Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheese
Of course an Imam doesnt have to follow all of these.
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It's worth noting:
1. All of those statements represent interpretations, not direct quotes or instructions, which is problematic in itself.
2. Every religious text produced hundreds and hundreds of years ago includes views and instructions appropriate to the time they were produced, the Qu'ran is not unique in this regard.
3. Not only does an Imam "not have to follow all of these rules," they're not even rules that need to be interpreted and followed verbatim at all. The problem is that some people still do, not that these words exist. Again, Christianity has done a pretty good job ignoring the ridiculous and poisonous instructions in the Bible, and Western Muslims are doing that very same thing more and more as they're introduced to modern liberal cultures, so that's a good thing.
I'm not sure what your solution to "holy books say bad things" is, because you're not banning them and the education that can actually be implemented by western cultures is already happening. Again, the modern interpretation of Sharia is one that is loving and peaceful, as rejecting corporal punishment and embracing equality is becoming increasingly common. I don't think there's any issue with someone who believes in equal rights and liberal values observing Ramadan, do you? Outside of the end game of eliminating all religion, what forward movement (that isn't already happening in the West) do you actually propose from a Western perspective?