Peace Be Upon Us.(what the world will look like in 2012)(Islamic countries)(Brief Article)

Last winter, when Pakistan's Islamic extremist groups were whipping up anti-American frenzy against the war in Afghanistan, a firebrand sheik held a rally in Islamabad. He railed against the foreign media as imperialist lackeys. He lashed out at the Zionist-controlled newspapers and anti-Muslim television broadcasts. Then he paused mid-rant and smiled graciously down at the bank of Western photographers. The Western media were evil, he continued--"except, of course, for our esteemed guests here. Welcome to our country."

So much for the clash of civilizations. Though Washington hawks and Muslim militants play up a rising extremism, the likely future for Muslim civilization is not so melodramatic. After the shock of September 11, the next decade will likely see a slow reformation, as moderate Muslims seize back the religion that, as American Muslim scholar Hamza Yusuf says, "was hijacked along with the planes" that toppled the World Trade Center.

As war looms over Iraq and conflict racks the Middle East, what cause for optimism could there be? The rest of the Muslim world. In a recent British poll of nearly 5,000 people 15 to 25 years old in nine Muslim countries, the young respondents voted the United States their favorite country in the world. And last month a U.N. report damned the lack of freedom, development and access to knowledge in nearly all Arab countries. It was written by distinguished Arabs. The fact is, there's less distance between Western and Muslim world views than 9-11 made us think.

There's a new strain of honest self-appraisal in writings on Islam as well. Scholars like Muhammed Shahrur, Said Binsaid and Fatima Mernissi are re-examining the Qur'an. Their readings show that Islam isn't the hidebound dogma of obscurantists but a rich and flexible faith, as compatible with humanist values in Seattle or Stockholm as in Quetta and Qom. "Until recently, there's been a view of Islamic tradition as static and unchangeable," notes Abdullahi an-Naim, author of "Toward an Islamic Reformation." "It's downplayed the role of human agency in ...