Hope: The St. Petersburg Declaration

[PoliticalChic]

The St. Petersburg Declaration
April 5, 2007

We are secular Muslims, and secular persons of Muslim societies. We are believers, doubters, and unbelievers, brought together by a great struggle, not between the West and Islam, but between the free and the unfree.

We affirm the inviolable freedom of the individual conscience. We believe in the equality of all human persons.

We insist upon the separation of religion from state and the observance of universal human rights.

We find traditions of liberty, rationality, and tolerance in the rich histories of pre-Islamic and Islamic societies. These values do not belong to the West or the East; they are the common moral heritage of humankind.

We see no colonialism, racism, or so-called "Islamaphobia" in submitting Islamic practices to criticism or condemnation when they violate human reason or rights.
We call on the governments of the world to

• reject Sharia law, fatwa courts, clerical rule, and state-sanctioned religion in all their forms; oppose all penalties for blasphemy and apostasy, in accordance with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights;

• eliminate practices, such as female circumcision, honor killing, forced veiling, and forced marriage, that further the oppression of women;

• protect sexual and gender minorities from persecution and violence;

• reform sectarian education that teaches intolerance and bigotry towards non-Muslims;

• and foster an open public sphere in which all matters may be discussed without coercion or intimidation.

We demand the release of Islam from its captivity to the totalitarian ambitions of power-hungry men and the rigid strictures of orthodoxy.

We enjoin academics and thinkers everywhere to embark on a fearless examination of the origins and sources of Islam, and to promulgate the ideals of free scientific and spiritual inquiry through cross-cultural translation, publishing, and the mass media.

We say to Muslim believers: there is a noble future for Islam as a personal faith, not a political doctrine;

to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Baha'is, and all members of non-Muslim faith communities: we stand with you as free and equal citizens;

and to nonbelievers: we defend your unqualified liberty to question and dissent.
Before any of us is a member of the Umma, the Body of Christ, or the Chosen People, we are all members of the community of conscience, the people who must choose for themselves.

Endorsed by:
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Magdi Allam
Mithal Al-Alusi
Shaker Al-Nabulsi
Nonie Darwish
Afshin Ellian
Tawfik Hamid
Shahriar Kabir
Hasan Mahmud
Wafa Sultan
Amir Taheri
Ibn Warraq
Manda Zand Ervin
Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi
ISIS | Center for Inquiry

 

[Lokiate]

That's what they say. Let's see what they actually do.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Kinda hopin' that some of our Muslim friends would agree...

 

[AVG-JOE]

To hope!

To hoping for the best! ​

 

[PoliticalChic]

That's what they say. Let's see what they actually do.

What they do...is sign their names to this document in the face of the kinds of violence and murder that we've all seen by their opposite number.

I'd say that that is pretty brave.

 

[PoliticalChic]

To hope!

To hoping for the best! ​

Amen.

(it wouldn't let me add a rep...)

 

[AVG-JOE]

To hope!

To hoping for the best! ​

Amen.

(it wouldn't let me add a rep...)

It's the thought that counts, PC.

Mahallo!

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

We are secular Muslims…

There is no reason to doubt their sincerity and indeed such a ‘declaration’ is unnecessary given the fact the issues noted are not sanctioned tenets of Islam. Issues such as female circumcision, honor killing, and forced veiling are cultural, not religious, practices. Elimination of these practices is indeed necessary for the advancement of any civilized society but it is not incumbent upon Muslims alone to see reforms enacted.

 

[PoliticalChic]

We are secular Muslims…

There is no reason to doubt their sincerity and indeed such a ‘declaration’ is unnecessary given the fact the issues noted are not sanctioned tenets of Islam. Issues such as female circumcision, honor killing, and forced veiling are cultural, not religious, practices. Elimination of these practices is indeed necessary for the advancement of any civilized society but it is not incumbent upon Muslims alone to see reforms enacted.

"There is no reason to doubt their sincerity ..."
Agreed.

"...such a ‘declaration’ is unnecessary given the fact the issues noted are not sanctioned tenets of Islam."

Be serious, Jonesy...

On which donkey would you pin the issues discussed?
The issues need to be discussed, and it is eminently clear to all who will have to deal with them.


"Elimination of these practices is indeed necessary..."
Got my vote on that.

 

[OODA_Loop]

May I propose a no wiping your ass with your hand amendment to the Declaration?

 

[Lokiate]

That's what they say. Let's see what they actually do.

What they do...is sign their names to this document in the face of the kinds of violence and murder that we've all seen by their opposite number.

I'd say that that is pretty brave.

Signing a piece of paper isn't proof of change.

 

[PoliticalChic]

That's what they say. Let's see what they actually do.

What they do...is sign their names to this document in the face of the kinds of violence and murder that we've all seen by their opposite number.

I'd say that that is pretty brave.

