Martyrs, Virgins and Grapes By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: August 4, 2004

Response to Maulana Kristof of the NY Times

Muslims are thrilled that New York Times columnists are taking an interest in the Quran. Praise the Lord! Halla Leujah! God Bless You. This has not happened since Moses Maimonides worked with Muslims during the Christian-Jewish-Muslim Symbiosis in Al-Andulusia Spain (711-1492).

Mr. Kristof is right on many accounts; on the need for more Muslim “Ijtihaad” and the need for modernity in Islamic thought. Lofty motives that should be encouraged. CISD in America, Al-Azhar in Cairo and Faisal University in Islamabad are all working on this. Judism was truly reformed in America in the past 50 years. Christianity was reformed only a few hundred years ago and most recently in American during the past 100 years. Islam is only 6000 years younger.

Mr. Kristof would disagree with “Orientlist” hubris that first tries to define the Muslims in their own image and then offer solutions to the perceived problems. To set the record straight, and to write a truly marvelous column, it would have been wonderful if Mr. Kristof had gotten an opinion from a Muslim scholar, perhaps Dr. Meher Hatouth or Dr. Muzammil Siddiqui or gotten a response from Al Azhar in Cairo. “but Koranic interpretation remains frozen in the model of classical commentaries written nearly two centuries after the prophet’s death”. The Quran was challenged by many Muslim authors.

The writings of Averroes (Ibn Rushd) and the discourse with Imam Ghalzalli, Thomas Aqauinas and Moses Maimonides (Musa Ibn Maymun) on “Reason or Revelation” went on for a century. Mr. Kristof should know that Islam has gone thourhg various “ijihaad phases”.

Loehman’s “History of Islamic Societies” is a galaxy of knowledge that belies the pervasive falshood that “the doors of the ijtihhad were closed in the 12th century”. Shah Waliullah and Moudododi were some of the reformers. The 20th century newer commentaries on Quran have been written by many Muslims including Western converts and Creative Muslim thinkers. One that he may find most interesting is by Muhammad Asad a Jewish convert to Islam who has written a mgnificnet commentary called the “Glorius Quran”. Other credible and authentic Western commentaries are by T.B. Irwing and Yousaf Ali.

The Quranic Commentary mentioned by Mr. Kristof is not a good one at all.

Dr. Luxenberg’ s obfuscation of Arabic, Aramiac and Syriac is confusing and has little scholarly value. Dr. Luxenberg is a discredeted and prejudiced person who has rehashed topics centuries old.His research is neither new or orginal. It has been refuted many times, most recently by Dr. Maher Hotouth, one of the greatest scholars of Islam who is associated with one of the most moderate msoques in America, The Islamic Center of Los Angeles.

I never took Mr. Kristof as an expert on religion or Islam. Muslims welcome the interest and discussion and the advice, however discussions can be held when Muslims are involved in the discussion.