How do we determine if a Muslim is a Moderate or a Fundamentalist?

How do we determine if a Muslim is a moderate or a fundamentalist? Is there any way to tell them apart? Christians are quick to make the distinction between Fred Phelps and themselves by pointing out that he is "The Westboro Baptist Church". We have nomenclature that we use to identify and separate them from the moderates. There appears to exist no such nomenclature in Islam. There are no definitions or terms to determine who wants to stab me in the throat for drawing a cartoon and who wants to live together in peace and prosperity without violence. Perhaps they could start identifying themselves based upon which Mosque that they pray at? Maybe a selection of questions could be used to determine who wants to murder me and who wants to live together in peace?

1) Do you believe that Free Speech should include the right to blasphemy?
1) A) What do you think the penalty for blasphemy should be?

2) Do you believe that a Muslim should be allowed to leave the Islamic faith?
2) B) What should be the penalty for a person who leaves Islam?

3) Do you take the Qur'an literally word for word or do you interpret some of it differently than the literal meaning?
3) A) What should be the punishment for someone who does not take the Qur'an literally?

If anyone knows of ANY way to separate the fundamentalists from the moderates I would be interested to know it or if you have any suggestions for questions that could be asked it would help as well. I know that some would argue that there are no moderate Muslims but I find that preposterous. We just need to find a way to figure out how to differentiate between them.

reply to post by idonotcollectstamps


it's easy :

you bomb his village, you rape his daughter;
if he kneel down and lick your shoes he's a moderate

if he's in full rage he's an extremist fondamentalist

well that's how the western armies make the selection anyway and they hardly ever make a mistake (they say);

this being said i'm not sure yourself have any selection to do at your level

reply to post by idonotcollectstamps


Just mention ISRAEL to them and watch them blow a gasket...

My understanding is that the quickest way is to ask about female dress. If they go for a burqa, then they're fundamentalist. If hijab is enough, then they're moderates. That's my understanding of the situation, anyhow.

Is it possible that some people are just nuts, with or without religion? Does anyone need to be put into one group or the other? Do you (OP) have personal experience with Muslims who want to "stab you in the throat"? Is it wrong for someone to take their faith as seriously, literally, or nonchalantly as they please? I don't believe any rational person of sound mind and body would naturally be drawn to the"fundamentalist" side of any religion. Maybe we need to look at what it is about fundamentalism that draws so many ardent followers, despite the fact that it takes a concentrated effort to convince someone that their god is best. This isn't a natural human instinct is it? It must be taught and reinforced, and the student must be kept from all other outside influences.

You won't be able to tell which Muslims want to "stab you", just as no one could've predicted that Jared Loughner was going to do what he (has been accused of) did, when it happened. Or Columbine. Or the guy that blew himself up 100 feet away from me at a polling station when I was in Iraq. Some people are just nuts.

reply to post by ZeroReady


I think it's highly likely that some people are crazy without religion, but hardcore fundamentalists make it easy to spot a whole gaggle of potential loonies. Idealogical fundamentalist, regardless of the flavor, is a natural breeding ground for nutjobs.

being a fundamentalist must be brainwashing...it just must...wanting to take someones life just because they don't believe or have different beliefs is quite upsetting to say the least.

Cut him in half and count the rings...

Originally posted by idonotcollectstamps
How do we determine if a Muslim is a moderate or a fundamentalist?

The same way you tell if ANY person is someone you would like or someone you might fear. You get to know them.

I would think that if you got to know someone, even just a little bit, you'd have a good idea of their thoughts on issues. Most Christians don't wear a banner saying that they don't like Fred Phelps, but after a conversation with them, I can usually tell how important a role religion plays in their lives and to what degree they follow that religion. I don't have to come right out and ask, "So, you hate gays or what"?

There are no definitions or terms to determine who wants to stab me in the throat for drawing a cartoon and who wants to live together in peace and prosperity without violence.

How about "murderer" and "normal person"? WHY does their religion matter if they want to stab you?

Maybe a selection of questions could be used to determine who wants to murder me and who wants to live together in peace?

Are you going to walk up to people on the street and ask them these questions? I'm having a hard time understanding why you have to know this about people without simply getting to know them.

How do you tell the good rappers from the bad?
How do you tell the honest women from the lying, manipulative ones?
How do you know if someone is going to steal from you or not?
How do you know if someone is a criminal or not. (They don't wear a banner)

NO ONE goes around with labels on their foreheads as to their trustworthiness and honor. You have to get to know people to determine that.

If anyone knows of ANY way to separate the fundamentalists from the moderates I would be interested to know it

How about if you get to know someone for who they are, not what religion they practice? And in that process, you will find out all sorts of things about them.

I'm not sure why you need to determine the extent of someone's religious beliefs before you even get to know them. A fundamentalist isn't necessarily going to murder you. Fundamentalist Christians don't approach you in hopes of murdering you, do they?

The people who murder are not fundamentalist Muslims. They are criminals.

Also, I think the Nazis had a worked out a solution to your problem, whereby they issued everyone their own "papers", which were to be displayed uponn request by a govt employee. This way, those that were deemed a threat because of their religion or nationality could be easily identified and dealt with. Perhaps you should check into this, and let us know what ended up happening to the the Nazi party...

I would argue that I CAN determine if someone will want to kill me before even meeting them based on their religious beliefs. I do not need to meet someone and get to know them to determine that they want to cut my head off. If someone says that Blasphemy against Mohammed, the Qur'an or Islam should be punishable by death I KNOW what is going to happen the very second that I reach out my hand to make their acquaintance.

You CANNOT be a member of the Westboro Baptist Church and think that God LIKES homosexuals.
You CAN be a Shia Muslim and want to cut off peoples heads for drawing a picture of Mohammed.
You CAN be a Shia Muslim and not mind if your daughter marries someone from a different religion.
You CAN be a Sunni Muslim and not really care if someone burns a Qur'an.
You CAN be a Sunni Muslim and want to blow up a market of people shopping for food.

By Moderate Islam specifically not making any effort to differentiate themselves from the fundamentalists they are in the crossfire.

reply to post by idonotcollectstamps


This is more a personal question along the lines of secret societies you belong to or sexual preference. Maybe we can get them to wear a pin? I say just call the FBI on anyone suspicious. Their job to weed them all out.