Brave Muslims speak up - To endorse a peaceful form of Islam

By Take-A-Pen*

April 29, 2008

Despite the very real danger to their life for doing this, a large number of Arabs, Muslims or Christians speak up bravely,  for the truth, for reforming their societies, their spiritual and religious life, for peace with their neighbors, among them with Israel.

Most of them operate in the West, in the US and elsewhere, like Nonie Darwish or Brigitte Gabriel, but even there they have to live in the hiding like Salman Rushdie, or under police protection.

Such a brave Muslim, Mr Walid SHOEBAT, once a terrorist, today a fighter for Islam's peaceful reformation, distributes the material quoted below, written by another brave Muslim, speaking up about Islam's essential problems today:

Shoebat Center, February 20, 2006:

Muslim Expert Tells Georgetown Students:

Islam is in Desperate Need of Reformation

WASHINGTON:  Dr. Tawfik Hamid, a former member of Jamaha Islameia (JI) and associate of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahri, told an audience of Georgetown University students that Islam is in desperate need of reformation.  

 "If the leaders of Islam endorse teachings accepting slavery, beating of women, killing of homosexuals, killing of those who convert from Islam to other religions (apostates), humiliation taxes or jihad to spread Islam -- practices that do not hold the basic tenants of common humanity -- then it does not make sense to engage with the leaders of that religion," he said.

 Dr. Hamid, a medical doctor, clinical psychologist and expert in Islam, says that for the past 22 years he has been trying to reform Islam.  During his many years in Egypt, he preached a peaceful form of Islam, but says he was forced to leave the country when threatened and attacked in nearly every mosque he visited.

 After lecturing at Georgetown, Dr. Hamid met with a number of military intelligence experts.  "Dr. Hamid is a treasure," one general said. "We need him in the U.S. to explain the dangers of extremism to America and the world."

For more information visit http://www.thamid.com/

*Endre Mozes is chairman of http://www.take-a-pen.org/