Finaly got round to watching the Quran documentary.

I thought it was quite good. It was aimed non-Muslims and tried to dispel misconceptions about the Quran. It's fair to say that most non-Muslims have either a negative or ambivalent view of the Quran. Those who have a negative view of the Quran assume that it justifies terrorism and subjugates women. But in order to dispel these misconceptions the programme first entertains these misconceptions.

Terrorism is a major issue for people these days and most people instantly associate terrorism with Muslims. So, the programme began with a would-be suicide-bomber using Islam to justify his terrorism. But immediately afterwards a contributor talks about how the Quran is not about killing but about about tolerance and mercy. Then a man beautifully recites the Quran.

On the issue of women various people discuss their views. A daughter argues with her mother over a verse in the Quran regarding the hijaab. A niqaabi speaks about the same verse. Differences of opinion are laid out to show that there is no black and white but different people take different stances on issues like this. A scene of female genital mutilation is shown. Then a scholar from Al Azhar justifies it. Then Ajmal Masroor unequivocally condemns it and says it is not allowed.

The German studies which were critical of the origins of the Quran have been questioned by leading academics. You might have missed it but the narrator says as much. So, in this documentary - which had to have a bit of balance - the criticism of the Quran was weak and easily countered. Even Taj Hargey argued against these studies.

Contributors to the programme came from various different backgrounds. I'm sure everyone on this board saw a contributor on that programme that they admired. They had Sufis, scholars from Al Azhar and Qom, Tariq Ramadan, Ajmal Masroor, Muslims from Iran and Egypt, even people generaly critical of mainstream Muslims (ie Tag Hargey and Patrick Sookhdeo). There was something for everyone. I liked Abdal Hakim Murad calling the Quran an "amazing, radioactive, glorious peace of thunder." There was even the customary dissing of the Salafis.

The programme wasn't trying to promote one interpretation of the Quran over another but to show that there are various interpretations. Interpretations which are inspired by a mixture of individual choice, tradition, culture, and political and social upheaval. The programme ends by saying that one continuous message in the Quran is "think, and think again". In other words before watching this programme you thought the Quran encourages terrorism and oppresses women, now think again.

Remember the programme-makers aren't out to convert people to Islam or to put people off from Islam. They are merely trying to inform. This was a short entertaining introduction to the place of the Quran in the modern Muslim world. It is not a fatwa.

OK, we weren't going to agree with 100% of it but at least it allowed common misconceptions to be countered. I felt the wife beating thing was poorly explained, Dr Jamal Bardawi who wasn't on the programme has explained it really well, the beating in Arabic is nothing like beating in English. Plus there is more evidence to say it isn't allowed.

Thumbs up to Timothy Walker (he's a Muslim), Tariq Ramadhan and Ajmal Masroor (he presents Week in Review on the Islam Channel)!
I really like how that Egyptian woman/girl defended the Hijab in front of her parents and showed how it gave her respect.
That Iranian said that circumcision is allowed because it makes a woman chaste, but how come most chaste women are uncircumcised? Liked Ajmal Masroor's response that it wasn't happening where the Prophet was and it comes under harming people, which is Haram, no doubt about that.
The German guy seemed to think that the Quran has to be taken literally when it comes to Jannah so that bit has to be in Assyrian. Why does it? Surely we should look at how the Arabs understood it in ARABIC?
I suppose we have to think, and think again. And question everything.

Channel 4 had a program called 'Who wrote the Bible" which was shown on Christmas Day which made my friend stop believing in Christianity.

So it could have been worse.

There's no point in Channel 4 making a show about the Torah because there are so few Jews living in Britain so it's not an issue.