Graeme Wood: The Rise of Islamic State Is the Modern Reformation - Viewsnight

Viewsnight is BBC Newsnight's new place for ideas and opinion. Here, Graeme Wood, national correspondent for The Atlantic argues the rise of so-called Islamic State is a kind of Reformation within Islam. Tariq Ramadan says this argument is "misplaced" and we should not try to "understand Islam through a Christian lens"

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Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now

April 7, 2015 - Ayaan Hirsi Ali spoke at a National Press Club luncheon about the Islamic faith and Western civilization. She also spoke about her book, Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now, as well as Islamic radicalism, combating ISIS, the nuclear framework agreement with Iran, and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

Why Islam Needs a Reformation - Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Dr. Zudhi Jasser: Islam Needs 'Tough Love' to Reform

Islam's 'Reformation' Is Already Here and It's Called 'ISIS'

CHRISTIAN POST – OPINION: The idea that Islam needs to reform is again in the spotlight following the recent publication of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's new book, Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now. While Ali makes the argument that Islam can reform—and is in desperate need of taking the extreme measures to do so—many of her critics contend that Islam is not in need of reform.

The one argument not being made, however, is the one I make below—namely, that Islam has already "reformed." And violence, intolerance, and extremism—typified by the Islamic State ("ISIS")—are the net result of this "reformation."

Such a claim only sounds absurd due to our understanding of the word "reform." Yet despite its positive connotations, "reform" simply means to "make changes (in something, typically a social, political, or economic institution or practice) in order to improve it."

Synonyms of "reform" include "make better," "ameliorate," and "improve"—splendid words all, yet words all subjective and loaded with Western connotations.

Muslim notions of "improving" society can include purging it of "infidels" and "apostates," and segregating Muslim men from women, keeping the latter under wraps or quarantined at home. Banning many forms of freedoms taken for granted in the West—from alcohol consumption to religious and gender equality—is an "improvement" and a "betterment" of society from a strictly Islamic point of view.

In short, an Islamic reformation will not lead to what we think of as an "improvement" and "betterment" of society—simply because "we" are not Muslims and do not share their first premises and reference points. "Reform" only sounds good to most Western peoples because they naturally attribute Western connotations to the word. » | Raymond Ibrahim, CP Op-Ed Contributor | Thursday, May 07, 2015

CLIFFORD MAY: Ayaan Hirsi Ali Risks Life with Call for Islam's Reform

By now, you should be familiar with the name Ayaan Hirsi Ali. You should know at least this much about her: She is brilliant, beautiful, black and she has been banned near Boston. You might also have learned that she was born in Somali and raised as a devout Muslim in Africa and Saudi Arabia. While…