalt take away the evil out of the midst of thee.

These verses are all from Deuteronomy.

 

I absolutely agree with your points here, except maybe the polygamy. I guess I was trying to make the point that "moderate" Islam probably looks a lot like "moderate" Christianity or "moderate" Judaism. It's the core religion with the violence and oppression removed.

 

so you always believed that Islam is 100% extremist?

define extremist?

do you think judaism and chritstianism are extremist?

 

Who said that?

 

If you're old and running out of time, shouldn't you be spending less of it having repetitive discussions about Islam on an internet basketball message board?

 

Google Ismailis and Aga Khan if you want to know about one sect of moderate Islam.

 

I still don't really understand what Ismailis believe. Who exactly is this Swiss Aga Khan, and why is he so special?

 

www.google.com

 

I just read the entry of Wikipedia, and it doesn't seem any more or less moderate than Sunni Islam. Just different. A lot different, actually.

 

When did I ever claim it was more or less moderate than Sunnism?

Look, I'm not a practicing Ismaili, so I'm the wrong person to ask. I rather not misinform.

 

Haha, why are you getting all defensive on me? I was just curious, because just about every other Pakistani person back home in Sugar Land seemed to be Ismaili (I'm Pakistani). Is there just an abnormal number of Ismailis in SW Houston, or are they a large percentage of the Pakistani population in most other US cities as well?

 

umm...okay

 

lol...okay. i am amused by what you are digging at.