I see that the article recommended in the preceding post has
elicited almost frenzied attacks from some leftist magazines and
academics. Apparently the compulsion to
be politically correct on this issue is overwhelming to some, even in the face
of logic:
The ISIS members themselves consider themselves profoundly Islamic. What standing do (mostly non-Islamic) writers
and academics - or American presidents, for that matter - have to contradict
them?
Do Protestants have the right to tell Catholics they aren’t real
Christians because they have doctrinal differences on some issues? Do Catholics
have the right to tell Mormons they aren’t real Christians: the Mormons
themselves certainly consider themselves Christians. Would these same leftist writers ever dare
make such claims about Catholics or Mormons?
Of course not. So by what right do
they claim ISIS isn’t Islamic when ISIS members themselves not only believe
they are followers of Islam, but indeed believe they are the only true
followers of the Prophet's teachings?
We (or at least those few non-Islamic Westerners who
actually know what the Qur’an says and understand its context) may disagree
with their interpretation of the Qur’an, but that hardly gives us the right to
claim they are not followers of Islam. Moreover, our apparent inability to understand
the depth of their religious feelings and motivations is clearly hampering our
ability to deal effectively with the whole situation.
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