خلاصه ماشینی:
From a historical point of view, the terms moderate and extremist immediately loose their absolutist standing and acquire a rel- Louay Safi is the executive director of the Islamic Society of North America’s Leadership Development Center (ILDC), Plainfield, Indiana.
Recognizing the divergence between social and moral moderation, as wel as the need to listen to unpopular views and engage off-center positions, democratic societies have adopted apolitical and amoral definitions of mod- eration: From a democratic point of view, a moderate is one who does not resort to violence or intimidation to achieve political goals.
Both Manji and al-Kabbani are seen as moder- ates, even though their views on social issues are way off-center as regards the American and the Muslim mainstream communities.
I would, rather, underscore an important point: The effort to dismiss authentic Muslim voices when they express views critical of American foreign policy or Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza violates the essence of democratic politics.
The failure to root modernization and development in the moral values and historical experiences of Muslim society has generated suspicion, resentment, and resistance.
The emergence of a vibrant American Muslim community provides contemporary Islamic reform efforts with a unique opportunity to bring Islamic values and principles to bear on modern society.
As contemporary Muslim thinking continues to mature and develop, more attention must be given to juristic thinking, since the notion of Islamic law in modern society continues to lag behind.