Can Islam have a Reformation?
One desire of many in the West is to reduce Islam to a benign form of Deism along the model of France, or override it with secularism. The Protestant Reformation started under Martin Luther led to disasters such as the 30 Years War that killed millions and devastated Europe. Worse for Christianity in general it weakened the entire institution. Anyone that attempts to reform Islam usually ends up dead or in hiding. I’m against the kind of secularization that is practiced in the West being used in Islamic countries. The result is they often adopt violent secular philosophies such as fascism and communism. Baathism and Arab Nazism/Nationalism are two of the worst examples. This was tried in Turkey under Ataturk and it seems to have failed. I’m very fond of the Turks myself and didn’t want to see this happen. Now they are electing Islamists. The other result is what happened in Turkey. Reform is not about just secularizing, but living in a balance between God and reason. • Turkey, Ataturk,
