Religion and Maturity

There is a welcome entry by the Washington Post on the debate (as opposed to the standard rhetorical assault in the US) on Muslims and Islam.
Cairo, Egypt, is the home of Moez Masoud whom the WaPo describes as a "Muslim televangelist." Thanks to the presence of satellite television, men like Masoud are able to bring a newer, more tolerant interpretation of Islam to an audience (mostly young) eager to hear it.
As an indication of his popularity, the Post says, "his most recent show, a 20-part series that aired this fall on Iqra, one of the region's leading religious channels, attracted millions of viewers from Syria to Morocco. Clips of the show appeared immediately on YouTube, and fans downloaded more than 1.5 million episodes onto their computers."
(It's notable that in the Middle East, as in the rest of the world, younger generations demonstrate their responsiveness technologically--via, among others, YouTube downloads.)
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So what, then, does his message consist of? In his words (via WaPo):
"We will be responsible to God on Judgment Day. He will ask: Did you represent our religion correctly? If you feel happy that non-Muslims are being killed, this is wrong. They are our brothers." And,
"A lot of Muslims act as if we can't enjoy this life, we can only enjoy the afterlife. That is not right. We should enjoy life, enjoy music and art. This life is ours and we should enjoy it. If you really truly love God and feel that all your pleasure comes from God, anything else will pale in comparison."
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This is not the Islam typically presented in the West (at least not in the US) by traditional media. Instead, we're assaulted by the likes of Ann Coulter who likes to say any number of outrageous things. But, more importantly, we frequently hear two other Muslim voices, Ayaan Hirsi Ali (who says "we are war with all Islam"), and Tariq Ramadan. Ramadan, a controversial figure, might be considered Islam's analog to the Reformation's Martin Luther. But Ramadan is viewed with suspicion by some who question his motives--does he say one thing to Western audiences and another to Muslim listeners? He says no, that "I have often been accused of this 'double discourse', and to those who say it, I say - bring the evidence. I am quite clear in what I say. The problem is that many people don't want to hear it, particularly in the media. Most of the stories about me are completely untrue: journalists simply repeat black propaganda from the internet without any corroboration, and it just confirms what they want to believe. Words are used out of context. There is double-talk, yes, but there is also double-hearing. That is what I want to challenge."
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One can only hope, in the months and years ahead, that American audiences will increasingly be exposed to the innumerable voices that speak, as Muslims, for Islam. Complexity in discourse--rather than the repetitious thundering of fundamentalist voices--better serves everyone interested in a more just and humane conversation between people.