Media consultant and Toronto Star columnist Raheel Raza says Muslim peoples around the globe need to be reminded of the Koran's pluralist views of peace and harmony among all nations and faiths.

Raza, who says she sees a lot of parallels between her Muslim faith and the multicultural policies of her adopted Canada, told a group of biblical scholars and clergy here this week that the Koran actually describes Jews and Christians along with Muslims as the "people of the Book."

The Koran is the scripture of Islam. Muslims believe it is the word of Allah (God) as revealed to the prophet Mohammed, Islam's founder.

Contrary to some fundamentalist views, Raza says the Koran does not claim to supercede the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament but actually affirms their validity. In one Koranic verse, the people of the Book are described as "a nation upstanding ... They are in the ranks of the righteous." (3: 113-114).

The secret weapon to neutralizing violent Islamic fundamentalism lies in the pages of the Koran itself, says a Toronto Muslim writer.

Media consultant and Toronto Star columnist Raheel Raza says Muslim peoples around the globe need to be reminded of the Koran's pluralist views of peace and harmony among all nations and faiths.

Raza, who says she sees a lot of parallels between her Muslim faith and the multicultural policies of her adopted Canada, told a group of biblical scholars and clergy here this week that the Koran actually describes Jews and Christians along with Muslims as the "people of the Book."

The Koran is the scripture of Islam. Muslims believe it is the word of Allah (God) as revealed to the prophet Mohammed, Islam's founder.

Contrary to some fundamentalist views, Raza says the Koran does not claim to supercede the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament but actually affirms their validity. In one Koranic verse, the people of the Book are described as "a nation upstanding ... They are in the ranks of the righteous." (3: 113-114).

Exclusivists had come to emphasize subsequent Koranic verses, revealed during wartime, such as those that call for fighting the infidel or caution against taking Jews and Christians as close political allies.

The ultraconservative brand of Islam practised by the Taliban in Afghanistan had its roots in an 18th century movement called Wahhabism. Still practised today in Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism is a puritan form of Islam based on a strictly literal interpretation of scripture and early Islamic tradition.

"Through the use of millions of petro-dollars, Wahhabism has been exported from the former kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Balkans through to the Philippines, much to the dismay of pluralists," said Raza.

"It is said that 80 per cent of American mosques are still under 
Wahhabi influence."

Real faith forbids violence or says it must always be limited or lamented, said Raza.

"I close with words from the Koran that also resonate in the human collective consciousness: "Humanity is one community.' "

sboase@thespec.com or 905-526-2452