What do we mean by "extreme" and "moderate" Muslims?

HamletOrHecuba

To me a moderate Muslim would be one who is open to meaningful and proper art (literature, music, etc) and sound philosophy- please note that I do not mean indiscriminately open- and tolerant towards Christianity, traditional Judaism (please note that you cannot be a traditional jew and support zionism) and Zorastarianism- again please note not indiscriminately tolerant towards anything that people choose to believe, putting witchcraft and worship of "aliens" on the same level as traditional Sufism or the Assyrian Church of the East lets say is deeply offensive against both justice and reason. Iran or Indonesia would be an examples of moderate Muslim countries in my eyes.

An extreme Muslim to me would be one who is closed against culture and philosophy, and intolerant not only towards traditional Christianity and Judaism both other forms of Islam. Saudi Arabia would be an example of an extreme Islamic country in my eyes.

For all the anti-Muslim hatred spewed forth in the west it is interesting to note that US foreign policy on the ground seems to favour extremist forms of Islams.

Wibbs

HamletOrHecuba wrote: »

For all the anti-Muslim hatred spewed forth in the west it is interesting to note that US foreign policy on the ground seems to favour extremist forms of Islams.

Yea that's one that always surprised and irritated me. It goes the other way too where SA is only too happy to have "the great satan" America on it's side.

whydoc

Islam is moderate by definition. any other way is extreme. Likewise any extreme is not islamic in nature even if some people claimed so.
http://theislamicworkplace.com/2012/01/31/islam-and-moderation/