Cahaya’s Rants

At one of the blogs that I regularly read, I left a comment by posing the question, “Can Islam be Reformed?” I was told that the words “Reformed Islam” are oxymoronic.

According to Ibn Warraq in his Frontpage article, in order to begin reforming Islam, the religion has to be separated from the state and secularism promoted. Islam is then left to the personal.

Also according to Ibn Warraq, the secularisation of Islamic societies can be promoted by:

- Scholarly Criticism of the Koran;
- Secular education encouraging critical thought;
- Encouraging religious pluralism by defending non-Muslims in Islamic societies;
- Encouraging secular democracies not tyrannies; and
- The practice of self-criticism.

Read the rest of Ibn Warraq’s article and maybe more of us can feel some glimmer of optimism that Islam can indeed be reformed.