Internal Arguments

“That a majority of Al Qaeda are Muslims is not to say that a majority of Muslims are Al Qaeda, or subscribe to its tenets,” Stephen Schulhofer, professor of law at New York University, told me in 2003. But it is also true that almost all terrorists these days are Muslims. That may only be a function of the times we live in— yesterday’s terrorists came from other religions and tomorrow’s may hail from some other. Still, terrorism has forced a debate among Muslims, who are divided. One side says that Muslims should no more have to apologize for their extremists than Christians, Jews or Hindus, and that doing so only confirms the collective guilt being placed on Muslims. The other side believes that as long as some Muslims are blowing up civilians in suicide bombings, slitting the throats of hostages and committing other grisly acts, it is the duty of all Muslims to challenge the murderers’ warped theology. The latter view has prevailed. Terrorism, suicide bombings in particular, have been widely condemned.

Just because an overwhelming majority of Muslims condemn Osama bin Laden and other extremists, however, does not mean that they feel any less for Muslims in Iraq or Afghanistan or Palestine. Or that the internal debate that he has forced on Muslims is new. Throughout their 1,400-year history, Muslims have argued and quarreled over various interpretations of the Qur’an and religious traditions. But it is a sign of the times that the most extreme interpretation of the Qur’an appeals to Muslim masses these days, and that far too many clerics are attacking Christians and Jews and delivering fire-and-brimstone sermons full of the imagery of war and martyrdom. This is contrary to the message of the Qur’an — Dispute not with the People of the Book save in the most courteous manner (29:46)31 — and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad: “Do not consider me better than Moses,” and, “I am closest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary.”

For all the emphasis that today’s clerics place on the Prophet’s war record, he spent a total of less than a week in actual battle in the twenty-three years of his prophethood. He advised his followers to “be moderate in religious matters, for excess caused the destruction of earlier communities.” A moderate himself, he smiled often, spoke softly and delivered brief sermons.

“The Prophet disliked ranting and raving,” wrote Imam Bukhari, the ninth-century Islamic scholar of the Prophet’s sayings. Ayesha, the Prophet’s wife, reported that “he spoke so few words that you could count them.” His most famous speech, during the Haj pilgrimage in AD 632, which laid down an entire covenant, was less than 2,800 words (see The Faith).