Action Points for Defeating the Extremist Ideology
By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam
09 April, 2015
The extremist ideology is not very much different from the current state of the defective Islamic theology of all sects. The extremists are only extreme in their actions and it is not without justification that the Islamophobes call them more Muslim than the “moderates”. It is therefore impossible for the moderates to defeat the extremists ideologically, without accepting and correcting their defective theology.
The extremists act on the following presumptions which find support in the defective Islamic theology of every sect.
1. All those who are not followers of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) are “Kafir”
2. The Prophet was fighting battles against the “Kafirin” to end “Kufr”
3. Apostates of Islam deserve the death penalty
The extremists cannot be defeated ideologically unless all the above three presumptions which have become the accepted doctrines of Islamic theology and taught in seminaries are rejected and the Islamic theology cleansed of this utter nonsense.
The correct position is:
1. Only the oppressors and persecutors are Kafir. In the temporal sphere, the term Kafir is faith neutral.
2. The Prophet fought battles only against the oppressors to end religious persecution. The Quran does not sanction waging war to end “disbelief” since there is no compulsion in religion.
3. There is no punishment prescribed in the Quran for apostasy or blasphemy.
Each issue is covered exhaustively in my articles with full evidence from the Quran.
Who Is A Kafir In The Quran? (Part 1): 'Kafir,' 'Mushrik' and 'Idolater' are not synonyms
Who Is A Kafir In The Quran? (Part 2): Muslim– Non-Muslim Relationship
Who is a Kafir in the Quran? (Part 4) Defining Kufr
The Story of the Prophetic Mission of Muhammad (pbuh) in the Qur’an (Concluding Part) Summary
The action point is to build consensus on these points so that the extremists are truly isolated and defeated. Right now, everyone starting from Al Azhar is only paying lip service. We must demand that every important seminary come clean on their position on each of the three points. This will not be easy. There will be debate and discussion but let there be transparency in place of the hypocrisy of paying only lip service. I urge the Government of India to initiate this process. This is in the interest of every Muslim and every citizen of the country. The seminaries of India can lead the world in ending the scourge of extremism besides correcting the defective doctrines based on a very parochial interpretation that goes against the clear word and message of the Quran. Let us free the Quran from centuries of Kufr heaped on it by poor scholarship that values parochialism over the truth.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/action-points-defeating-extremist-ideology/d/102366