"I REGARD Islam first of all as a living organism, a religion that grows with the pulse of humanity’s development. Islam is not a lifeless monument that was sculpted in the 7th century AD, and seen as a beautiful icon which cannot be touched by history.”

That is the opening paragraph of Ulil Abshar Abdalla’s piece titled Menyegarkan Kembali Pemahaman Islam (Refreshing the Understanding of Islam), which appeared in the November 18, 2002 edit