Indonesians Seek to Export a Modernized Vision of Islam
Carnegie Middle East Center said that The general impression we sometimes get in the West about Islam is one of radicalization,
Leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama’s youth wing, known as Ansor, say
that elements of Shariah, which Muslims consider divine law, are being manipulated by groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda to justify terrorist attacks around the world, invoked to rally fighters to battle in the Middle East and elsewhere, and distorted by movements that seek to turn Islam into a political weapon.
"This classical Islamic perspective continues to possess an extraordinarily powerful authority in the eyes of most Muslims, and is regarded as standard, orthodox Islam." Some interpretations of classical Islamic law teach
that Muslims have a duty to seek out and fight Christians, Jews and followers of Zoroastrianism until they either convert to Islam or submit to its rule and pay a head tax.
Muslim said that But since the 19th century, there have been interpretations followed
by many Muslim states to only defend against attack from non-Muslim states.
Ruud Peters said that There’s a whole library of interpretations of jihad — Muslims must fight non-Muslim states to expand territory, for example,
The Ansor initiative is seen as another move by young Muslims in Indonesia, as well as Islamic clerics
and other Muslim organizations in Europe and the Middle East, to push back against extreme, conservative interpretations of Islam.
Some predominantly Muslim countries have been moving to reinterpret Islamic law within their borders, with some sending delegations to a 2016 international conference of scholars, religious leaders
and clergy members in Morocco on protecting the legal rights of religious minorities living among them.