Thursday, November 01, 2007

"In 2003, AbuKhalil debated Spencer for FrontPage Magazine, an online conservative publication. Responding to Spencer's assertion that Islam inherently condones violence and misogyny, he pointed out that it is absurd to cite random passages of the Quran and assume that "every Muslim is now looking for a pagan to kill, or that every Muslim engages in the beating of his wife." The reality, he said, is that "people of every religion react to their holy text, whether it is the word of God or prophet, with much more flexibility." Only fanatics follow the more "disturbing, intolerant, and exclusivist elements of the three holy religions." Indeed, as AbuKhalil indicates, the nature of a religion's holy book is rarely a good indicator of whether or not its followers will adopt violence or radicalism. Instead, it is the interpretation - dependent on numerous social, political and material factors - that is transmitted by local religious authorities and community leaders that matters most."