Saturday, March 11, 2006

Moderate Muslim

We hear that we need allies among the moderate Muslim nations. I agree. However we must come up with a definition of what, exactly, a “moderate” Muslim state looks like. Here is a list of characteristics which I consider the minimum necessary to earn the name “moderate”.

They must recognize the right of Israel to exist within defensible borders.
They must not participate in the anti-Israel boycott.
They must grant full freedom of religion, including the right to convert from Islam to any other faith and the right to proselytize, also the right to build houses of worship for other faiths.
They must grant full civil rights to women. Including the right to move about in public unescorted, to drive a car, to vote, to wear modern clothing and to choose whom they will marry.
They must outlaw the practice of female circumcision.
They must aggressively investigate, prosecute and punish crimes committed against converts from Islam to any other faith and so called “honor killings”.

Show me a Muslim state that can pass these tests and I’ll have no objection to them running ports in the US or participating in any other way in our economy.