re: #231 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

The relative numbers don’t matter. You absolutely, absolutely need to seek out liberal and moderate Muslim clerics if you want to push moderation in Islamic society. And liberal and moderate Muslim clerics are hugely important in pushing for moderation.

I don’t really get how you can possibly think that moderation of a religion is possible without a push for moderation from within that religion.

So you’re attacking me because I’m saying that your dream of a Moderate Islam popping up isn’t anything more than a dream at this point? I’m not helping?

Egyptian peace and democracy activist Ali Salem once told a reporter “Islam will not moderate. Islam can not moderate. Instead it will be forgotten.”

However his own country was already in terrible shape when he said that. Mass opinion there is anything but moderate, and it’s gotten much worse since then. And there are horrific stories of atrocities there that you’re probably not aware of. I’m not going there though.

I think that in less entrenched societies the answer is secularization. Islam will improve by becoming less important.

In the worst places the new answer that the Middle East has taught me is there doesn’t have to be any such thing as hope. Things may not get better in our lifetimes or in this century…

It’s similar to the fact that there is not going to be peace with Israel.