Rescuing Authentic and Peace-Loving Islam from the Hijacking of Violent Religious Extremism
By
Prof. Henry Francis B. Espiritu, New Age Islam
20 July 2022
Current
Global Terrorism Is Sponsored By So-Called “Islamist” Extremists And Violent
"Jihadists"
Main
Points:
1. Religious
extremists have killed thousands and thousands of both Muslims and non-Muslims
without conscience and without humane compassion.
2. These
extremists are hijacking the basic tenets of the peaceful and universal
religion of Islam.
3. We need to
move away from Samuel Huntington’s skewed and erroneous scenario of “clash of
civilizations” between non-Muslims and Muslims.
4. To make
matters worse, the hatred felt by religious militancy or violent extremism has
become inseparable from its theology and ideology.
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Factually
speaking, the current global terrorism that is presently sponsored by so-called
“Islamist” extremists and violent "jihadists" are targeted towards
both the non-Muslims and the Muslims alike. Muslims who do not adhere to the
extremists’ violent ideology are considered enemies of this so-called
“Islamist" extremists. Religious extremists have killed thousands and thousands
of innocent lives, both Muslims and non-Muslims without conscience and without
humane compassion. These extremists are hijacking the basic tenets of the
peaceful and universal religion of Islam and seek to destroy its 1,443 glorious
years of cosmopolitan, multicultural, pluralistic and tolerant Islamicate
civilization.
We need to
move away from Samuel Huntington’s skewed and erroneous scenario of “clash of
civilizations” between non-Muslims and Muslims since these different terrorist
groups of so-called “Islamist extremists” and violent jihadists do not
represent the peace-loving religion of Islam as presented in the Qur’an and in
the exemplary conduct of the founder of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad. Terrorists
are simply terrorists and they do not represent the religion they self-identify
with; no matter how these terrorists vehemently declare themselves as
protectors of these religions. Religious extremism of all types is an enemy to
all peace-loving human beings. Truthfully speaking, so-called “religious” terrorists
have no religion since their murderous actions strongly belie their own
self-identification to belong to a particular religion.
Religious
extremism, specifically the so-called “Islamist” type has a naïve, simplistic
and violent-prone bifurcated worldview. Religious extremists partition the
world into “Dar-ul-Islam” (Realm of Islam) and “Dar-ul-Harb”
(Realm of War) in which there is unending conflict between these two realms.
However, in their terroristic acts, even the so-called Realm of Islam is likewise
the domain of the extremists’ commission of murder, violence and wanton
destruction. Innocent civilian Muslims living in Islamic countries are not
immune from attacks by violent extremism. Observing news depicting terroristic
attacks worldwide, one can notice that most of the victims of terroristic
attacks done by extremists who call themselves Mujahideen (jihadists) were
innocent Muslim civilians in predominantly Muslim countries.
Many
violent religious extremist and jihadist groups justify their attacks on
Muslims in predominantly Islamic countries by saying that these Muslims have
become kafirs (unbelievers) and the government as well as leaders of these
countries are purveyors of kufr (apostasy) since these regimes in these Muslim
countries do not adhere to the violent-prone ideology of these religious
extremists. This is why religious terrorists target progressive, secular and
socialist leaders of Islamic countries who adhere to a view of Islam that is
peace-loving, cosmopolitan, pluralistic, inclusive and tolerant: the genuine
Islam of the Qur’an and the practice of the Prophet Muhammad.
It is
really very sad to note that religious extremists and jihadists have threatened
to destroy the wholesome fabric of Islamic civilization and the cosmopolitanism
characterizing the tolerant and diversified Islamicate heritage of worldwide
Muslims. These violent religious extremists are destroying the enlightened
classical Sunni Islamic civilization famous in world history for its culture of
synthesis, universal education, progressive pioneering of development in the
sciences, literature, mathematics, philosophy and arts, as well as its advocacy
of pluralism and tolerance. These extremist groups have totally thrown-out the
regulative Qur'anic principles governing just and defensive warfare, the
peace-loving Islamic ethics and the Islamic civilization's history of tolerance
and toleration. These violent extremist groups who claim to be Muslims
victimize the vast majority of peace-loving Muslims by committing terroristic
acts against innocent Muslim civilians in many Muslim countries who do not
subscribe to religious violence and terrorism.
The true
goal of any authentic faith-tradition is ultimately geared towards
universality, tolerance, amity and harmony. Authentic religion awakens in its
adherents the feelings of well-wishing and goodwill towards other human beings.
Its exponents strive peacefully to pass on the truth that they have discovered
for the benefit of their fellow humans. Such religion, far from causing harm to
society, becomes a driving force towards ethical and social development of all
humanity if utilized for beneficial ends (Cf. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, The Age
of Peace. New Delhi: Good Word Books, 2015; pp.1-26.).
