British Rabbi: Islam must separate religion from power
Nov 24th, 2009 | By Ruqaya Izzidien | Category: Europe, NewsMANCHESTER: The British Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, has called on Muslims to accept being a minority in Britain and to learn to separate religion from power.
Lord Sacks added that neither Muslims nor Christians had the benefit of learning this lesson, but that the Jewish people had, because of their Babylonian exile.
The Chief Rabbi also stressed the responsibility of Muslims, stating that “only Muslims can do it. Nobody can tell them from the outside. That would be taken as an affront and I would regard it as morally unacceptable. I do see some wonderful Muslims in this country and elsewhere, in Iraq and even in Iran, going through that process.â€
Lord Sacks also expressed his admiration for the accomplishments of the Muslim community, stating that “I think some of the Muslim thinkers today are some of the most courageous thinkers I have come across and it is very striking how many of them are women. It is very interesting. So Islam will get there. But I would hope that one of the ways they would get there is just coming to understand how things work in Britain.â€
The Chief Rabbi was delivering an annual talk to the think-tank Theos in London. He highlighted the progression of Christianity in its adoption of a more tolerant outlook, but only after 100 years of “knocking the hell out of each other all over Europe.â€
He added: “So Christianity went through its experience, Judaism has been through it a long, long time ago and Islam has not yet had that experience.â€
Lord Sacks affirmed his belief that Islam will follow in the footsteps of Judaism and Christianity in separating religion and power.
“I have no doubt that Islam will work its way through to the essential situation that Judaism arrived at and Christianity, namely the substantive separation of religion from power. But there’s no quick way of getting there. It is quite a difficult and painful process within religion,†he said.
However, many Muslims argue that Islam, by nature, is inseparable from religion and that following the secularist footsteps of Judaism and Christianity as the Chief Rabbi suggests would “pollute” the essence of Islam . Despite this, many Muslim majority countries such as Turkey, Senegal and Azerbaijan continue to be secular states.
Lord Sacks also pinned the population decline in Britain down to neo-Darwinian attacks on religion, such as is seen in Richard Dawkins’ book, The God Delusion, stating that “wherever you turn today — Jewish, Christian or Muslim — the more religious the community, the larger on average are their families.â€
He also argued that society needed religion in order to uphold the moral principles on which western freedom is based.
BM
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So Islam (Muslims) have not yet had `that experience`. How strange that Lords Sacks, in his speech, seems to ignore that the state of Israel was created out of a Palestinian homeland.
And what, pray, does he mean by saying that `Islam by nature, is inseparable from religion.`
Unless he is misquoted, two very strange claims indeed.
Lord Sacks didn’t say the second part- that’s just a claim made by many Muslims. Yes, Israel was created at the expense of Palestine, and although this is probably the type of experience he’s referring to, Palestinian and being Muslim are two different things.
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Well this sounds good … and when does he call for the very same in Israel? Just wondering.
After all the highest authority in Israel is the Chief Rabbinate (which can overrule decisions by the Highest Court).
Not quite secular either – neither is it a separation from politics/power.
But I guess that’s a different story altogether as this is not Islam … ????
“Israel was created out of a Palestinian homeland”
“Yes, Israel was created at the expense of Palestine”
Huh? There was no such thing as a “Palestinian homeland” when Israel was created. Learn your history and stop blaming the Jooooz for everything.
“which can overrule decisions by the Highest Court”
Complete and utter nonsense. What a bunch of haters.
Shalom Nachum – yr comment #9
It’s bad if you’re ignorant, it’s worse if you don’t make any effort to educate yourself, but it is certainly a disaster to try, with all your ignorance, to educate others.
Having said the above I would highly recommend you heed your words and learn the history respectively get to know the set-up of the “democratic” zionistic State of Israel rather than showing your ignorance. Although it lacks a constitution (which it promised in its declaration of independence to write no later than the 1st of October 1948!) it nonetheless adheres to a clear (theocratical) system. BTW it also promised in said declaration that it will implement the resolution of the General Assembly of the 29th November, 1947. Interesting, isn’t it??!! All a bunch of lies.
You can get this info via any semi-decent Israeli lawyer confirmed: the Rabbinical Authority is the highest authority in the State of Israel and has the ultimate say in cases of disputes which can not be otherwise solved. Like it or not – but that’s not my problem nor is it the problem of Israel.
Educate yourself before you call participants names. Name calling is only the most visible sign of mental bankruptcy. Go read ACRI, ICAHD (especially what Jeff Halper writes), Yesh Gvul as well as Gush Shalom (http://zope.gush-shalom.org/index_he.html). As BM limits the amounts of links to be posted I just give you one and the rest you’ll have to google.
Stop reading what Rabbi Ovadia, his son as well as Rabbi Shapiro are teaching in their inciting hate-speeches and read instead what people say who truly seek and want peace on both sides. Peace – not one-sided dictation and never-ending “negotiations” like Bibi Netanyahu and Avi Liebermann over a pizza which is eaten up by Israel behind the open curtains while they are “negotiating”.
In other words: look in the mirror and stop lying to yourself. BUT if you decide to continue to do so – which is your right – then please spare us your “wisdom”. Thank you.
I can add just one thing-according to the secular scientific theory, Christianity has developed as a direction of one of Judaism sects, Moslem is a religion of later perioud,that combining bases of Judaism, and Christianity