Last night a hundred of us attended a seminar on Islam with Mark Durie. Brilliant – and scary.

I have a high regard for Mark, and have several of his articles on our website (see eg. http://jmm.org.au/articles/15959.htm , http://jmm.org.au/articles/16222.htm , http://jmm.org.au/articles/10294.htm ).

To provide grist for future discussion, here are some quotes from another knowledgable Australian source: Keith Suter’s ’50 things you want to know about world issues’ (excellent book by the way: get your spouse/friend to buy it for your next birthday):

From chapter 42: Is Islam a Threat to World Peace? (General answer: it’s not as great as many non-Muslims think, because Muslims are radically divided amongst themselves).

Sample quotes:

* ‘The Koran isn’t an easy book to read: it’s unclear in about 20% of the text. Even in Arabic – its official language – there are passages that modern scholars can’t work out. This kind of difficulty helps explain the various different interpretations of the Koran, such as the meaning of the word ‘jihad’, for example…’

* ‘Apart from various degrees of hostility towards Israel, there are few issues that unite all Muslims.’

* ‘There is still a deep-seated resentment of the west’s violence towards Islam over the centuries. Many more Muslims have been killed by Christians, than Christians by Muslims. Countries that used to have colonies have tended to forget about their imperial pasts, but Muslims retain a deeper memory of being run by foreigners.’

Chapter 43: What are the threats to Islam?

* ‘Afghanistan has, in percentage terms, more national women politicians than there are in the U.S. Congress or the Australian parliament.’

* ‘Some moderate Islamic countries have a better reputation than western countries for having women as rulers: Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey, for example. But other Islamic countries – such as those in the Arab world, and Iran – are appalled by the idea of allowing women such a high level of responsibility. Tough. The fact is, women are now demanding a greater role – and the old men who run conservative medieval Islamic societies will be forced to cope with this.’

* ‘In April 2005 it was reported that Saudi Arabia had banned forced marriage. The grand mufti, the country’s highest religious leader, said that forced marriage was against Islamic teaching and those who continue with it should go to prison. The high rate of forced marriages is believed to be a factor in the country’s steep divorce rate: about 50% of marriages end in divorce.’

* ‘Islamic women are now coming out of the home and into the world. They will have as much impact on the Islamic world as they’ve had on politics elsewhere.’

* ‘Behind the Iron Curtain in the 1970s and 1980s… young people may have been militantly loyal to Moscow, but they wanted American fast food, jeans, and soft drinks. It was this desire for Western goods and services that helped erode the power of the old men who ran the Soviet Union. The same process is happening now in the Islamic world… The Muslims in the Middle East blame their leaders for their own lack of progress… They don’t like living in a backwater. A common mindset in Iraq now is: “Americans go home – and take me with you”.’

Shalom! Rowland Croucher

May 2006