A Moderate Muslim

I've been wondering whether there really are any moderate Muslims. It seems that we only hear from Muslims who go ape over a cartoon or the ramblings of a pope. They don't seem overly concerned with the damage caused by Muslim terrorists around the world. So, I was surprised when I read this month's Seven Questions article in the Foreign Policy web site.

The questions are posed to Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the multifaith Cordoba Initiative. It would be hard to find a more rational person with a truly international view than Rauf. He opened by actually disparaging all the Muslim hoopla about the pope's talk. I found the following comments wise and something to ponder over:

"The perception in the Muslim world is that the West wants to impose a secularism upon it, which to them is equivalent to the erasure of religion in society. As an American, I know that is not the intent of the United States at all. But that's the perception. The perception in America is that when people say they want an Islamic state, they want something like the Taliban. And that is not true at all."

"Imposing sanctions on Iraq had no impact on Saddam Hussein. It strengthened his authoritarian will on his own people. And it resulted in the people themselves suffering. When you employ sanctions, you’re creating an artificial economic depression. If there are sanctions against Iran, it will strengthen [the Iranians'] resolve.

People basically want a few simple things in life: a decent meal, the ability to clothe themselves, and a roof over their heads. And they want their pride. To do that, you have to engage with people on an equal basis. A year ago, I was involved in discussions between Americans and Iranians. I asked one high-level Iranian official, who I won’t name, what the price would be for Iranians to give up nuclear development. He said three things: 1) A nuclear-free zone in the region. 2) No talk or action about regime change. 3) To help develop the economy. This gentleman sounded very rational."