Re: [wanita-muslimah] Re: Turki: Revisi Radikal atas Hadis
Dalam beberapa minggu ini saya menjelaskan masa-masa timbulnya pertikaian agama di kalangan umat Islam di beberapa majlis ta'lim yang tersebar di DKI. Penjelasan saya sebagai berikut: Dalam masa 100 tahun pasca wafatnya Rasulullah (11 - 110 H), tidak dijumpai adanya pertikaian umat Islam karena perbedaan ajaran atau amalan ubudiyah yang dipraktikkannya. Pertikaian yang bahkan membawa maut itu disebabkan oleh pertikaian politik dalam perebutan kepemimpinan. Gugurnya Utsman bukan karena tata-cara ibadahnya Utsman berbeda dengan kaum pemberontak dari Mesir. Gugurnya Ali bukan karena berbeda salat fardunya dengan kaum khawarij (salat fardunya Khawarij itu 2 kali sehari). Mereka membunuh Ali karena Ali dianggap murtad lantaran bertahkim dengan Muawiyah. Pertikaian internal ajaran agama di mulai pada abad II H (111 - 210 H). Pada masa ini lahirlah mazhab-mazhab fikih seperti Ja'fariyah, Hanafiyah, Malikiyah, Syafi'iyah, dan Hanabilah (Ahmad bin Hanbal). Munculnya mazhab-mazhab ini disebabkan banyaknya hal-hal (khususnya yang berkaitan dengan hukum agama) yang ditanyakan yang tidak dijumpai di masa Rasulullah. Sayangnya, hasil pemahaman hukum agama oleh para imam (ulama fikih) yang disebut "fikih" ini tidak dijadikan referensi dalam beramal tetapi DIBAKUKAN oleh para pengikutnya. Akibatnya, muncullah klaim-klaim kebenaran, dan sedihnya saling menyesatkan dan bahkan saling membunuh. Pertikaian semakin runyam setelah munculnya kompilasi hadis perorangan pada abad III H (211 - 310 H). Pada masa inilah terjadinya kompilasi hadis perorangan yaitu Bukhari (194 - 256 H), Muslim (204 - 262 H), Abu Daud (202 - 275 H), Turmudzi (209 - 279 H), Nasa'i (215 - 303 H), dan Ibnu Majah (209 - 273 H). Jadi, apa yang disebut kutubus sittah (kutub al-sittah) adalah produk kompilasi hadis perorangan dari keenam ulama hadis tersebut. Nah, yang menjadi masalah, kompilasi hadis tersebut tidak bisa dilepaskan dari pertikaian politik yang terjadi pada abad tersebut. Keluarga Kanjeng Nabi Muhammad (Fathimah, Ali, Hasan dan Husein + beberapa istrinya seperti Hafshah, Salamah, Shafiyah dan Aisyah) yang sepatutnya menjadi sumber dan rujukan utama hadis malah hilang dari peredaran. Kebanyakan hadis disampaikan oleh sahabat-sahabat yang bisa diterima oleh pemerintahan Bani Umayyah maupun Abbasiyyah. Maka, terjadilah klaim-klaim hadis yang membuat umat Islam semakin keruh dalam memahami Islam itu sendiri. Dengan munculnya hadis dari kalangan Syiah pasca kutub al-sittah, tambah kaburlah dunia Islam. Ulama-ulama Islam tidak lagi dengan jernih melihat ajaran Islam. Mereka tidak berusaha mempelajari Islam di masa jayanya keteladanan umat oleh Nabi saw, sahabat dan tabi'uun pada abad pertama H, yang notabene belum ada sahih kutub al-sittah. Akhirnya, ulama banyak yang terpaku pada Islam abad III H. Hasilnya, mulai abad ke-4 H umat Islam mulai mandek, dan semakin abad semakin tertinggallah kejayaan umat Islam dalam bidang ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi! Turut prihatin! Wasalam, chodjim - Original Message - From: Dan To: wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 12:28 PM Subject: [wanita-muslimah] Re: Turki: Revisi Radikal atas Hadis Memang saya juga kan selalu berpendapat bahwa buku hadits yg ditulis ratusan tahun setelah wafatnya RasuluLlah dg koleksi ratusan ribu hadits itu kan pasti cuma karangan manusia. Niatnya mungkin baik yaitu mencari dasar hukum bagi perkembangan masyarakat yg dinamis. Tapi kenyataannya setelah diberhalakan maka hasilnya pasti akan kacau sesuai dg apapun hasil pemberhalaan. Buku hadits bagi saya hanyalah hasil ijtihad budaya Arab bukan sabda Allah. Setiap ijtihad ialah upaya manusia. Upaya manusia yg harus terus menerus dikoreksi dan demi kemajuan. Recent Activity a.. 19New Members Visit Your Group Biz Resources Y! Small Business Articles, tools, forms, and more. Y! Messenger PC-to-PC calls Call your friends worldwide - free! All-Bran Day 10 Club on Yahoo! Groups Feel better with fiber. . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[wanita-muslimah] Re: Turki: Revisi Radikal atas Hadis
