The Islamic cleric whom John Esposito has praised as a "reformist" shows his non-reformist bent yet again. "Top Muslim Cleric Qaradawi Urges Western Muslims to 'Liberalize': Outwardly, Anyway," by Raymond Ibrahim at Pajamas Media (via Raymond's site), July 23:
A recent episode of the popular Arabic show al-Sharia wa al-Haya (Law and Life), which airs weekly on Al Jazeera and features renowned Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, addressed the important yet little known Muslim concept of taysir (pronounced "tey-seer").Qaradawi, who is touted by the likes of John Esposito and CAIR as a "moderate" -- even as he legitimizes suicide attacks against Israel (including by women) and death for apostates -- explained that, according to fiqh al-taysir (the "jurisprudence of ease"), Islam (not unlike Catholicism) offers Muslims dispensations, whenever needed: "For Allah desires ease for you, not hardship" (Koran 2:185; see also 5:6, 4:26-28, 2:286). For instance, Muslims traveling during the month of Ramadan or engaged in jihad need not observe the obligatory fast.
Qaradawi stressed that no one advocated taking the "easy way" as much as Muhammad himself. He offered several examples, including how Muhammad would be angry with prayer leaders who tired the people with long prayers. (Other less flattering though applicable anecdotes concerning Muhammad's "leniency" come to mind, such as when his followers thought they had to practice coitus interruptus while raping their captive women so as not to impregnate them, only to be told by the prophet that "There is no harm if you do not practice it, for it [the birth of the child] is something ordained [by Allah]").
Lest it be abused, Qaradawi warned that taysir should only be used as needed, based on the vicissitudes of time and chance. In other words, Muslims should not actively seek the easy way, but rather, when uncontrollable circumstances create hardships, Muslims are free to opt for the easy way -- as long as they recognize that the "hard way" (i.e., total implementation of Sharia) is the ideal way.
Qaradawi proudly contrasted taysir with the practices of Jews and Christians who "took things to the extreme, and thus were treated extremely." After quoting the verse, "Ask not about matters which, if made known to you, may make things difficult for you" (Koran 5:105), Qaradawi said Allah made things difficult for the "anal" Jews because they always insisted on receiving specific details for his otherwise simple commandments. As for Christians, Qaradawi, in dismay, pointed to monks and anchorites, who, by shunning all female contact, and living in absolute solitude and austerity, also went to the extreme.
The most significant point of the program came when Qaradawi said that taysir is especially needed in "this era" and "especially for those Muslim minorities living in Europe and America."
Now, why is that? For starters, by migrating to the West of their own free will, Muslims themselves -- not "uncontrollable circumstances" -- create this apparent need for taysir. Moreover, Western religious freedom allows Muslims to uphold Islam's fundamental Five Pillars: Muslims can proclaim the shahada (profession of faith), pray, fast, give zakat (except to terrorists), and go on the hajj. So what, exactly, is Sheikh Qaradawi referring to that makes living in the West especially hard on Muslims?
The answer is obvious: Qaradawi is referring to those other aspects of Sharia law -- you know, subjugation of non-Muslim infidels, absolute authority over women, jihad, draconian punishments, and all the rest --that do create "hardships" for Muslims who try to implement them in the West, for instance, by getting them arrested and imprisoned.
In other words, far from "liberalizing" Muslim life, taysir allows only for insincere conformity. As Qaradawi made clear, to practice taysir is not to renounce Sharia's otherwise harsh obligations; it is to put them on hold till circumstances are more accommodating....
Look this article is based around saying that being a muslim is hard. Apart from all the obvious envy from the non-muslim, there is the very real life to be led which includes praying 5 times.
This means that some advantages must be available to the muslim when competing against the mostly corrupt non-muslim. Actually I see noithing wrong is getting an advantege where one is really needed - it's like I keep saying "Allah is most bountiful" and you CAN be part of the recievers.
I had respect for Qaradawi's knowledge, now more so as I realiase that the man has potential too.
I can assure you that I am not in the least envious of Islam or Muslims. Quite the contrary in fact. One of the best things that has happened to me in my life is not being raised Muslim.
Spout your nonsense and vitriol if you must, but try your best to at least not be delusional. Of course, if one thinks a gigantic fraud like Mohammed (and I mean the guy has fraud written all over him) is the last and greatest of the prophets, blah, blah, blah, then any wacky idea, I guess, is possible of acceptance. In any case, know well that those of us who find Islam wicked don't have an ounce of envy in us for such a warped belief system. Done here.
"roland" wrote:
...there is the very real life to be led which includes praying 5 times.
...................
Ah, yes—which should be no "hardship" whatsoever for any Muslim in the West—unless he works on an assembly line, of course. (In that case, he will have to threaten and coerce his employer and Infidel co-workers, until they accommodate his prayer schedule).
But that is hardly the main issue, here—no, it's the rest of that "very real life"—which includes oppressing Infidels, amputating the limbs of suspected thieves, and stoning rape victims to death.
