In Speech to Jewish Group, Leader of World’s Largest Muslim Organization Calls for Compassion

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Compassion? What exactly does Pak Yahya mean? That Muslims in Indonesia should develop compassionate ways to flog people who violate tenets of sharia?

Pak Yahya does say one interesting thing: “Asked whether this would include reinterpreting texts that attack other religions, such as anti-Jewish statements in the Quran and Hadith, Yahya replied, ‘It is not just possible, but it is a must. Because every verse of Quran was revealed in connection with a certain particular context of reality of the time. … So the Quran and the Hadith are first basically a historical document. When the situation, when the reality changed, then the interpretation of the spirit of Quran needs to be changed also.'”

For years, I have calling upon Muslims to expunge the Quran of the texts that incite violence and inculcate Jew-hatred, misogyny, etc. In response, I have been denounced as a “bigot” and an “islamophobe.” Will Pak Yahya now be denounced in the same way?

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“In Speech to Jewish Group, Leader of World’s Largest Muslim Organization Calls for Compassion,” by Benjamin Kerstein, Algemeiner, June 10, 2018:

The leader of the world’s largest Muslim organization told a leading Jewish group on Sunday that religious people must seek to solve today’s violent conflicts and embrace “rachma” — compassion and caring for people.

Appearing at the American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum in Jerusalem, Pak Yahya, the General-Secretary of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Supreme Council in Indonesia, spoke eloquently about current tensions between Islam and Judaism, which he believes are neither inevitable nor insurmountable.

In conversation with Rabbi David Rosen, the AJC’s Director of Interreligious Affairs, Yahya said of the relationship between Judaism and Islam, “Sometimes it’s a good, close relationship, in other parts of history there are conflicts and tensions. It depends on the history.”

“But overall,” he continued, “we have to acknowledge there are problems in the relationship between Islam and Judaism [today]. And some of the problems live within the teachings of the religion itself. In our current context of reality, people of religion — including Islam and Judaism — need to find new ways of … finding a new moral interpretation of religion.”

Asked whether this would include reinterpreting texts that attack other religions, such as anti-Jewish statements in the Quran and Hadith, Yahya replied, “It is not just possible, but it is a must. Because every verse of Quran was revealed in connection with a certain particular context of reality of the time. … So the Quran and the Hadith are first basically a historical document. When the situation, when the reality changed, then the interpretation of the spirit of Quran needs to be changed also.”

Asked about the problem of religious extremism in today’s world, Yahya said that it is the responsibility of religious people themselves to find a solution to the problem. There are many conflicts in the world, he noted, in which “religion is used as a justification or weapon. Now we are then facing the question: do we want this to continue, or do we want another future? And if these conflicts continue, the consequences are obvious: no one will survive it. … We people of religion should ask ourselves: is it really the true function of religion — what people are doing now? Or is there a way that religion can function to provide inspiration for a solution to all these conflicts?”

Yahya emphasized that this solution must be spiritual in nature. He compared it to attempting to cure diabetes or heart disease without the patient changing their lifestyle, and quoted a Quranic verse saying, “Verily, Allah will not change the society of a people until they change what is in their heart.”

This change, he asserted, can come about through the embrace of a basic sense of religious compassion and empathy.

“I say to you now, what is left to us is simply the choice,” he said. “We believe it is a choice of what in the Islamic term is called ‘rachma.’ Meaning compassion and caring for others. We need to choose rachma. If we choose rachma, then we can begin to talk of justice. Because justice is not just about demanding, but it’s also about willingness to provide justice for others. If people do not have rachma, don’t have compassion and caring for others, these people will never be willing to provide justice for others. So if I had to make a call to the world, I want to tell the world: ‘Let us choose rachma.’”…

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Mark Goldberg
Mark Goldberg
5 years ago

So when the Ahmadhiya’s were slaughtered in Indonesia in 20110? or so, and the trial produced the condemnation of the 6 or so? ahmadhiya’s for inciting civil unrest, if memory serves, getting 2 yrs jail, and the homicidal muslims got what… 6months jail time, all was forgotten.

I believe I’m accurate here, someone might remember the particulars better, but the movement that Pak Yahya represents has within it those who reject his interpretation, and so my conclusion is…. show me the evidence that any such toleration can develop in Islam. Show me how this will be tolerated because it isn’t at all, currently, and going to non muslims telling them this should be accomplished when they the jews christians, hindus, others have already accomplished this a long time ago is preseumptuous.
The homicidism of Islam has gone on for 1400 plus years and this years Ramadan was no different.

Sorry to be the fly in his ointment but talk is cheap, and sometimes much worse. “Sometimes it’s a good, close relationship” said Pay, about Jewish Islamic relations.
I have never seen this in history. What he means is sometimes Islam doesn’t annihilate, oppress, slaughter jews, but that hardly makes it an equal relationship. There is no equality in Islam. That… is the ugly fact and Pak Yahya has to allow that too to come to the forefront.

taxpayer22
taxpayer22
5 years ago

Islam has declared Jihad / war on the pillars of the West: modernity, science, rationalism, tolerance, equality under the law, freedom of expression and the dignity of the individual, to name only a few.

taxpayer22
taxpayer22
5 years ago

Thanks to the existence of taqqiya Muslims are free from any responsibility – same since the 7th Century. Politicians who enter into agreements with Muslims – no oath, even in the name of Allah, matters because of taqqiya, as Allah has dispensed – those who submit to Satan – from telling the truth.

