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Austria- "Islam is Unsustainable", says Islamic Professor and Expert

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A leading professor and expert on Islam has warned that the religion is "not sustainable" in its current form and called for more critical thinking.

Ednan Aslan, 57, a professor for Islamic religious education at the University of Vienna in Austria and a frequent guest on German-language TV shows, said that in Islam too little is being questioned and too much simply taken for granted.

He warned: "Islam, as it is now, is not sustainable," and said he wanted to "reshape the face" of his religion.

Aslan said that Islam is "out of touch with the present" in the way it is currently taught.

Aslan argues that the most important prerequisite for religious education - and for education in general - is that the children need to learn to think.

He said: "This means that the children do not accept anything that is conveyed in the name of religion. They should also be able to question theological, religious content. Everything else is not a healthy religiosity.

"What does a youth in Vienna learn when he reads how many camels, sheep, goats he has to give for Islamic charity tax? Or whether the Prophet has eaten grasshoppers or not?

"This is in a school book in the 21st century in Vienna. In this way, the children do not learn to reflect, but only learn how to accept the given rules."
Austrian expert says Islam is unsustainable in its current form - The Local

I posted this here, because this man is addressing perhaps the most important reason why some in Islamic communities are not assimilating; they are teaching their children as if they're still in Africa or the Mideast, not preparing them for life in Vienna.

Of course many Muslim children will become disenfranchised as adults if they are not equipped with the needed mindset to function in 21st century Europe. This disenchantment can lead to crime, and even terrorism.

Thoughts?
 
I posted this here, because this man is addressing perhaps the most important reason why some in Islamic communities are not assimilating; they are teaching their children as if they're still in Africa or the Mideast, not preparing them for life in Vienna.

Of course many Muslim children will become disenfranchised as adults if they are not equipped with the needed mindset to function in 21st century Europe. This disenchantment can lead to crime, and even terrorism.

Thoughts?

My immediate reaction is that Professor Aslan is a brave man. The sharia punishment for heresy - any criticism of any aspect of Islam - is death and there will be many in Austria who would like to execute it.

An harbinger of a reformed Islam? It would be nice to think so but I doubt it.
 
My immediate reaction is that Professor Aslan is a brave man. The sharia punishment for heresy - any criticism of any aspect of Islam - is death and there will be many in Austria who would like to execute it.

An harbinger of a reformed Islam? It would be nice to think so but I doubt it.

Austria recently banned the veil, as other countries have done, but they aren't addressing the fundamental roots of Islam that lead to things like veils. It's much like the anti-gun lobby of the United States that only wants to ban guns, but never adequately deal with the societal issues that drive people to violence.

I hope more Muslims like Mr Aslan step forward to lead Islam into a direction that works with Europe, and not against it.
 
I posted this here, because this man is addressing perhaps the most important reason why some in Islamic communities are not assimilating; they are teaching their children as if they're still in Africa or the Mideast, not preparing them for life in Vienna.

Of course many Muslim children will become disenfranchised as adults if they are not equipped with the needed mindset to function in 21st century Europe. This disenchantment can lead to crime, and even terrorism.

Thoughts?

Is this even contentious? Thus, worth discussing....
 
Is this even contentious? Thus, worth discussing....

Isn't this better than saying '**** Islam' or whatever? The Professor is offering solutions to one of Europe's biggest emerging crises.
 
The Muslim population worldwide will nearly equal the Christian population by 2050.

Start learning about this here:Islam - Wikipedia

"No one can stop time and/or change."
 
Is this even contentious? Thus, worth discussing....

Most Muslims will find it extremely contentious. No criticism of their absolutist creed is permissible.
 
I posted this here, because this man is addressing perhaps the most important reason why some in Islamic communities are not assimilating; they are teaching their children as if they're still in Africa or the Mideast, not preparing them for life in Vienna.

