Violence... The story so far

Op-Ed: 2002 C.L. Miller 2002 (Posted prior to our move)

Islam is poised for a Reformation. The peaceful majority of Muslims is pitted against a significant number of Islamists whose fundamental interpretation of the Koran has led to well-publicised violent actions around the world. Of the 1.2 billion Muslims, the number of fundamentalists who sympathise with the overt terrorists is estimated to be at least 10 per cent of Muslims, and perhaps up to 20 per cent. Either way, the percentage is high.

This has caused great controversy and soul searching amongst Muslims generally, and their political leaders and imams in particular, as they all reflect on the poor contemporary outcomes of Muslim countries in education, health, tolerance, government stability, economic prosperity, human rights, and other social indicators.

The only possible solution to Islamist-inspired violence is that violent passages in the Koran must be repudiated. This puts Muslims is an impossible position because it means repudiation of some parts of their canon. As long as the scriptures that embrace and condone violence against non-Muslims stand as canon, how can the non-violent factions possibly win their peace-based arguments? They cannot.

With our prayers, we can help to start the Reformation of Islam. If we pray for a Reformation whereby violent scriptures are put aside and held to be irrelevant in today's world, a Reformation will occur. The mediator in this process can only be the Prince of Peace, for whom nothing is impossible. Only the Light of this world can solve such an intractable crisis in the Muslim faith.

With our quiet prayers, one by one, the Reformation will begin and, in fact, has begun. Each prayer will result in more prayers, until a tidal wave of prayer for the Reformation sweeps the world. This is metaphorical proof that the gentle beating of a butterfly's wings can cause a typhoon on the other side of the world.

As you read this, I guarantee that the concept of an Islamic Reformation is occurring to many people, most importantly, to Muslims themselves. We must stand by our Muslim brothers and sisters in their search for peace. We must pray to the Prince of Peace for the Reformation of Islam.