Juan Cole is a good guide to evaluating the Pope's remarks about Islam.
Because the truth is reliably the opposite of whatever Juan Cole says it is.
Juan Cole is a good guide to evaluating the Pope's remarks about Islam.
Because the truth is reliably the opposite of whatever Juan Cole says it is.
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I noted the much same thing at my blog yesterday and continued my analysis like this:
AFAIK Cole is not wrong, he is simply engaged in misdirection. He's not as serious as his demeanor suggests.
One of the fundamental issues in terms of Islam's relationship with modernity is tolerance, to which the "no compulsion" verse is key (Q2:256). But there is at least one other verse, the "sword" verse:
How to reconcile these passages? One way (and this is particularly accomplished through the tribute verses) was to create a category of unbeliever that can pay a tax, endure some humiliation and live in peace. But from a modern perspective, favoring one religion or favoring one class of unbeliever (people of the Book) while slaying another is not going to cut it.
The problem can be dealt with by abrogation. A later verse supercedes or improves on the earlier. Some commentors have argued that there are over 260 verses in the Koran that have been abrogated. The sword verse is attributed with abrogating 114 to 140 verses. Abrogation is not uncontroversial, but even when a verse is not abrogated, an interpretation is favored in which the earlier verse does not contradict the latter verse.
So the sequence of the events in the life of the Prophet are quite imporant and subjects of much analysis. Maybe not important for the reason the Pope suggested, but very important.
The world is loosing its patience and sensibility. Zero tolerance for Muslims is practised in the west. But what about jews who are the main threat to world peace? Why dont anyone point their finger to Bush and israel? If you think talking and blaming muslims can push israel and american terrorism to the background, you are wrong. It wont hide the truth. the truth shall set you free.
PD:
Thanks for the clarification, however I'm still not clear about with verse is abrogated and which isn't. The classic example in the Judeo-Christian tradition is the notion that the Gospel supercedes Mosaic Law, but the notion that utterances later in the life of Jesus supercede earlier utterances would amount to an acknowledgment of fallibility. And if a prophet is fallible, then why isn't he fallible in the later verses? I mean, if there's a temporal function why does it end with the prophet's death/ascension? I don't see any consistent way around that conclusion.
But basically, are the temperate phrases in the Quoran superceded by the intemperate phrases?
With respect to the quotation:
that does appear to specifically refer to polytheistic religions, so it would be largely irrelevant today, if people interpreted it in that way.
So ultimately I'm back to Francis' point: that the Jihadists are either apostates, or they aren't. And if the apologists are right then just exactly why are the apostates being tolerated?