Memang saya juga kan selalu berpendapat bahwa buku hadits yg ditulis ratusan tahun setelah wafatnya RasuluLlah dg koleksi ratusan ribu hadits itu kan pasti cuma karangan manusia. Niatnya mungkin baik yaitu mencari dasar hukum bagi perkembangan masyarakat yg dinamis. Tapi kenyataannya setelah diberhalakan maka hasilnya pasti akan kacau sesuai dg apapun hasil pemberhalaan. Buku hadits bagi saya hanyalah hasil ijtihad budaya Arab bukan sabda Allah. Setiap ijtihad ialah upaya manusia. Upaya manusia yg harus terus menerus dikoreksi dan demi kemajuan. --- In wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com, "Dwi W. Soegardi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Departemen Agama Turki membentuk sebuah tim ulama yang bertugas > merevisi hadis-hadis yang menjadi sumber praktek ajaran Islam yang > kontroversial: > - khitan perempuan (female genital mutilation) > - honor killing > - larangan perempuan bepergian > - kekerasan dalam rumah tangga > > Mudah-mudahan usaha ini tidak mati prematur seperti nasib CLD-KHI tim > Pengarusutamaan Gender Depag Indonesia. > > salam, > DWS > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7264903.stm > > Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts > > By Robert Piggott > Religious affairs correspondent, BBC News > > Turkey is preparing to publish a document that represents a > revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam - and a controversial and > radical modernisation of the religion. > > The country's powerful Department of Religious Affairs has > commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University to carry out a > fundamental revision of the Hadith, the second most sacred text in > Islam after the Koran. > > The Hadith is a collection of thousands of sayings reputed to come > from the Prophet Muhammad. > > As such, it is the principal guide for Muslims in interpreting the > Koran and the source of the vast majority of Islamic law, or Sharia. > > But the Turkish state has come to see the Hadith as having an often > negative influence on a society it is in a hurry to modernise, and > believes it responsible for obscuring the original values of Islam. > > It says that a significant number of the sayings were never uttered by > Muhammad, and even some that were need now to be reinterpreted. > > 'Reformation' > > Commentators say the very theology of Islam is being reinterpreted in > order to effect a radical renewal of the religion. > > Its supporters say the spirit of logic and reason inherent in Islam at > its foundation 1,400 years ago are being rediscovered. Some believe it > could represent the beginning of a reformation in the religion. > > Turkish officials have been reticent about the revision of the Hadith > until now, aware of the controversy it is likely to cause among > traditionalist Muslims, but they have spoken to the BBC about the > project, and their ambitious aims for it. > > The forensic examination of the Hadiths has taken place in Ankara > University's School of Theology. > > An adviser to the project, Felix Koerner, says some of the sayings - > also known individually as "hadiths" - can be shown to have been > invented hundreds of years after the Prophet Muhammad died, to serve > the purposes of contemporary society. > > "Unfortunately you can even justify through alleged hadiths, the > Muslim - or pseudo-Muslim - practice of female genital mutilation," he > says. > > "You can find messages which say 'that is what the Prophet ordered us > to do'. But you can show historically how they came into being, as > influences from other cultures, that were then projected onto Islamic > tradition." > > The argument is that Islamic tradition has been gradually hijacked by > various - often conservative - cultures, seeking to use the religion > for various forms of social control. > > Leaders of the Hadith project say successive generations have > embellished the text, attributing their political aims to the Prophet > Muhammad himself. > > Revolutionary > > Turkey is intent on sweeping away that "cultural baggage" and > returning to a form of Islam it claims accords with its original > values and those of the Prophet. > > But this is where the revolutionary nature of the work becomes > apparent. Even some sayings accepted as being genuinely spoken by > Muhammad have been altered and reinterpreted. > > Prof Mehmet Gormez, a senior official in the Department of Religious > Affairs and an expert on the Hadith, gives a telling example. > > "There are some messages that ban women from travelling for three days > or more without their husband's permission and they are genuine. > > "But this isn't a religious ban. It came about because in the > Prophet's time it simply wasn't safe for a woman to travel alone like > that. But as time has passed, people have made permanent what was only > supposed to be a temporary ban for safety reasons." > > The project justifies such bold interference in the 1,400-year-old > content of the Hadith by rigorous academic research. > > Prof Go
[wanita-muslimah] Re: Turki: Revisi Radikal atas Hadis
