It’ll Never Happen But It Sure Sounds Good

Via LGF: Twenty Seven Propositions for Reforming Islam

MEMRI, which should be in everybody’s bookmarks, has a report from Malek Chebel, who established the Foundation for an Enlightened Islam. He has some rather nifty ideas for reforming Islam, including abolishing all fatwas calling for death, corporal punishment and renouncing jihad, that non-peaceful, non-internal struggle. He’s against slavery (tens of thousands of Africans are, at this moment, slaves owned by Muslims), polygamy, forced marriages, honor killings and female genital mutilation. From the MEMRI report -

Chebel accuses the West of allowing Islamism to spread freely, whereas part of the Arab world is striving to ban sharia law: “We must acknowledge that it is European, Western and modern countries that grant Islam the possibility to express itself, whereas at the same time, the sharia is being strongly fought against in a few Arab countries…” He adds: “As a Muslim, I feel more protected by the higher democratic principle of the [secular] nation-state than by the sharia, which is interpreted by the religious authorities as they wish, sometimes according to their moods… Sharia has never been a model of good governance in the Arab world. In any case, it must be separated from the political sphere.” [4]

The Belgian daily Le Soir wrote, “In France, Chebel observes, Muslim girls want to wear the veil at school, whereas in Qatar, 200 girls demonstrated to be allowed to go to school without a veil.” [5]

The next time you’re thinking of ordering pizza, consider having a grilled cheese instead and donating that $20 to MEMRI. They’re providing a valuable service with these reports and hundreds of other translations and videos. The whole report is extremely encouraging and I hope it gets some traction in the Islamic world. I know I’m being pessimistic, but I hope he has life insurance. Some of these would probably also be a good idea.

Keep Malek Chebel in your prayers because he is a needed voice of moderation, and more importantly pray for this trend to continue: Six Million African Muslims Leave Islam Every Year.

In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity. Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Ever year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity.

That’s in Africa - and that’s certainly critical, given the overwhelmingly high HIV/AIDS rates over there. (Botswana (37.3%), Lesotho (28.9%), Swaziland (38.8%) and Zimbabwe (24.6%).) A lot of people have died and many more will. To know that so many people have come to salvation is good news indeed.