In Search Of: Moderate mohammedans.

With appy-polly loggies to Leonard Nimoy and crew...

Gov't marks 'fundamental' shift in ties with Muslim groups
AFP - The government will now fund only those Muslim organizations that fight extremism and defend national values as part of a "fundamental" shift toward such groups, a cabinet minister has said.

Kelly appeals for Muslim moderation
ePolitix - Ruth Kelly has called on the Muslim community to go further in fighting against extremists in the UK who support terrorism.

Rushdie backs Straw in row over Muslim veils
Guardian Unlimited - Salman Rushdie, who was forced into hiding after receiving death threats over his novel, The Satanic Verses, criticised the Muslim veil yesterday, saying it "sucks".

1) Is Rushdie a mohammedan transvestite speaking from experience or is he a mohammedan voyeur speaking from experience?

2) Shouldn't a "writer" come up with something better than "sucks"? Even I don't type like that.

Hey! This next guy sounds suitably moderate.

Faiths must interact, Muslim says
Deseret Morning News — Tolerance is not enough to ease the tension between Islam and the West, Indonesia's minister of foreign affairs says.

Alwi Shihab speaks at Brigham Young University forum. He says tolerance isn't enough to ease tension between Islam and the West.

"To tolerate something is to learn to live with it, even when you think it is wrong and evil," Alwi Shihab said Tuesday at Brigham Young University.

Shihab, who received a standing ovation following his address, suggested instead that religious people work to promote multi-faith and pluralist societies, which requires interfaith dialogue to understand each other's religions, as well as dialogue on common values such as human rights.

Hmmm...that sounds like Fyodor's Theory of Politically Friendly Forces.

Shihab, who delivered his address in English while quoting the Quran in Arabic, is a scholar who has taught Islamic studies at Harvard University.

In addition to working as Indonesia's minister of foreign affairs, he is an official in the country's National Awakening Party, a moderate Islamic party.

Shihab acknowledged that Muslims and Christians have been at odds for more than 14 centuries.

Some Muslims see the lax values of the West as a threat. And many Westerners see fundamentalist Islamic-inspired terrorism as a threat to their lives.

A remedy to the problem, Shihab said, is for religious leaders to discuss correct theology with members of their faiths to encourage moral behavior.

Three of the world's major religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity, have similar roots and much in common, Shihab said.

They believe in one God, descend from Adam and Eve. They share the tradition of faith begun by Abraham and continued by Moses. They respect the Virgin Mary, admire her son Jesus and want to promote good and prevent evil, he said.

Name me two protestants and/or Jews who "respect" Mary.

Shihab was introduced by President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Ack! Mormons!

Outside View: America's Muslim resource
UPI - America continues to search for new ways to better protect the U.S. homeland from the threat of terrorist attacks.

EU has limits in respecting Muslim traditions, says Frattini
Euro Observer - The vice-president of the European Commission Franco Frattini has said Europe can only respect Muslim traditions if they do not contradict the bloc's own basic values, such as freedom of speech or equality between men and women.

Brown reignites veil row by backing Straw
Daily Mail - Gordon Brown has reignited the row over the wearing of the veil by Muslim women by backing Jack Straw's call for a national debate.

Somali Islamists declare 'holy war' on Ethiopia after town falls
AFP - Somalia's powerful Islamist movement declared "holy war" against neighboring Ethiopia after a Muslim-held town near the seat of the weak government fell to Ethiopian and Somali troops.

Young Muslims Face an Uncertain Future
World Headlines - Sept. 2 marked the tenth anniversary of the Final Peace Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (GRP-MNLF). The agreement ended almost four decades of conflict between government forces and the MNLF, representing the Muslim minority.