There is a move in Turkey to update the Koran, something that hasn't happened in 700 years or so...This "New Islam" could be the equivalent of a "Vatican II" which opened up the Catholic church.
It's important because of the restrictions the old interpretations have had on women. Scholars apparently feel that many quotes attributed to Mohammed were either not made by him, or require updating. In Mohammad's day, it wasn't safe for women to travel without their husbands for over three days. The new rules would relax that rule that has kept women confined, and even resulted in women being killed for marrying the "wrong" person, etc.
Basically, Turkey is attempting to liberalize Islamic teaching.
Will it work? It's unclear if these revisions will create more problems with the radicals then they solve but it is time for an Islamic update at a time when a lot of religions are retreating into their own worlds instead of reaching out in interfaith efforts. All religions must find common ground and encourage mutual respect of others --and move away from the "my way or the highway" extremism that has been the trend in all the world's religions, including Islam.
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3 comments:
I'd consider it a success if it meant an outbreak of murderous infighting for say 20 or 30 years. Better they kill each other than others. But nothing will come of it.
You missed my point. They will be sending a constant stream of extremists to fight US/OUR TROOPS for the next 20/30 years - unless we invest in giving them a real education instead of schools of religious hate. We can either bled or get smart.
Make that "bleed" not bled...as in present and future tense.
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