Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 09:04:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: Wolf Factory <wolf_factory-AT-yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: A Call to the Muslims of the World - Endorsed by Richard Dawkins


I would just like to clarify that Dawkins did not
write the 'call to the Muslims', he merely endorsed
it. 

As to the point raised by Ben Jelloun, I disagree with
it. Surely, this is precisely the place to discuss the
factors contributing to the rise of Islamic militant
groups. By refusing to examine the religious
contribution to this rise, we will be severely
limiting the discussion.

--- Mohammed BEN JELLOUN
<mohammed.benjelloun-AT-mail.bip.net> wrote:
> That was exactly my point Janice. 
> This is the wrong list to discuss the essence of
> religious beliefs. The posting reminds me of the
> Khomeini propagandist who's been once hurshly
> repulsed from this list. I think the same should
> apply to anti-Islamic propaganda--by the way, to my
> knowledge, no groups yet has been claiming 
> "let's-kill-all-the-unbelievers" ; Islamic militants
> or fanatics claim to be acting in self-defense of
> Islam, so far.
> MBJ
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Janice Ho Chiew Ling" <jclho-AT-ozemail.com.au>
> To: <postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 6:55 AM
> Subject: RE: A Call to the Muslims of the World -
> Endorsed by Richard Dawkins
> 
> 
> > I'm certainly no expert on the Quran, but I think
> we should bear in mind
> > what Edward Said wrote: that there is no one
> Islam, any more than there is
> > one America. Dawkins's article suggests that Islam
> in its "pure" form is a
> > not a religion of peace, but endorses killing,
> violence, etc.; he quotes
> > parts of the Quran that corroborate this. But my
> point is that Islam can be
> > given a secular, progressive spin, as well as give
> rise to fundamentalist
> > strains (as can Christianity, or any other
> religion for that matter). The
> > Quran is no more (or no less) responsible for
> fundamentalism than say,
> > Nietzsche is responsible for Nazism. 
> > 
> > I guess my gripe is that Dawkins assumes that
> there is an authentic, real
> > Islam--that when we distill the Quran down to its
> "true meaning", we get a
> > call to violence. But shouldn't we know better:
> texts are open to
> > interpretation, and why it gives rise to
> fundamentalism on one hand, or
> > something more moderate, on the other, results
> from a variety of factors
> > that are, more often than not, extra-textual.
> Interpretation, after all, is
> > a social practice. The Quran, as Dawkins points
> out, is contradictory--I
> > think the more important question is why some
> groups choose to privilege
> > the "let's-kill-all-the-unbelievers" over the
> > "let's-be-tolerant-of-one-another" strain.   
> > 
> > Janice
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > At 03:50 PM 10/3/01 -0400, you wrote:
> > >I'm quite surprised that there has been no
> substantive response to the
> > >"Call" contained in Wolf Factory's post of 2
> October 2001.  Mohammed Ben
> > >Jelloun's response was strangely truncated and
> Lesk Andrew's ("Wolf's
> > >interesting post", 2 October) was oblique and
> personal.
> > >
> > >I'm not in a position to make a well-informed
> judgement about the Quran, but
> > >the call certainly raises a set of issues that
> deserve attention.  Any
> > >reactions out there?  This is more important than
> Salman Rushdie or
> > >Arundhati Roy sounding off in the press.
> > >
> > >In case you missed it, here's a link to Wolf's
> original post:
> >
>
>http://lists.village.virginia.edu/cgi-bin/spoons/archive_msg.pl?file=postcol
> >
>
>onial.archive/postcolonial.0110&msgnum=35&start=3559&end=4141
> > >
> > > --jwm
> >
>
>_____________________________________________________________________
> > >John W. Marshall               Assistant
> Professor
> > >                               Department for the
> Study of Religion
> > >                               University of
> Toronto
> > >john.marshall-AT-utoronto.ca      416.978.8122
> > >
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From:
> owner-postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> >
>
>[mailto:owner-postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu]On
> Behalf Of
> > >Mohammed BEN JELLOUN
> > >Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 2:04 PM
> > >To: postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> > >Subject: Re: A Call to the Muslims of the World -
> Endorsed by Richard
> > >Dawkins
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >     --- from list
> postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >     --- from list
> postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> > >
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >      --- from list
> postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> > 
> 
> 
> 
>      --- from list
> postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---


===="All the wolves in the wolf factory paused at noon, 
for a moment of silence."
........from laughing Gravy by John Ashbery.
---------------------------------------------------------
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