Moderate Muslims Are the Key to the Future of Islam and American-Muslim Relations

Abstract

I found that in Ariel Cohen’s responses, the devil is, so to speak, in the details. I definitely agree with his understanding of what characteristics constitute a moderate Muslim – eschewing violence, and advocating tolerance and pluralism. But when he begins to identify moderate Muslims specifically by name, I find that he mentions individuals who do not exactly represent the mainstream Muslim communities, wherever they are. Does that mean that moderation lies only on the margins of Muslim societies? Surely, this is contrary to the more widely held view that a small minority in the margins advocates extremism in the Muslim world while the vast majority is moderate. This is empirically true everywhere, even in Iraq, where terrorism and insurgency is practiced by a small minority of the smallest minority (Sunnis). Cohen claims that there is a “near-consensus” that Tariq Ramadan is a supporter of the Ikhwan (the Muslim Brotherhood). I am afraid that most Ikhwanis would disagree with this, as would most Islamic modernists who value Ramadan’s views. Many prominent scholars of Islam and the Middle East, people who have actually read his books and followed his career, have hailed him as a progressive and moderate voice. In defense of the American government, Cohen makes two claims. First, he asserts that the American government officials are averse to mixing religion and politics. I find this comment surprising, given the extent to which the current administration is allied with the Christian Right and its embrace of faith-based initiatives. Second, I agree with his claim that these same officials are ignorant and incapable of distinguishing between a radical and a moderate. While Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri go free, American government officials are busy harassing prominent moderates like Tariq Ramadan, international peace award-winners like Yusuf Islam, and law-abiding Muslim citizens who go to Canada for a conference. I agree with Cohen that Islamists must be accommodated under the rubric of a democratic constitution that allows as much room to those who reject Islamism as to those who advocate it. However, I remain perplexed by his closing remarks in his answer to question 3. He appreciates the value of ...