[Colin Glassey] Free Will and Islam
Donald Sensing of One Hand Clapping writes in this essay that Islam has a basic problem with the idea of free will, with the idea the humans have the right to choose what to do and what to believe. Here is a quote:
Liberty as we conceive it is at the heart of the conflict. For Muslims, the most desirable state of human society is not one that is free, in the Western sense, but one that is submissive to Allah, according to the dictates of Quran. This state of society is dar al Islam, the world of peace. Anything else is the "world of war." Hence, Islam does not use terms such as free or unfree to refer to nations, but at war with Allah or at peace (through submission) to Allah. And because of the deterministic model of Allah, any form of political repression conducted under Islam's banner is seen as Allah's will. Think Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Taliban.
I can think of very few things that are more harmful to the creation of just society than the belief that humans don't have free will. If we are all just puppets, following a pre-ordained path, then moral choice is impossible, and any attempt to make the world better is very likely to meet with indiference and the stock expression "as god wills it". Why bother to try and change things of everything that has already happened and everything that is going to happen has already been decided?
I'd like to point out what a wonderful thing the Jewish religion was because the Jews were the first people to argue that man could effect real change in the world. The Jews don't really have much concept of the "After Life" because for them, what is most important is making the kingdom of heaven on Earth. In other words, the most important thing to do is to change the world that we live in into something that would please god.
This is such a powerful idea. It assumes that change is not only possible but desireable. It assumes that man is capable of changing the world, of making it better. What a remarkable idea this was, 3,000 years ago. In America, we still believe in this idea.
2:28:13 PM 
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