Something happened on the way to the forum

There are at least four schools of thought in Shariah, and if you go back to the ninth century (if you must, I wouldn’t go there), you will find that you were free to choose which Shariah you wanted to follow, if any. Something then happened on the way to the Forum.

-Mash, from an entry on his blog “-Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying”
On a quest for something much different online this morning, I came across Mash, a moderate Muslim, and his interpretation of the Koran and Sharia law.
It’s a fascinating entry, and I recommend reading it all. He concludes with:

I hope you find the answers I’ve given to be satisfactory. I am sure I am not the only Muslim to have similar thoughts. When you look a little deeper into Islam, and beyond the caricatures and the Fanatics, you might find that the vast majority of practicing devout Muslims live a life of peace and tolerance. It may not fit the image of Islam some people want to see; it may not fit the Clash of Civilizations argument; but it reflects reality.

Polimom – and much of the Western World, I suspect – is immensely concerned with the point he makes here. Is it the vast majority? Does it reflect reality?
His take on his religion, in combination with a relevant article in today’s Washington Post about efforts in West Bengal (India) to overhaul the madrasas (Islamic religious schools), make for an interesting look at a side of Islam we aren’t seeing much of lately.
Two side notes:

• Polimom had a friend years ago – an American woman – who was enamored of the Middle Eastern culture. She married a Muslim man and converted to Islam. I’ve never understood the attraction, personally, but she has given me many examples that sound similar to Mash’s interpretation, above.
• In a recent blog entry, a commenter suggested that the Islam we’re dealing with in the Mid-East right now is comparable to Christianity 250 years ago. I replied that I thought he was off by several centuries. Mash puts the time capsule in the 9th Century. I think he’s right.