Suresh
Suresh
5 years ago
Reply to  taxpayer22

They are following their perfect man – Moham-mad. And if you dare expose truth about him they will keel you !

just like the jihadis in Indianapolis are doing http://bit.ly/2rVCN7E

taxpayer22
taxpayer22
5 years ago
Reply to  Suresh

Taqiyya is Islam. The followers of Mad Mo claim to be victims when it is they who are the aggressors. And the goal is always the same since the 7th Century :: deceive the non-believer in order to advance Islamic supremacy.

Of course, the non-believers can only be outwitted if they are also non-thinkers.

Mark Goldberg
Mark Goldberg
5 years ago

I appreciate that Pak Yahya might well be serious but he is limited in his ability to influence Islam, and in fact his is a very minority opinion. There was an article on Jihadwatch back in sept 2017 in this regard, but then, I don’t see any such movement to self reflect on the homicidism of Islam, the tyranny of Islam against all others, even in Indonesia. I think it was Yahya who was quoted “Western politicians should stop pretending that extremism and terrorism have nothing to do with Islam. There is a clear relationship between fundamentalism, terrorism, and the basic assumptions of Islamic orthodoxy. So long as we lack consensus regarding this matter, we cannot gain victory over fundamentalist violence within Islam.”

Now, nothing has changed in Indonesia in this regard. There is no shame in Islam for homiciding Israeli, Israeli’s, nor jews. There are no marches condemning the homcidists of Islam. Will there even be a few who actually show shame for the unbelievable but quite ordinary and 1400 yr old slamming of all others
and especially Israel? When I see a few hundred march in Indonesia against the homidicism, the Jihadism then I will say ok, this is something that may be for real.
Now, it’s merely this fellow asking that his own religion show compassion, but obliquely- he actually asked all religions to show this. That’s a false argument, because the other religions do and have shown this- only Islam is Incapable of such behavior. When do we see the shame it needs to evidence about itself?

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago

So what type of sacralised islamic dishonesty is this muslum cleric exhibiting? I know it’s not Al Taqiyya, is it Muruna?
Any f’ing muslum can talk the talk but they NEVER walk the walk.

MaDeuce
MaDeuce
5 years ago

It would be so nice to be able to think that this fellow is truthful.and sincere. The chances of that being so are all but zero. The term “…..father of lies….” comes to mind

Alleged-Comment
Alleged-Comment
5 years ago

Why did he have to tell that to the Jews? It’s the Moslems that need to be taught that.

Defence Man
Defence Man
5 years ago

Wow, an Islamic leader that is a true leader ! In case you missed it, Pak Yahya made this extremely important statement : Asked whether this would include reinterpreting texts that attack other religions, such as anti-Jewish statements in the Quran and Hadith, Yahya replied, “It is not just possible, but it is a must. Because every verse of Quran was revealed in connection with a certain particular context of reality of the time. … So the Quran and the Hadith are first basically a historical document. When the situation, when the reality changed, then the interpretation of the spirit of Quran needs to be changed also.”

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago
Reply to  Defence Man

How do you know he’s being honest? How do you know he’s not merely grandstanding for the exceedingly stupid kufar world? Mental telepathy?

R. Arandas
R. Arandas
5 years ago
Reply to  Defence Man

Islam’s greatest weakness is that it cannot easily adapt to reform or change. But the very nature of this world, of this universe, is that change IS inevitable.

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago
Reply to  R. Arandas

The doors if ijtihad have long been closed and no one kufar is going to be opening them again.
How can one excise the manifold violent, vile, antisemitic verses of the holey quranus if they are taken as being directly from allah?

Defence Man
Defence Man
5 years ago

May God assist Pak Yahya in his effort to change what the Quran and Hadith to remove the hatred and in particular hatred of the Jewish peoples !

Sherry Pennington
Sherry Pennington
5 years ago

It would be wonderful if this was actually something that we could look forward to but……talk is cheap and it is also a great tool that Muslims use to try to deceive nonbelievers. Trust is something that is impossible when dealing with leaders of Islam.

Patrick
Patrick
5 years ago

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R. Arandas
R. Arandas
5 years ago

Efforts have been made to reform Islam in the past, through movements such as Sufism and the Baha’i Faith as well, but most of them have been largely cast aside and rejected by the mainstream Muslim communities.

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago
Reply to  R. Arandas

Hmmm, I don’t believe Sufis (or Amadiya) have renounced/repudiated any of the vile, violent commandments in either the quranus or the ahadith.

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago

At least the Asians have plenty to be ashamed of in Indonesiastain and Malaysiastain!

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