Newsweek and the Washington Post have joined together to moderate an “interactive conversation on religion” called Muslims Speak Out. The background of the project is explained here:
Back in April, ‘On Faith’ and Georgetown University co-sponsored a panel discussion on “What It Means to Be Muslim in America.’ During that event, Georgetown’s Imam Yahya Hendi questioned why U.S. media rarely acknowledged condemnations of violence and terrorism by Muslim leaders. His comment prompted ‘On Faith’ co-moderator Ms. Sally Quinn to propose devoting a full week of ‘On Faith’ to a discussion among Muslim scholars and authorities on Islam’s views on violence, human rights, and interfaith relations.
Not surprisingly given the participation of Georgetown University, the project is providing a platform for many prominent Islamists around the world including the “spiritual leader” of Hezbollah Hussein Fadlallah, German Brotherhood figure Murad Hoffman, U.S. Brotherhood leaders Muzzamil Siddiqi and Taha Al-Alwani, Tunisian Islamist in exile Rashid Ghannoushi, Tariq Ranmadan, and others. The project provides these individuals with their own personal blog to use for expressing their views and to engage in interaction with readers. An example of how this project is being used to further an Islamist agenda is this statement on jihad by Murad Hoffman which is in accordance with the Muslim Brotherhood doctrne of “Defensive Jihad:
Jihad, properly understood, is the effort made by Muslims fully to implement their faith, regardless of the obstacles subjectively or objectively encountered. Thus, the use of force is a special eventuality of jihad. It is justified in two cases only:
a) to defend the Muslim community against aggression from without and
b) to resist tyranny from within.
Suicide is unconditionally forbidden by the Qur`an (4: 29), regardless of circumstances.