Of course many Muslim children will become disenfranchised as adults if they are not equipped with the needed mindset to function in 21st century Europe. This disenchantment can lead to crime, and even terrorism.

Thoughts?

My thought is that that's one man's opinion. 1.7 billion people probably disagree with it. My opinion, which is worth nothing, is that Islam desperately needs a New Testament.
 
I am an "expert" in liberalism, being a moderate liberal of the classical variety, and I also declare modern liberalism to be unaustainable.

I have a hard time believing many modern liberals will agree, or do anything about it.
 
My thought is that that's one man's opinion. 1.7 billion people probably disagree with it. My opinion, which is worth nothing, is that Islam desperately needs a New Testament.
from what one gets to see the need lies not just with Islam.

And I'm not even religious.
 
I posted this here, because this man is addressing perhaps the most important reason why some in Islamic communities are not assimilating; they are teaching their children as if they're still in Africa or the Mideast, not preparing them for life in Vienna.

Of course many Muslim children will become disenfranchised as adults if they are not equipped with the needed mindset to function in 21st century Europe. This disenchantment can lead to crime, and even terrorism.

Thoughts?
I've been following his assessments for quite some time now and can't find much to disagree over. He, like many others, is to be applauded.
 
My immediate reaction is that Professor Aslan is a brave man. The sharia punishment for heresy - any criticism of any aspect of Islam - is death and there will be many in Austria who would like to execute it.

An harbinger of a reformed Islam? It would be nice to think so but I doubt it.
In actuality what he states is no heresy. In multiple occasions the Qu'ran reminds its reader that he must think by himself (more than you would be able to count). But this is thwarted by self-appointed Gurus who have their own interpretation of Islam, sentence anyone who begs to differ to apostasy (through so called fatwas) and take up arms to put these apostates to death. The problem with Islam in the Middle East is that there is no central authority, so the interpretation of Islam that prevails is that of the one who is able to spread the biggest fear. At the opposite, in East Asia they have a more peaceful relation to Islam because they don't take their religion outside their home.

Austria recently banned the veil, as other countries have done, but they aren't addressing the fundamental roots of Islam that lead to things like veils. It's much like the anti-gun lobby of the United States that only wants to ban guns, but never adequately deal with the societal issues that drive people to violence.

I hope more Muslims like Mr Aslan step forward to lead Islam into a direction that works with Europe, and not against it.
The overwhelming majority of european muslims are at peace with western values. The same goes with the overwhelming majority of muslims around the world. Don't mistake the ISIS tree for the muslim forest. Europe is no tinderbox

My thought is that that's one man's opinion. 1.7 billion people probably disagree with it. My opinion, which is worth nothing, is that Islam desperately needs a New Testament.
Actually they don't. It's only a tiny fraction of violent people that would not assimilate anywhere in fact. Most muslim just want to be left alone and be able to get by with their lives without interfering in that of others.
 
I posted this here, because this man is addressing perhaps the most important reason why some in Islamic communities are not assimilating; they are teaching their children as if they're still in Africa or the Mideast, not preparing them for life in Vienna.

Of course many Muslim children will become disenfranchised as adults if they are not equipped with the needed mindset to function in 21st century Europe. This disenchantment can lead to crime, and even terrorism.

Thoughts?

I think that if you really want to paint an entire religion with your ridiculously broad brush, then the same sentiment can be applied to Christians.
 
Thoughts?

The better way to say this is *any religion that refuses to evolve* becomes unsustainable. Since Islam is the furthest behind the social evolutionary curve, it makes sense for some to call it out as unsustainable in western sociological ideologies.

The real reason this comes up time and time again is the assimilation of Islam into cultures that lean to multiculturalism (as a goal, that is probably a bit unrealistic anyway) have become problematic.

Strict Islam, perhaps better characterized as strict social conservatism based Islam, has no aptitude for acceptance of any other ideology. It tends to control just about all facets of society and has a baked into the text mechanism for governance... "religious authority."