Di Turki itu memang hidup pendapat bahwa unsur2 Arab dalam Islam itu tidak pelu diadopsi mentah2 begitu. Bangsa Turki bukan bangsa Arab sehingga mereka bilang kan mereka punya budaya sendiri yg tidak perlu dihapus oleh pengaruh budaya Arab. Hal ini sebenarnya valid juga bagi masyarakat di Indonesia. Pendapat ini memang lebih membahas issue identitas budaya secara fundamental filosofis bukannya cuma urusan jilbab. Jilbab itu cuma pakaian dan lebih bernuansa budaya daripada agama. Mengapa perempuan di Indonesia tidak pakai kebaya dan selendang yg dapat di pakai di kepala. Aurat tetap tertutup tapi keindahan budaya busana yg beragam itu tidak perlu diganti dg balutan kain kafan yg seragam. --- In wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com, "rsa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Jadi inget awal mula jihad para jilbaber di tanah air ... terutama di > sejumlah SMA di Jakarta, sebelum akhirnya memasyarakat hingga kini, > dan semoga hingga akhir zaman, betapapun para jilbab haters berulah! > Uniknya tidak ada kasus jilbab di kampus2 di tanah air, tidak spt di > Turki ini ... > > > Turkey academics defy scarf law > > The headscarf issue has divided opinion in Turkey > > A number of Turkish universities have defied a new law allowing women > students to wear Islamic headscarves. Local media reported students > wearing headscarves being turned away from some premises - although > exceptions included the Bosporus University in Istanbul. > > It follows constitutional amendments passed by a huge majority in > parliament and signed into law last week. > > Opposition parties want the law quashed amid fears that Turkey's > strictly secular state could be undermined. > > The main opposition party has said it will ask the Constitutional > Court to quash the law, which it says threatens the division between > religion and state. > > 'Duty to obey' > > One of the amendments states that everyone has the right to equal > treatment from state institutions and the other that "no-one can be > deprived of [his or her] right to higher education". > > Yusuf Ozcan, head of the Higher Education Board, said in a statement > at the weekend that university presidents "have the duty and > responsibility to adjust practices in line with the constitutional > amendment". > > Local media reported three universities in Istanbul, two in Ankara > and five in the western city of Izmir have maintained the ban, along > with universities in six other cities. > > Others have started to allow headscarves on campus. > > Reports say some students were angered by guards asking them to > remove headscarves before entering campuses on Monday. > > But Reuters reports that others obliged without protest. > > "I will follow whatever the rector says," said a student at Ankara > University. She said she was "thinking of taking it off" to get > inside the campus. > > A strict headscarf ban had been in force in Turkish universities > since 1997. The ban came after the staunchly secularist military > exerted pressure to oust a government it saw as too Islamist. > > The changes state that only traditional scarves will be permitted in > universities, tied loosely under the chin. > > Headscarves that cover the neck are still banned, as is the chador > and the all-enveloping burka. > > Story from BBC NEWS: > http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7263879.stm > > Published: 2008/02/25 19:42:44 GMT > > © BBC MMVIII > > > --- In wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com, "rsa" wrote: > > > > Ternyata untuk konteks Jilbab, Indonesia jauh lebih moderat, > > demokratis dan maju daripada Turki ...! > > salam, > > satriyo > > > > > > Turkish appeal against scarf law > > > > By Pam O'Toole > > BBC News > > > ... > > > > Story from BBC NEWS: > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7267519.stm > > > > Published: 2008/02/27 17:22:17 GMT > > > > © BBC MMVIII > > > > > > --- In wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com, "rsa" wrote: > > > > > > Untuk memberikan gambaran sedikit lebih jauh tentang Islam di > > Turki, > > > berikut yang ada di situs BBC New ol ... > > > (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3192647.stm) > > > Semoga bermanfaat. > > > salam, > > > satriyo > > > > > > Islam in Turkey: Odd one out > > > > > > By Roger Hardy > > > BBC Islamic affairs analyst > > > > > > > > > Turkey's modern history makes it virtually unique in the Muslim > > > world. > > > > > > > ... > > > > > > > > Story from BBC NEWS: > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/talking_point/3192647.stm > > > > > > Published: 2003/09/26 12:18:11 GMT > > > > > > © BBC MMVIII > > > > > > > > > --- In wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com, "Dwi W. Soegardi" > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Departemen Agama Turki membentuk sebuah tim ulama yang bertugas > > > > merevisi hadis-hadis yang menjadi sumber praktek ajaran Islam > yang > > > > kontroversial: > > > > - khitan perempuan (female genital mutilation) > > > > -
[wanita-muslimah] Re: Turki: Revisi Radikal atas Hadis
