Ahmed, Saleem2019-09-252019-09-252011-12-1420111522-5668http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/181801"The challenge Muslims face in interpreting the Qur’an (their holy book); and hadith (Muhammad’s purported guidance) is highlighted by the fact that, while an ISNA’s position paper quoted over fifty Qur’anic verses and several hadith underscoring Islam as religion of peace, Sheikh Abdullah, a former Saudi chief quoted over fifty other Qur’anic verses and hadith to incite Muslims to fight Jews, Christians, and pagans continuously. And while ISNA’s position caught little public attention, the Sheikh’s 19-page essay is reportedly widely available in the Muslim world. [3] These diametrically opposite positions exemplify the deepening chasm between peaceloving Muslims – who, I believe constitute a vast majority – and dedicated extremists having no qualms about killing others and/or getting killed, looking forward to “indescribable rewards” in Paradise. And since extremists justify their actions by quoting sacred passages, moderates are at a loss as to how to respond – without challenging those sacred passages. This article suggests an objective way to challenge the extremist position without appearing blasphemous. We will first consider some “mixed signals” contributing to this religious “divide” and then discuss an objective way to respond."(pg 2)engWith permission of the license/copyright holderIslampeacechronologyQu'ranMuhammadComparative religion and interreligious dialogueChristian-MuslimSources, sacred textsReligious pluralismTheology of religionsSociology of religionHistory of religionPhilosophy of religionFounders, leaders of religionsArticle