An interesting question and answer about some relevant issues today...
> Greetings:
> I have been reading several articles you wrote on the Islam For Today
> website and I'm interested in learning a little more of your views on
> the issue of Islamic extremism. I have seen that several authors have
> described moderate Muslims as lost to complete Westernization; would
> this be a fair characterization or is there some middle ground? What
> sort of beliefs characterize a adherent to Islam who is neither
> hard-line nor virtually secular? I've also seen some discussion of the
> roots of such extremism and the bad fruit produced from it. What kind
> of beliefs and which sects are producing such things? Wahhabbism seems
> to get blamed a lot, I don't fully understand the difference or why it
> is blamed. Last, I'm wondering what sort of recourse there is to
> reclaim Islam from such an end. The consensus seems to be that
> educating both Muslims and non-Muslims is key to changing the Western
> perception that Islam is violent; does that seem to be the best option?
> Thanks very much for taking time to answer my questions. Please let
> me know if I need to clarify in any way.
> Michael
>
>
Michael...
Thank you for taking interest in my articles. I hope they were of some use
to you.
Yes, this is a very confusing issue actually, because of all the varying and
different opinions about it out there. The biggest problem with this issue
of "extremist", "moderate", "liberal," etc., starts with definitions.
Westerners (I am also one so I include myself in this category!) like to
apply typically western labels to Islam, which often don't fit. For example,
the term fundamentalist was originally a term used for far-right Christian
groups and connotes a certain type of "reject the world" brand of
Christianity. However, it has become synonymous with Muslim terrorists
(please don't ever use the label "Islamic terrorists" because this is an
oxymoron. Nothing in Islam can be associated with terrorism, however with
Muslims, unfortunately, it can be).
So we have this problem of definitions. Fundamentalist means one who follows
the fundamental teachings of the religion. MOst practicing Muslims - whether
extremist or liberal - believe they are following the fundamental teachings
of the religion. So, in essence, we are all fundamentalists! So there is the
this initial probelm with definitions.
Greetings:
> I have been reading several articles you wrote on the Islam For Today
> website and I'm interested in learning a little more of your views on
> the issue of Islamic extremism. I have seen that several authors have
> described moderate Muslims as lost to complete Westernization; would
> this be a fair characterization or is there some middle ground?
No, this is not a fair characterization. First off, what does that mean -
lost to complete Westernization? What aspects of westernization? The dress?
The culture - if you say culture, what aspects of the culture? We have to be
more specific when we make that claim, because Islam is not a culture, it is
a religion based on worship of God alone. The law in Islam, the shari'ah,
connotes in arabic - 'a wide road', meaning that the law itself is quite
flexible. But it is not a law that can be made up by oneself but must be
followed. See as Muslims we believe that it is not the divine that must
adapt to the human being, but the human being that must mold himself
according to the will of the divine -- this is how human beings perfect
themselves, by literally making themselves "godly", thus, the essence of
Islam -- the striving for self-perfection. The models of that
self-perfection are the prophets of God - Adam, Abraham, Noah, Jesus, Moses,
etc., culminating in the final prophecy of Muhammad.
What
> sort of beliefs characterize a adherent to Islam who is neither
> hard-line nor virtually secular? I've also seen some discussion of the
> roots of such extremism and the bad fruit produced from it. What kind
> of beliefs and which sects are producing such things? Wahhabbism seems
> to get blamed a lot, I don't fully understand the difference or why it
> is blamed.
There is no extremism in Islam. There is extremism among Muslims, but Islam
cannot have extremism because by defiintion it is a middle path. God says in
the Qur'an "Thus have we made of you an Ummah (community) justly balanced,
that you might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness
over yourselves." Here, the Muslims are given their task of essentially
being the voice of reason between the extremes. Now, clearly, Muslims in the
current age are not living up to their historical role as a middle nation
and a witness, however, we must always make sure that we separate Islam and
Muslims. Islam is a perfect way of life, complete and fully sufficient as a
solution to all of humanity's problems. Muslims, however, we are human and
prone to error. Islam is a tool, if it is used and adhered to correctly, the
results will speak for themselves, however, we cannot equate these two -
because one is a religion and one is a people that may or may not apply that
religion correctly.
Fundamentalists usually lack the correct knowledge of Islam because of the
way they were taught. They are usually taught nothing but law, and almost
always come from one of the sects associated with Wahhabism. Wahhabism has
bred violence since its early days, but even going back almost to the
beginning of Islam there has been this extremist faction who the Prophet
vehemently condemned and warned about. His warning was so severe about these
people because he knew the damage they were capable of. The worst enemy is
always the one from within! Essentially, traditional Islam - true, moderate
Islam is that which has been passed down from the Prophet to his companions
to the generations of pious scholars, followed by the majority of the Muslim
community. This is known as the ahl sunnah wal jama'at (people of the way of
the Prophet and the majority of his followers, ( or something of the
like...) ). This group, the majority, is made up of what evolved in the
early years of Islam into 4 schools of Islamic jurisprudence, or what this
majority bases their practice of the religion on - all going back to the
correct teachings from the Qur'an and the Prophet's life, which is the
"living Qur'an" or the Qur'anic example. So this is the moderate majority of
Muslims which is still moderate, and still following these 4 schools of law.
However, Wahhabism, which is based on the heretical teachings of a man named
Muhammad Abdul-Wahhab, essentially came and declared war on this main group
of Muslims claiming that most of them were polytheists. He also said that
Muslims didn't have to follow the 4 schools and essentially could interpret
everything how they saw fit, which actually meant only following their
scholars. This is a source of extermism b/c it is a break from the moderate
way of the Prophet and his companions and followers. It is a break from
sound and authentic knowledge and prone to aberration. There are other
factors involved in extremism and it is a very complex issue, I am just
mentioning one of the major factors here...
Last, I'm wondering what sort of recourse there is to
> reclaim Islam from such an end. The consensus seems to be that
> educating both Muslims and non-Muslims is key to changing the Western
> perception that Islam is violent; does that seem to be the best option?
The way to reclaim Islam must come from Muslims, but the West can help. The
West has for so long supported Wahhabism, which ultimately comes back to
bite them. The Saudis for example, are the main exporters of
Wahhabism around the world without a doubt. This is their brand of Islam and
although not all Wahhabi's are violent, it is their teachings that provide
the fuel and justification for violence. Yes, education is also important,
but more importantly Muslims have to be re-educated about their own
teachings, following the traditional ahl sunnah wal jama'at body of
knowledge. Moreover, Muslims must stop focusing so much on legalist aspects
of our faith and focus more on the spiritual aspects and get back to doing
the work of self-perfection, namely, tasawwuf (Sufism). This is only my
opinion of course, but this is what I see as important steps.