Jadi inget awal mula jihad para jilbaber di tanah air ... terutama di sejumlah SMA di Jakarta, sebelum akhirnya memasyarakat hingga kini, dan semoga hingga akhir zaman, betapapun para jilbab haters berulah! Uniknya tidak ada kasus jilbab di kampus2 di tanah air, tidak spt di Turki ini ... Turkey academics defy scarf law The headscarf issue has divided opinion in Turkey A number of Turkish universities have defied a new law allowing women students to wear Islamic headscarves. Local media reported students wearing headscarves being turned away from some premises - although exceptions included the Bosporus University in Istanbul. It follows constitutional amendments passed by a huge majority in parliament and signed into law last week. Opposition parties want the law quashed amid fears that Turkey's strictly secular state could be undermined. The main opposition party has said it will ask the Constitutional Court to quash the law, which it says threatens the division between religion and state. 'Duty to obey' One of the amendments states that everyone has the right to equal treatment from state institutions and the other that "no-one can be deprived of [his or her] right to higher education". Yusuf Ozcan, head of the Higher Education Board, said in a statement at the weekend that university presidents "have the duty and responsibility to adjust practices in line with the constitutional amendment". Local media reported three universities in Istanbul, two in Ankara and five in the western city of Izmir have maintained the ban, along with universities in six other cities. Others have started to allow headscarves on campus. Reports say some students were angered by guards asking them to remove headscarves before entering campuses on Monday. But Reuters reports that others obliged without protest. "I will follow whatever the rector says," said a student at Ankara University. She said she was "thinking of taking it off" to get inside the campus. A strict headscarf ban had been in force in Turkish universities since 1997. The ban came after the staunchly secularist military exerted pressure to oust a government it saw as too Islamist. The changes state that only traditional scarves will be permitted in universities, tied loosely under the chin. Headscarves that cover the neck are still banned, as is the chador and the all-enveloping burka. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7263879.stm Published: 2008/02/25 19:42:44 GMT © BBC MMVIII --- In wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com, "rsa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Ternyata untuk konteks Jilbab, Indonesia jauh lebih moderat, > demokratis dan maju daripada Turki ...! > salam, > satriyo > > > Turkish appeal against scarf law > > By Pam O'Toole > BBC News > ... > > Story from BBC NEWS: > http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7267519.stm > > Published: 2008/02/27 17:22:17 GMT > > © BBC MMVIII > > > --- In wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com, "rsa" wrote: > > > > Untuk memberikan gambaran sedikit lebih jauh tentang Islam di > Turki, > > berikut yang ada di situs BBC New ol ... > > (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3192647.stm) > > Semoga bermanfaat. > > salam, > > satriyo > > > > Islam in Turkey: Odd one out > > > > By Roger Hardy > > BBC Islamic affairs analyst > > > > > > Turkey's modern history makes it virtually unique in the Muslim > > world. > > > > ... > > > > > Story from BBC NEWS: > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/talking_point/3192647.stm > > > > Published: 2003/09/26 12:18:11 GMT > > > > © BBC MMVIII > > > > > > --- In wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com, "Dwi W. Soegardi" > > wrote: > > > > > > Departemen Agama Turki membentuk sebuah tim ulama yang bertugas > > > merevisi hadis-hadis yang menjadi sumber praktek ajaran Islam yang > > > kontroversial: > > > - khitan perempuan (female genital mutilation) > > > - honor killing > > > - larangan perempuan bepergian > > > - kekerasan dalam rumah tangga > > > > > > Mudah-mudahan usaha ini tidak mati prematur seperti nasib CLD- KHI > > tim > > > Pengarusutamaan Gender Depag Indonesia. > > > > > > salam, > > > DWS > > > > > > > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7264903.stm > > > > > > Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts > > > > > > By Robert Piggott > > > Religious affairs correspondent, BBC News > > > > > ... > > > Story from BBC NEWS: > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/7264903.stm > > > > > > Published: 2008/02/26 14:43:58 GMT > > > > > >
[wanita-muslimah] Re: Turki: Revisi Radikal atas Hadis
