Understanding Versus Condemning Islam

December 23, 2002

Source: Religion & Ethics Newsweekly

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week616/cover.html

On December 23, 2002 Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reported that "ever since September 11, Americans have been trying to understand Islam. Is there something about the religion itself that drove the terrorists? Or had a small, violent minority that despised the modern West hijacked Islam to justify its politics? Most scholars -- and President Bush -- insisted that the new enemy was not Islam as a whole but a radical extreme wing of so-called Islamists. But recently, one after another, prominent evangelical Christians have been condemning all Islam, the Qur'an, its interpretations (the Hadith), and the Prophet Muhammad. Is that hate speech? Is it dangerous? Is there any truth to it?"