Dr. Muhammad Kamal Imam

The definition of the "moderate Muslim" in the RAND report is something relevant to the American culture. We –Muslims-are not the decision makers regarding the American culture, and what is produced in the research centers of that culture does not bind us. Muslims are in no need of anyone to determine for them how to deal with their religion. We are aware that our religion has fixed pillars that are not susceptible to change and that the issue of our human rights and the issue of our women's rights are not Western issues that need foreign reports to be written on them, but they are rather purely Islamic issues.

I want to draw attention to an important point: Judging from the issuance of such reports, I can feel the necessity that the American culture revises its position towards religion. This report indicates clearly that the American culture is more religiously fanatic than the followers of other religions. Moreover, it displays a fanatic position in favor of specific types of freedom that sometimes seem to be bizarre, like its approval of the freedom of homosexuality.

The most dangerous aspect of this report is that it aims to shape the world with American eyes and to convey the message that the world's power center decides and the rest should only implement the decisions. We too do have eyes with which to see things and a religion to determine what is lawful and what is not and what is permissible and what is forbidden. Consequently, those criteria set by American centers belong to America and shouldn't be falsely regarded as the only useful pattern for the world. We however, shouldn't help propagate these criteria.

Every Muslim is obliged to clarify that it is not the task of America to classify the world into axes of good and evil, defenders of human rights and opponents of them, or those who support freedom of belief and those who oppose it. It suffices that the world sees America as opposed to human rights and other religions.

Racism of America

America is not neutral and not in a position that allows it to issue reports or make decisions. The only thing, however, that encourages the emergence of such American reports that classify Muslims is the fact that America does possess power now and it thinks that only its view should prevail. It forgets that if some peoples accept the classifications it makes, in no way would the adherents of Islam accept this kind of determinations and classifications.

The report tackles the criterion of equality of women as a determinant of moderate Muslims, although the status of woman in Islam is fairer than that existent in the US and Western legal thought. It should be maintained here that we are most aware of our religion and we cannot derive our view over these issues from others.

The issue of conversion from a religion to another, which is held by the report and deemed as a criterion of moderation or extremism of a Muslim, is not acceptable as a valid criterion either. Conversion from a religion to another is not a matter of freedom, it is rather a public issue related to the very nature of religions. Each religion views itself as true and there is nothing in Christianity or Judaism that allows Christians or Jews to leave their religion. The same applies to Islam. It is, therefore, not an issue of human rights that indicates moderation, but it concerns the system of religion itself.

I say to the authors of the report, "If you want to reject religion, then go ahead. But the fact that we have faith in ours does not mean that we do not respect other religions, diversity, democracy or that people should have their own vision regarding their political system and exercise control over their political institutions. If human rights means becoming under the American control, then this is not democracy, but a collapse of democracy and the meaning of human rights."

The RAND report that "defines" moderate Muslims cannot be considered but an American classification conducted on the basis of US own foreign policy. It is unacceptable by Muslims and Arabs and also by all organizations seeking to remain independent. What is required now is that Muslims should wake up from their stillness and long-time sleep.