Untuk memberikan gambaran sedikit lebih jauh tentang Islam di Turki, berikut yang ada di situs BBC New ol ... (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3192647.stm) Semoga bermanfaat. salam, satriyo Islam in Turkey: Odd one out By Roger Hardy BBC Islamic affairs analyst Turkey's modern history makes it virtually unique in the Muslim world. When the modern Turkish republic was born in 1923, its founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk pushed through what was arguably the most radical programme of secularisation ever attempted in any Muslim society, before or since. Ataturk believed secular nationalism was an essential hallmark of modernity and progress. But in Turkey today the tensions between religion and state are all too apparent. Polarisation Turks are culturally and historically Muslim. They live in a predominantly Muslim region. It is as hard to imagine Turkey without Islam as to think of Istanbul without its famous skyline of mosques and minarets. Secularists see the headscarf as a provocative political symbol Yet the country is polarised between, on the one hand, pious (and sometimes politically active) Muslims and, on the other, the secular urban elite, which includes the powerful military. One sign of this polarisation is the periodic controversy over how women should dress. Muslim women argue that wearing a headscarf is a human right and a religious duty. Secularists see the headscarf as a provocative political symbol, and have managed to get it banned from universities, state schools and government ministries. Islamists vs the generals Since the 1970s there have been a series of Muslim political parties, the latest of which, Justice and Development, came to power with a big majority last year. The military view the current prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as an Islamist in disguise. They have bitter memories of the country's first Islamist prime minister, Necmettin Erbakan, whom they forced from power in 1997 after only a year in office. Attitudes to Islam colour the way the European Union sees Turkey's aspirations for membership Justice and Development reject the Islamist label. They say they accept the secular state, and claim to be Muslim Democrats rather like Europe's Christian Democrats. But the issue of religion refuses to go away, and is a visible or invisible factor in both domestic and foreign policy. Between East and West Attitudes to Islam colour the way the European Union sees Turkey's aspirations for membership, even though European politicians seldom mention it out loud. Under the EU's official criteria, the country must meet certain political and economic requirements, such as improving human rights. But lurking in the background is the cultural question. Is the EU, in reality, a Christian club? Or is it conceivable that a Muslim country, already a Nato member, could one day become a member? In its foreign relations, Turkey tries to face both ways. Wealthy Muslim states such as Saudi Arabia are important trading partners. But this does not stop the Turks having an important (if low-key) military partnership with Israel. Optimists see Turkey as a model for other Muslim societies - a pro- Western state, practising multi-party democracy, which has turned its back on Muslim radicalism. Others believe the Turks have yet to resolve a deep-seated crisis of identity. What do you think? Send us your comments using the form at the bottom of the page. Your comments: Turkey is a good example of what a Muslim country should be H.Mufti, Turkey I am a Muslim and have been living in Turkey for seven years. I find that it is the most moderate and comfortable Muslim country to live in. You can go to the bar or to the mosque, it is your choice. You can wear bikini on the beach or a headscarf in the street, no one will hold a stick to force you to pray or to fast in Ramadan (as in some Muslim countries). It is only when Muslims recognize each other's rights and freedoms that the Islamic world would really prosper and advance. Yes Turkey is a good example of what a Muslim country should be. H.Mufti, Turkey I went to Istanbul again this spring, the first time after 9 years. The difference was considerable. Girls in school uniforms, a common thing in 1994, have nearly disappeared from the streets, almost a third of women do now wear a headscarf. While turkey gave the impression of a lively Mediterranean country during my last stay, there was something new and quiet. Xenia, Austria Turkey will not have a great future as long it is continues oppressing it's own people as well as Islam. Democracy is absent in Turkey. Nima, USA People need to be a little more realistic in their praise of the Turkish Republic Sina Yousefi, USA If you are going to praise Turkey, don't do so because it supports the U.S. and Israel. I think Turkey's model of secular democracy has created
[wanita-muslimah] Re: Turki: Revisi Radikal atas Hadis
