Islamic Scholars Gather in the Gulf, Insist Islam is Totally Peaceful

There's a "major peace forum" taking place over in Abu Dhabi, and participants are falling all over each other to trumpet the inherent peacefulness of their religion. Shaikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, for instance,

stressed that Islam at its core is a religion of peace and moderation.

“I am afraid that if I talk about peace like last year, people will be saying what peace are you talking about, but mercy and peace are inside Islam, and not outside of it...

“A lot of people think that Islam is the source of problems happening in the Muslim world, the biggest problem we have is identifying what gave birth to these conditions. A central point some people raise is that religion is the problem, however it’s not religion but the craft of religiosity and how it is applied. When it is not understood this can become corrupting, and so it can go from mercy to war.”

One might venture that what gave birth to them is the supremacism and jihad embedded in Islam's core texts and teachings, but I'm pretty sure the Shaikh would see that analysis as "flawed."

Another participant, Shaikh Ahmad Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar University, thinks he has a handle on how to control the extremists. After all, says the imam,

“It is certain that the Quran insists against murder, the Quran equalises the injustice on one soul to the whole of humanity. Islam prohibits the intimidation of others, even in a joking manner. A Muslim relationship with others is one of friendship and companionship.” 

Good to know, Grand Imam. But then how do you account for the following?

• Re no murder allowed: Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief or unrest] is worse than killing...
  but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful.   And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone.  But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)" 
• Re equalizing injustice on one soul: yeah, that one doesn't really hold up, either.
• Re a Muslim relationship with others: ditto.

The real problem here is that these holy men are hamstrung by their certainty that the Koran and Islam's founder are sheer perfection. It is therefore impossible for them to repudiate any part of the Koran and the similarly sacrosanct teachings and traditions that arose from it. As a result, they resort to Bin Bayyah's sort of bafflegab and spin, claiming that "religiosity" and not religion is to blame. If anyone is aware of the duplicity, it's the extremists. Which is why "peace conferences" such as this one will never be able to persuade the jihad-minded that they have somehow misread what, in Islamic holy texts, is as plain as day.