I'm publishing this because I find a lot of the anti-Islamic commentary in cyberspace to be very tiresome.
No doubt about it, there is a significant percentage of Muslims who are terrorists, support terrorists or who support the anti-democratic imposition of the Sharia.
That being said, not all Muslims are like that.
My hobby is Church History. I find that a lot of the rhetoric that is used against Muslims today is the same rhetoric that has been used against Catholics in the past.
And so, I publish these tidbits from an article from Zenit
Date: 2006-07-24
Islam Isn't Monolithic, Says Muslim
Azim Nanji Speaks at Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
ROME, JULY 24, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Islam must make an effort to "recognize" its plurality and internal diversity, says the director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies of London.
Azim Nanji made that assessment in Rome before the newest outbreak of new violence in Lebanon. "Islam is rich because it is diverse," he had said at the headquarters of the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies.
Nanji addressed the topic of "The Muslim World and the Ismaili Community Today: Challenges and Perspectives," and pointed out how a united Islam does not mean "everybody should believe exactly the same."
The scholar indicated, for example, that demographically, Islam is present in non-Arab lands such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
"To impose a monolithic view would be a historical error," he said. In this connection, he recalled historical moments in which Islam and other religions coexisted in peace and mutual respect.
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"The relationship between Islam and the West cannot be reduced to the Crusades, the Ottoman Empire or immigration," he continued. Nanji instead called for meetings on concrete subjects such as bioethics and poverty.
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"This is particularly true in these times of political turbulence, cultural tensions and religious rivalries," Father Lacunza continued. "But we do not despair in our toilsome enterprise and will not slow down in our day-to-day endeavors to foster better relations between Muslims and Christians in a spirit of freedom of thought, human dignity and mutual respect."
The director added that the "challenges of religious pluralism and cultural diversity often give rise to fiery and senseless confrontation. Therefore, we need the tools of intellectual freedom, profound knowledge and sound scholarship. These are the powerful antidote against easy condemnation, polemical attitudes and superficial perception of human societies."
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