'Moderate' and 'muslim' are not contradictory terms. (def. of oxymoron)
Dr. Jasser IS what can be described as a moderate muslim.
My reasoning for saying that a "Moderate Muslim" is an oxymoron, is because Islam is not a moderate religion.
I direct you to SauronOfMordor's home page. There you will find some interesting excerpts from the Qu'ran and the Sunnah, that provide some background information on Islam.
My thanks to SauronOfMordor for putting together a great home page.
The good doctor aside, Islam is not a religion of caring and understanding for those who do not believe in it. It is a religion of forced conversion, subjugation, and death for nonbelievers. Unlike just about every other religion on this planet where you can be a little bit Christian, or a little bit Jewish, if you are little bit Muslim, there are consequences. Sadat and Salman Rushdie come to mind. It is my belief that if Dr. Zuhdi Jasser were living in a Muslim country, there would already be a "Fatwa" on his life for not being Muslim enough.
Given what I have read of the Muslim Holy texts, and given what Muslims have actually done, both currently and in history, I have come to the conclusion that being a true, devout Muslim, adhering to all of Islam's tenants and teachings, makes it hard, if not impossible, to be a moderate on any issue dealing with non Muslims.
These, of course, are just my opinions on the subject, and not really relevant to anyone else by myself. Hopefully, they will shed some light on my reasoning for saying that "Moderate Muslim" is an oxymoron.
Best Regards to you both.
Sergio
I do believe that there are people who identify themselves as Muslim, who are entirely peaceful and do not believe in using violence in expanding Islam.
My point is that such people are not considered fully Muslim by mainstream Muslims. While there might be moderates who call themselves Muslim, Islam ITSELF is not moderate
Islam was founded by a man who earned his living through armed robbery. Mohammad was a robber, murderer, liar, pedophile, rapist -- I wonder if there's any sort of villainy that Mad Mo did not indulge in. I direct you to my home page for details
An essential aspect of Islam is that Mohammad is considered to be an ideal person who Muslims should strive to emulate. To the degree that a person succeeds in emulating Mohammad, he is emulating a violent psychopath. It would be difficult for this to lead to anything good