“The times are changing and with the change of times, you also have to reinterpret the Koran,” he told The Australian. "Because if you believe that it’s a book for all the times and all the nations, then that book must be yielding new meanings. There are verses about slavery, and the Koran says you must be kind to the slaves. So are the Muslims saying we must have slavery to be kind? The jihadists are interpreting the Koran literally and that’s the problem … Popular Muslims, because of their lack of knowledge about religion, are vulnerable to these sort of teachings.”
Dr Ali, who is writing an academic paper entitled Closing of the Muslim Mind, said even Mohammed was not the “perfect model” as most Muslims believed. Asked if the prophet had character flaws, he said: “Of course — you must look at him as a human being also.”
And then in a later article, I found that he'd been 'nobbled':
Dr Ali has been inundated with complaints from angry Muslims since the story appeared and Australia’s most senior Islamic cleric called for him to be ostracised.
“I have received a number of emails from my fellow Muslims who have taken this opportunity to ridicule me and I do not deny their right to do so,” Dr Ali said. “The description projected by the article in The Australian totally misrepresents the noble character of the Holy Prophet who was sent as a model to humanity. Any part that I may have unwittingly played in this depiction is deeply regretted.”
But, reading between the lines, it looks like he may be sticking by what he said, just wanting to have it put in a context that does not appear to have him denigrating Muhammed. So still somewhat encouraging but a useful lesson too in recognising sensitivities.
Prophet Mohammed not perfect: Islamic scholar: Filed in: Islam, jihadi, Muslim, Muhammed, interpretation, qur'an
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