.... if by being moderate we mean believing in freedom of expression and an acceptance of equality in gender and sexuality, it is by no means certain that the majority of Muslims are moderate, as the word is commonly used. One young student in Leicester told me that unlike many of his fellow Muslims he would shake a woman’s hand. He still believed in gender segregation at public events but his stance on handshaking meant he defined himself as a moderate.
While everyone I talked to would begin by firmly stating how all Muslims they knew were tolerant and how Islam was about moderation, when I asked how others in their communities in Luton, Bradford and Leicester would react if a loved one told them, for example, that they were gay, or where they stood on the idea of free mixing between the sexes, it quickly became apparent that they held views that many would not consider moderate at all.
[TOP RATED COMMENT 244 votes] Jihadi John being a Muslim isn't just an inconvenient "label" which you can airily dismiss. He works for IS, FFS, in which the "I" stands for Islamic. How can you hope to understand what's going on in the world when you intentionally turn a blind eye to that?
[2ND 207] They believe themselves to be Muslims. Why don't you enter into a theological debate with them about how your interpretation of Islam is superior to theirs?
[3RD 186] "They disputed the suggestion that their Islam had anything in common with the ideology of the jihadis"
It is the same religion, interpreted differently. The claims that IS are not following the Islamic faith are ridiculous.
[4TH 155] They are fighting for - wait for it - an ISLAMIC CALIPHATE.
"There's nothing Islamic about them"
I'm surprised you can still type with your head buried so deep in the sand.
[5TH 147] The fact that they proclaim themselves to be Muslims is front and centre, and that's where it should remain.
Like it or not, these murderous craven cowards are killing and torturing in the name of your religion. [The Independent] Read more
