From Deseret News archives:

Modern Islam — Muslim scholar is moderate champion of democracy

Published: Friday, Nov. 11, 2005 10:01 p.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
EDITOR'S NOTE — This is another story in an occasional series examining the fault lines within Islam between the forces of moderation and extremism. The consequences of this fight that shook America on Sept. 11, 2001, reverberate today, and the struggle for Islam may be the defining conflict of our era.

LOS ANGELES — UCLA law professor Khaled Abou El Fadl has a scholarly manner and speaks in soft tones. But listen as he tells his story.

A Kuwaiti native, he was fascinated by militant Islam as a young man, then evolved into a moderate champion of democracy and suffered arrest and torture in Egypt for his views. Saudi go-betweens failed to buy his silence but long limited his influence by preventing publication of his works in Arabic. He received death threats over anti-terrorist comments following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Now, as Muslim immigrants to America struggle to find their voice, no one is more outspoken than Abou El Fadl — driven by what he sees as a global crisis: the fight between "moderates" and "puritans" to determine who represents authentic Islam.

"Nothing less than the very soul of Islam" is at risk, says the 42-year-old Abou El Fadl, who is calling upon moderates to reverse their declining influence and reclaim bold leadership of the faith.

This is a "transformative moment," he says. In his view, Islam is suffering a schism as dramatic as the 16th century Protestant Reformation that split Christian Europe.

Story continues below
Two main movements claim to perpetuate true Islam, he says. On one side, the professor's fellow moderates uphold centuries of Muslim teaching and the beliefs of an often quiescent Muslim majority.

Their opponents, as he sees it, are puritans — he dislikes the "fundamentalist" and "Islamist" labels — who've won a remarkable following as they've preached religious extremism and, often, carried out acts of reprehensible violence in recent decades.

Eventually, one of these two rivals will achieve near-total commitment from the world's more than 1 billion Muslims and "the power to define Islam" for the indefinite future — including attitudes toward terrorism, he predicts.

Abou El Fadl depicts the contest in his new book "The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists" (HarperSanFrancisco). It's probably the most dramatic manifesto from an American Muslim since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Reaching this point has been a complex, dangerous and sometimes lonely struggle for the author.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image
Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press

Law professor Khaled Abou El Fadl spent a decade in Egypt learning Islamic law then received an Ivy League education in America.

Related content
previousnext

Latest comments

Jazz need to win during homestand

blowing away mediocre teams at home I am not taking anything for granted....

I'd believe Daniel Hill over our government. This man knows what he's talking...

BYU wins 3-2 in a boring snowy game?

Dan you need to be more specific in your reporting. "Scramble" "Gleefully...

because i'm rooting for them. they had those cute ladybug uniforms

It's funny that N.O.W. decides to comment on 'sexist' comments about a dirty...

BCS at-large bids up for grabs

Are you serious? MAYBE that might be remotely possible if BYU had beat FSU...

If the Cougs win by l-------That will be the greatest satifaction to me. I...

Cougars turn focus to dreaded rivals

I think Max Hall will scramble 75.5 yards for the winning touchdown as time...

BCS at-large bids up for grabs

No wonder Bronco thinks his own fans are ignorant. There is absolutely no...

Advertisements