However,
when a particular faith-tradition is hijacked into becoming a violent movement
based on pure animosity and hatred, the adherents of this violent movement
would consider those who are not like-minded to be enemies. They have an
overpowering desire to exterminate the religious “other”. They hold that the
“others” are the obstacles to their avowed goal of global hegemony and they
seek to destroy religious “otherness” so that they can put their own
belief-system as replacement. As a result of this negative thinking, they
divide humanity into two camps: one consisting of their enemies, and the other
of their allies. The moment they have made this distinction between
“us-and-them”, right thereafter, they permit their avowed hatred for the
“other” to conflagrate into virulent and bloody violence against the religious
“other” (See Marc H. Ellis. Unholy Alliance: Religion and Atrocity in our Time.
Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997; pp. xi-xvii.).
To make
matters worse, the hatred felt by religious militancy or violent extremism has
become inseparable from its theology and ideology. They hate others who think
differently from themselves because they hold them to be ideologically in error
and theologically heretical. Experience shows that of all kinds of hatred that
is based on an ideology, more particularly those that are based on religious
dogmatism or fanaticism are the most destructive—and its target is the total
annihilation of enemies. Not until this very end is achieved will violence ever
die down. This is the reason why ideological hatred always assumes the shape of
violence and destruction. When it is found that peaceful means of persuasion
are showing no results, arms are then resorted to, so that all enemies may be
removed from its path. (Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, What Is Islamic Fundamentalism?
Op.cit., pp.19-20.).
According
to the contemporary renowned Islamic pacifist of India, the late Maulana
Wahiduddin Khan Sahib (1925-2021), any religious extremism is a threat to peace
since due to religious fanaticism, its proponents do not stop short of
resorting to destructive activity both to others and to themselves such as
suicide attacks and indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas. While it is a
fact that in these violent activities only a small group is involved, however
this small group has indirect or “quasi support” of the majority, who remained
silent and did not raise any outcry against such inhumanities in the name of
Islam (Cf. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Islam and Peace. New Delhi: Good Word
Books, pp.164-168.).
Peace-loving
Muslims must therefore disown these violent people who simply utilize and
hijack Islam to further hatred and political-religious extremism. If the
majority of peace-loving Muslims will disown these violent extremists, withdraw
their indirect support and out rightly condemn religious extremism and Jihadism,
these fringe groups will lose their mass base of indirect or “quasi-support”.
Consequently, this will be the starting point when religious extremists who are
directly involved in violent activities will hopefully begin to abandon the
path of violence altogether and embrace the path of peace and amity (Cf.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Islam and Peace, Ibid.p.170.).
It is
therefore a very urgent task for the Islamic World and for global Muslims to
undertake proper information and educational campaign as to the genuine and
pristine teachings of Islam by making use of the independent media on a full
scale in order to make people aware of the fact that this violent
interpretation of Islam—as capitalized by both extremist groups and by Western
mainstream media in describing the terroristic activities of so-called Islamic
extremists—is absolutely devoid of basis either in the Qur'an or in the
examples (As-Sunnah) set by the Prophet Muhammad. As opposed to this
misinterpretation, the true values of authentic and peaceful Islam, based on
global amity, universal fraternity, goodwill and sincere well-wishing for
one-and-all should be presented to the general public by the international
independent media, the academe, religious scholars, clergies and international
peace advocates.
If this
authentic interpretation of a peace-loving Islam can be brought to the
attention of the general masses through responsible international independent
media news outfits in cooperation with peaceful Muslims and authentic Islamic
groups (jamaat) all over the world, then there is great hope that those who
have been espousing violent extremist ideology in the name of Islam will
eventually abandon the path of hatred and violence and come back to the genuine
Islam of peace and harmony—“to the home of peace” (See Qur-an 6:127 and 10:25)
as described in the Quran and in the exemplary practice of the Prophet
Muhammad. May it be so!
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An occasional columnist
for New Age Islam, Prof.
Henry Francis B. Espiritu is Associate Professor-7 of Philosophy and Asian
Studies at the University of the Philippines (UP), Cebu City, Philippines. He
was Academic Coordinator of the Political Science Program at UP Cebu from
2011-2014, and Coordinator of Gender and Development (GAD) Office at UP Cebu
from 2015-2016 and from 2018-2019. His research interests include Theoretical
and Applied Ethics, Islamic Studies particularly Sunni jurisprudence (Sunni
Fiqh), Islamic feminist discourses, Islam in interfaith dialogue initiatives,
Islamic environmentalism, Classical Sunni Islamic pedagogy, the writings of
Imam Al-Ghazali on pluralism and tolerance, Islam in the Indian Subcontinent,
Turkish Sufism, Ataturk Studies, Ottoman Studies, Genghis Khan Studies,
Muslim-Christian Dialogue, Middle Eastern Affairs, Peace Studies and Public
Theology.
URL: https://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/peace-loving-violent-religious-extremism/d/127524
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