Signing a piece of paper isn't proof of change.

Do you understand that these folks are merely private citizens...albeiit citizens who achieved a degree of celebrity?

They are not government officials, they are attempting to be paragons.

Not sure what you are asking of them?

 

[AVG-JOE]

We are secular Muslims…

There is no reason to doubt their sincerity and indeed such a ‘declaration’ is unnecessary given the fact the issues noted are not sanctioned tenets of Islam. Issues such as female circumcision, honor killing, and forced veiling are cultural, not religious, practices. Elimination of these practices is indeed necessary for the advancement of any civilized society but it is not incumbent upon Muslims alone to see reforms enacted.

Isn't that like saying baptists hiding their beer bottles behind paper bags is cultural and not religious?

I mean, who cares if it's not in the Bible? It's generally accepted as part of the Baptist sect, and to those unschooled in the intricacies of sectarian Christianity, it might appear to be a "Christian thing".

I tend to associate the things listed in the O/P with "Islam" and "The Islamic World" and I don't believe I'm alone. Besides, what better way to foment a cultural enlightenment than to work towards religious enlightenment in the faith that 90% of people subscribing to abhorrent cultural practices believe in? Especially when, as you pointed out, their religion is actually either silent on, or against those practices, and it tends to be the leadership and clerics that want to lead their flocks via tradition in a progressive vacuum!

 

[AVG-JOE]

That's what they say. Let's see what they actually do.

What they do...is sign their names to this document in the face of the kinds of violence and murder that we've all seen by their opposite number.

I'd say that that is pretty brave.

Signing a piece of paper isn't proof of change.

Neither was the signing of The Declaration of Independence in 1776, but it gave like-minded people a starting position to WORK toward the changes the document inspired.

Don't discount the power of the published word.

 

[Lokiate]

What they do...is sign their names to this document in the face of the kinds of violence and murder that we've all seen by their opposite number.

I'd say that that is pretty brave.

Signing a piece of paper isn't proof of change.

Neither was the signing of The Declaration of Independence in 1776

The two aren't even comparable. The Declaration of Independence was a legal document that declared the American colonies separation from the English empire.

This is a group of people, Muslim and otherwise, who have no bearing or say on what the the clerics, imams, and Ayatollahs do. At best, a comparison to the reforms of early Christianity by Martin Luther would be somewhat accurate.

Don't discount the power of the published word.

Don't discount the fact that this small group of people have no authority over the Islamic part of the world. True reform will come from within, not because some "thinkers" from here and there wrote up a declaration in 2007. It's 2011, the bloody reign of tyrants continues unchallenged, except for small rebellions against reigning dictators who lost favor, and Coalition Forces who are tired of their people being bombed, murdered, threatened, and terrorized by radical extremists.

 

[Lokiate]

Do you understand that these folks are merely private citizens...albeiit citizens who achieved a degree of celebrity?

Yes, and we may as well get Lindsay Lohan, and Tara Reid in on this deal, because it doesn't mean dick to the Caliphates, Ayatollahs, or Muftis. What's going to change and reform Islam is the Muslims themselves, not the words of apostates, and kaffirs, which are what these people are viewed as by Islam.

They are not government officials, they are attempting to be paragons.

Not sure what you are asking of them?

What I expect from them is absolutely nothing. It's a nice gesture, but in all reallity, it will hold no meaning. Islam will not reform until the people of the Middle East and Northern Africa change. The problem is not with Islam, but with violent men trapped in the 15th century. The attitudes of an entire geographical region have to change before any real reform can be made, that shit doesn't happen overnight, and a handful of liberally religious adherents and kaffirs is only going to strengthen the resolve of the people who need to change the most.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Do you understand that these folks are merely private citizens...albeiit citizens who achieved a degree of celebrity?

Yes, and we may as well get Lindsay Lohan, and Tara Reid in on this deal, because it doesn't mean dick to the Caliphates, Ayatollahs, or Muftis. What's going to change and reform Islam is the Muslims themselves, not the words of apostates, and kaffirs, which are what these people are viewed as by Islam.

They are not government officials, they are attempting to be paragons.

Not sure what you are asking of them?

What I expect from them is absolutely nothing. It's a nice gesture, but in all reallity, it will hold no meaning. Islam will not reform until the people of the Middle East and Northern Africa change. The problem is not with Islam, but with violent men trapped in the 15th century. The attitudes of an entire geographical region have to change before any real reform can be made, that shit doesn't happen overnight, and a handful of liberally religious adherents and kaffirs is only going to strengthen the resolve of the people who need to change the most.

1. All people are violent. It is our nature. Some sublimate, and watch football...or play chess.

2. It is important to teach that there are socially acceptable outlets for the aggession...and this is exactly what the men and women who signed the document have done.


Regards to your folks, Laufey and Fárbauti. Always enjoyed their work.