For some cosmic reason, I have encountered over ten references to the word ‘progressive’ in relationship to Islam and Muslims in a period of just 24 hours.

I will summarize all these references to one simple line: “Muslims need to change Islam.”

Muslims have realized for a long time that something is wrong and things need to change, but what is it, and how to resolve the problem?

It seems that every one of us has pointed our finger to a problem, and now even the Western media is joining in on the finger pointing. Everyone is out to find the enemy.

One thing is clear, the enemy of the West is not the Islam of the majority of Muslims today. The West would be in a great deal of trouble if it had to deal with one billion people bent on it’s destruction.
Read the rest of this entry »

Izzy Mo had an entry about Muhummad Ali and one of his works on hadith.

I just want to share these thoughts of mine on the subject.

Muhummad Ali completed what is known as one of the best translations of the Quran (recognized and praised by both Yusuf Ali, and Marmaduke Pickthall).

Yusuf Ali said:
“It’s a scholarly work, and is equipped with adequate explanatory
matter in the notes and the Preface, and a fairly full index. But the
English of the Text is decidedly weak, and is not likely to appeal to
those who know no Arabic.” (ref: http://members.tripod.com/iaislam/Quran/translations.htm)

Obviously, Yusuf Ali also had to build a case for his own translation which was completed a decade or more after Muhummad Ali’s. Others have held that it is not the English that is weak, but the fact that the English is accurate to the Arabic.
Read the rest of this entry »

Umm Zaid has a great entry on Progressive Islam.

Since I was contemplating what reformist movements mean to traditional Islam, I was fascinated by this movement early on. This group has had their fair share of attention on NPR.

Omid Safi, author of “Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism“, is one of the proponents of this new philosophy.

After hearing him, I realize why this movement has not been as successful as they desire. I really don’t think ‘Progressive Muslims’ know who they are.
Read the rest of this entry »