Intelligence Squared US

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2010

ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE

About This Debate

Is the rise of terrorism and violence justifiably traced to the teachings of Islam, or is this call to war a twisted interpretation of the true Muslim faith? Most of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims are moderates who see Islamic terrorism as a violation of their sacred texts. Is it wrong to let a radical minority represent authentic Islam? Has fear blinded us to its lessons of tolerance and peace?

The Panel

For The Motion

  • Zeba Khan
    Zeba Khan
    FOR THE MOTION
    Zeba Khan
    is a writer and advocate for Muslim-American civic engagement. Born and raised in Ohio by devout Muslim parents, she attended Hebrew school for 9 years all while actively participating in her local Muslim community. In 2008, she launched Muslim-Americans for Obama, an online network to mobilize Muslim-American voters in support of the Obama presidential campaign. Since then, she continues to work on issues of Muslim-American civic engagement and was recognized for her work by the American Society for Muslim Advancement as a 2009 Muslim Leader of Tomorrow.
  • Maajid Nawaz
    Maajid Nawaz
    FOR THE MOTION
    Maajid Nawaz
    is director of the Quilliam Foundation. Formerly, Nawaz served on the UK national leadership for the Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), and was involved in HT for almost 14 years. He was a founding member of HT in Denmark and Pakistan and eventually served four years in an Egyptian prison as a “prisoner of conscience” adopted by Amnesty International. In prison, Maajid gradually began changing his views until finally renouncing the Islamist Ideology for traditional Islam and inclusive politics.

Against The Motion

  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali
    Ayaan Hirsi Ali
    AGAINST THE MOTION
    Ayaan Hirsi Ali
    was born in Somalia and raised a devout Muslim. She escaped an arranged marriage by immigrating to the Netherlands in 1992 and served as a member of the Dutch parliament for 3 years. She has since become an active critic of fundamentalist Islam, an advocate for women's rights and a leader in the campaign to reform Islam, establishing the AHA Foundation in 2007
  • Douglas Murray
    Douglas Murray
    AGAINST THE MOTION
    Douglas Murray
    is a bestselling author and award-winning journalist. He is also founder and director of the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC), a non-partisan think-tank in Westminster, London, which focuses on radicalization and has published work on both Islamist and far-right extremism.

Moderator

John Donvan is an author and correspondent for ABC News. He has served as ABC’s White House Correspondent, along with postings in Moscow, London, Jerusalem and Amman. He is currently writing a book on the history of autism to be published by Crown in 2013.

Poll Results

Pre-Debate Poll Results
41%For | 25% Against | 34%

Post Debate Poll Results
36% For | 55% Against | 9%

Debate Media

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Point/Counterpoint

For

  • There are many verses in the Koran that promote peace and tolerance.
  • Today's radical ideology is closer to fascism than true Islam.
  • The majority of Muslims do not support extremism, and painting Islam as a religion of war will only empower the radicals.
  • Islam prohibits violence, especially the killing of innocent people.

Against

  • There are many verses in the Koran that promote violence and killing.
  • Islam is intolerant toward non-believers—the Koran implies and Hadith clearly state that apostasy is punishable by death.
  • Islam is incompatible with modernity, relying on fixed readings of religious texts from over 1,000 years ago.