In context, the professor was probably right.
 
In actuality what he states is no heresy. In multiple occasions the Qu'ran reminds its reader that he must think by himself (more than you would be able to count). But this is thwarted by self-appointed Gurus who have their own interpretation of Islam, sentence anyone who begs to differ to apostasy (through so called fatwas) and take up arms to put these apostates to death. The problem with Islam in the Middle East is that there is no central authority, so the interpretation of Islam that prevails is that of the one who is able to spread the biggest fear. At the opposite, in East Asia they have a more peaceful relation to Islam because they don't take their religion outside their home.


The overwhelming majority of european muslims are at peace with western values. The same goes with the overwhelming majority of muslims around the world. Don't mistake the ISIS tree for the muslim forest. Europe is no tinderbox


Actually they don't. It's only a tiny fraction of violent people that would not assimilate anywhere in fact. Most muslim just want to be left alone and be able to get by with their lives without interfering in that of others.

As recently as last December the UK government published the report produced by Dame Louise Casey which showed that Muslims in the UK are not "at peace with Western values". You are very badly misinformed.

https://islamsurveyed.com/2016/12/06/casey-review/
 
The better way to say this is *any religion that refuses to evolve* becomes unsustainable. Since Islam is the furthest behind the social evolutionary curve, it makes sense for some to call it out as unsustainable in western sociological ideologies.

The real reason this comes up time and time again is the assimilation of Islam into cultures that lean to multiculturalism (as a goal, that is probably a bit unrealistic anyway) have become problematic.

Strict Islam, perhaps better characterized as strict social conservatism based Islam, has no aptitude for acceptance of any other ideology. It tends to control just about all facets of society and has a baked into the text mechanism for governance... "religious authority."

In context, the professor was probably right.

Good. But for one thing: using the term "strict Islam" carries with it the implication that there is some alternative, perhaps mild and tolerant, Islam. This is not the case: all Islam is absolutist.
 
I posted this here, because this man is addressing perhaps the most important reason why some in Islamic communities are not assimilating; they are teaching their children as if they're still in Africa or the Mideast, not preparing them for life in Vienna.

Of course many Muslim children will become disenfranchised as adults if they are not equipped with the needed mindset to function in 21st century Europe. This disenchantment can lead to crime, and even terrorism.

Thoughts?

https://no1lyrics.com/song/shoot-out-in-chinatown-54832


Band - Shoot Out In Chinatown Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Just to put a little perspective into the view, you might want to watch The Godfather again.
 
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Good. But for one thing: using the term "strict Islam" carries with it the implication that there is some alternative, perhaps mild and tolerant, Islam. This is not the case: all Islam is absolutist.

The only reason I said that was perception, but in for the most part you are right about the absolutes involved here.
 
The better way to say this is *any religion that refuses to evolve* becomes unsustainable. Since Islam is the furthest behind the social evolutionary curve, it makes sense for some to call it out as unsustainable in western sociological ideologies.

The real reason this comes up time and time again is the assimilation of Islam into cultures that lean to multiculturalism (as a goal, that is probably a bit unrealistic anyway) have become problematic.

Strict Islam, perhaps better characterized as strict social conservatism based Islam, has no aptitude for acceptance of any other ideology. It tends to control just about all facets of society and has a baked into the text mechanism for governance... "religious authority."

In context, the professor was probably right.

And some Europeans, mostly women, are converting to Islam, which makes this situation more complex. 5,200 Britons convert to Islam per year. The overall figures of how many converts there are in Europe are hard to obtain, and the EU isn't actively attempting to determine it.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/09/economist-explains-17

The goal of Europe concerning Muslim migration, was to assimilate people of Muslim backgrounds into the cultural fiber of the EU, but the exact opposite is occurring, with native Europeans actually leaving their own culture to embrace an Islamic one.
 
I hope the professor does some good.Islamists,daesh are intolerant.We cannot reason with the unreasonable.
 
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