The Retreat of Muslim Moderates

Newsweek writer Lewis M. Simons talks about growing Islamic fundamentalism in five countries in Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, southern Thailand, and Singapore. We believe that the reality of growing Islamic fundamentalism has major impact on women’s lives.

Believing that every country has a right to determine their own political states, we note that moderates seem to welcome the arrival of fundamentalist Islam in their societies. Tracking comments and political debates translated into local English-speaking press, we find little opposition to the arrival of sharia laws, dress restrictions and new orders governing women’s laws.

The US has been largely not engaged in Asia during the Bush years. American Newsweek (with no validation from local press on our part) states that the Muslims of Southeast Asia want Americans—in sandals and sneakers, not combat boots—to return and work with them as Peace Corps volunteers, teachers, agriculturalists, and entrepreneurs. This may be the best chance the United States will have to launch a “preemptive peace,” a chance to set things right with Muslims everywhere. via Newsweek

America’s Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in the Philippines this week, negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), one of the groups featured in the Newsweek story.

Saying Mrs. Clinton’s remark was an “ace in the peace process” Muhammad Ameen, chairman of the MILF secretariat, said the US, which once colonized the Philippines, could play a bigger role for the peace talks to move forward. via BusinessWorldOnline and Reuters

In a complicated diplomatic moment, Mrs. Clinton hesitated over pronouncing the Islam acronym MILF, which is a well-established reference to sexy older women in the world of Pornography. (MILF equals Mothers I’d Like to ——).

The confounding protocol amuses sordidly decadent Americans. I understand that the world doesn’t find Secretary Clinton’s cultural dilemma amusing in the least.

The growth of Islamic fundamentalism is an important topic for those interested in international rights progress. There is no statistical or historical consensus that the new sharia laws are positive for women. Yet Muslims in these countries welcome the fundamentalists. Presumably, Islam knows best what’s right for its women, and it’s our job to report the facts as the changes unfold.  Anne

More Reading: Making peace with the MILF Reuters

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