These things are currently difficult to come by in Dar-al-Harb—but, luckily, Allah will not mind, it seems, if Muslims slack off for a while in this department via the handy doctrine of Taysir, while they prime the West to become more "Shari'ah compliant".
Like I said before, for muslims there's a convenient exception for just about everything, an excuse for every obstacle or meaning of a word or situation. There is always a calculated way out.
They follow their "profit's" example proudly.
Rabbi Ray sees through Qaradawi. It's important to understand the nuances, because the underlying message is that inhumane and discriminatory Shariah is Qaradawi's ultimate goal, and that he is advocating what amounts to a subterfuge to achieve it. This is more of an insidious approach than a moderate one. A word to the wise.
Envious for not being muslim? I am not a pedophile.
Narrated 'Aisha:
that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death).
Sahih al-Bukhari, 7:62:64
" Qaradawi said Allah made things difficult for the "anal" Jews because they always insisted on receiving specific details for his otherwise simple commandments."
Oh? I don't recall that the Jews needed guidance on whether it was permissible to eat a sheep or goat with which one has had sex. Answer: no, if you're the one who had sex with it; yes, if you're not; and no, if it was sodomy. Talk about specific details.
And: "Muslims . . . engaged in jihad need not observe the obligatory fast [during Ramadan]. But isn't the "greater jihad" the "inner struggle" to strengthen one's faith, blah, blah, blah? With that kind of an out, it's surprising that anyone actually observes the fast.
I think Mr. Ibrahim has a point here. I mean, there are lots of muslims I'd like to taysir.
'"... there are lots of muslims I'd like to taysir."
Good one, thanks for the laugh.
Yet another very useful posting. Many thanks Raymond Ibrahim and JihadWatch.
You are a sick puppy, Roland.
No one is jealous of Muslims, any more than people are jealous of robots or worms.
Which is basically what Muslims are, anyway - robotic wormy types.
Muslim Programming (BASIC):
10 PRINT "Allahu Ackbar!"
20 PRINT "BOOM!"
30 GOTO 10
Yep. That's Islam.
WPF, (I love that handle)
A little "electro-shock therapy" might do them some good? Hard to see how it could make them much worse? Anything to help...
Dalaran--
Ctrl-C! Ctrl-C!!!
"Muslim Programming (BASIC):
10 PRINT "Allahu Ackbar!"
20 PRINT "BOOM!"
30 GOTO 10
Yep. That's Islam."
When you people write things like this, you really believe it. You're so far off the deep end. I'll doa for you.
You just hate it when we *laugh* at you, don't you?
Because we do.
Sometimes we pity you: because it's absolutely awful to see human beings, Muslims, so obsessively degrading and defacing and desecrating the divine image both in themselves and in others.
Sometimes we feel contempt: we feel withering contempt for that vile Muslim man in Jordan who obliterated his 16 year old rape-victim niece with 30 rounds of a machine gun.
But sometimes we laugh at you. We laugh at you because - since most of us live in places where as yet (and we intend to keep it that way) we are *not* ruled by psychopathic strutting Muslim Killer Roosters who like to appoint themselves judge, jury and executioner on a whim - so many of the things you do (such as the sharia exhortation to women to depilate themselves from the neck down, all over, every twenty days, and men, every forty days; and the obsessing over which foot to put first when entering the toilet cubicle; and how many stones must be used to wipe the backside) strike us as simply ridiculous.
I've got a sinister feeling that YYK meant by 'doa' 'detonate- -on- -arrival'
If life for a Muslim is hard, it is because they make it that way...intentionally..
"Apart from all the obvious envy from the non-muslim" ...
Obvious envy? ...lol!!!
Oh yeah, I am soooo envious of those that have chosen to follow after an evil sick-o bastard like muhammad, along with his evil false god, allah. Don't make me laugh, revolting roland.
In Catholicism, dispensations are intended to be reasonable because God wants us to be at peace and to have sanity, not to be neurotically, compulsively, and robotically adhering to the guidelines of the church to our ruin. That is not the same thing as sticking to your beliefs out of love of God and neighbor even if it means being killed as Jesus was. Taysir is more like the deceit of war in that if it is not plausible at the time because there are not enough Muslims to enforce Sharia law, wait until there are enough. In the meantime, the non-Muslims will think you are peaceful and moderate . . .
Sorry pal but islam, despite its barbarism and malevolence, is also hilarious at times. It is impossible not to laugh at superstitious savages who spend most of their pathetic lives hating the rest of humanity and making themselves miserable as they sleep-walk through life trying to emulate a medieval warlord and please their unknowable, capricious allah. When muslims are not sulking, rioting, burning down churches and synagogues, blowing things up, or abusing women, they are busy performing asinine, meaningless, repetitive rituals that scream obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Laughter and a sense of humor are mandatory for happiness but since muslims eschew happiness, pleasure, joy, fun, spontaneity, and all of life's simple pleasures, you wouldn't understand that. If we couldn't laugh, we would have to cry because we are deeply concerned about the issues discussed here. Lighten up, you'll feel much better.