Salam, Di BBC, Felix Koerner disebut (hanya) sebagai 'an advisor to the project' ... tapi lain dengan berita dari RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty (RFE/RL) di bawah ini ... yang 'tayang' lebih dari 1 th lalu ... Berita usang didaur ulang? Nah apakah persamaan Proyek Ankara besutan 'Ankara School' dan CLDKHI yang dinakhodai Musda Mulia dkk di Indonesia yang mencatut nama Depag itu? Keduanya mendapat sokongan non-muslim yang ingin Islam juga direformasi sebagaimana dulu Katolik direformasi menjadi Protestan, dan sekarang masih berlanjut menjadi aliran Liberla dalam dua badan besar gereja nasrani dunia itu ... Sebagaimana Kakek Rasulullah yang 'menyerahkan' Kabah kepada Pemiliknya, Allah, saat pasukan Kristen Ethiopia bergajah Abrahah akan melumatkannya, maka ummat Islam pun pada titik tertentu hanya bisa menyerahkan Islam kepada Allah yang menjamin akan tetap menjaganya dari korupsi dan akal-akalan mereka yang tidak suka dengan isinya, termasuk terkait juga dengan Hadis Rasulullah. Sebelum itu maka ummat hanya dapat berbuat sebatas kemampuannya yaitu memastikan bahwa pesan-pesan Allah yang langsung muncul dalam Al-Qur'an, dan juga melalui tauladan Rasul dalam Hadis dan Sunnah Beliau, tetap bersih dari rekayasa berbagai pihak dengan beragam alasan dan dukungan penuh dari luar Islam. Allaahu a'lam ... salam, Satriyo Wednesday, November 29, 2006 Turkey: Islamic Reformers Look Back To Future By Jeffrey Donovan (epa) ANKARA, November 29, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- On a dusty road atop a hill in a working-class neighborhood of Ankara, a German Catholic priest meets regularly with Muslim theologians. Together, as friends, they drink tea and debate the meaning of life. Clash of civilizations? Not here. At first glance, Felix Koerner might appear to be an odd ambassador for Islam. Tall, blond, and German, Koerner is a Roman Catholic priest. But he also happens to be a leading authority on a burgeoning theological movement in the Turkish capital that aims to reconcile Islam with modernity. "When Arabs ask, 'But can a Turk really be a good Muslim theologian, because he doesn't know Arabic?' Well, they all know Arabic very well," Koerner says. "But they shed another light on Islam -- by bringing in [reflections from] Western philosophy, sometimes Christian theology, even." The result, according to Koerner and Turkish theologians and historians interviewed here, is not a distortion of Islam. Rather, it is a deeper view, based on a fuller appreciation of the religion's traditions and literature. The 'Ankara School' Koerner, who has lived here for several years, is a frequent guest of the Theological Faculty of Ankara University. Some of the theologians and historians there make up the so-called Ankara School, an informal group whose mission is to help forge a "modern Islam" that is also faithful Islamic tradition. Felix Koerner (RFE/RL)At the heart of their work, which has the approval of Turkey's state religious authorities, is a rejection of the literalist reading of the Koran. "Some verses in the Koran are [about] war," says Nahide Bozkurt, an Islamic historian who has written a Turkish textbook about the life of the Prophet Muhammad. "We can't understand the holy book in a literal way, because the name of the religion is Islam. 'Islam' means peace." Bozkurt is currently working on a project to demonstrate that Islam, by its very nature, rejects violence and terrorism. "Some verses in the Koran are [about] war. We can't understand the holy book in a literal way, because the name of the religion is Islam. 'Islam' means peace." She is convinced that Islam's vast literature must be understood in its historical context. Bozkurt also thinks the narratives and biographies of Muhammad that appeared in the centuries after his death in 632 must also be carefully checked for accuracy and seen in their historical setting. Tradition Of Rethinking? But when many Muslims see the Koran as the literal word of God, interpretation can be a tricky business. "To prove that rethinking is something traditional is a challenge they also face, which is important for themselves, for their critical friends in the non-Turkish world, but also in their own country," Koerner says. To Mehmet Pacaci, however, "rethinking" is clearly more traditional than literalism. Pacaci is among the leading theologians of the Ankara School. He also has studied in Germany and read the classics of Christianity and Judaism. He calls Koerner a friend and, together with others, they often meet over tea and debate the meaning of their faiths and ways of interpreting them. To Pacaci, literalism is a modern movement that began in Egypt in the 19th century. He calls it a superficial way of understanding Islam, one that rejects the centuries-old tradition of understanding not only from the Koran but also from the literature that followed Muhammad, as well as the conse
