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Letter: Reinterpretation of the Koran

There are signs that moderate and good Muslims are slowly but surely getting fed up with the radicals, an awakening perhaps long overdue

The Jakarta Post
Fri, December 17, 2010

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Letter: Reinterpretation of the Koran

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here are signs that moderate and good Muslims are slowly but surely getting fed up with the radicals, an awakening perhaps long overdue.

But somewhere along the line the good messages are not getting through, and so plugging those gaps is essential if we are ever going to reach a stage of civility.

The indecision shown by the government is a failing which for some reason they refuse to counter. You cannot possibly run a country where local laws totally contradict the Constitution, as doing so is a gross violation to the oath of office taken.

There has to be one rule of law and consistency, otherwise everybody will go their own way which will make a mockery of elections. A concerted effort is necessary to reeducate Muslims that have interpreted the Koran incorrectly, and this rectification program needs to be bellowed out so everyone can hear.

The problem with a lot of programs is in managing them, as what seems to happen is the message gets diluted and even changed by those on the periphery.

It makes you wonder what degree of influence the two large Muslim organizations actually have on rank and file, and whether they have a system that captures feedback.

It also makes you wonder where this type of reeducation program fits in the list of priorities, and whether all those at the top are in fact committed and on board. There is little hope of success if the chain possesses a number of weak links, some of which may not be easily recognizable.

It is easy to take on board a message and then after agreeing to it, pass it on, simply forget it, or dilute it, or twist it around.

I believe that Islam has a need to clearly demonstrate it is not a religion of violence, but to do that needs a lot of internal head banging before it will convince a suspicious world, especially Europe, that things have changed.


David Wallis
Medan

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