Yesterdays halaqa at the Memphis Islamic Center turned into a scintillating discussion about *WHY* us Muslims seem to have so many extremist cults like Boko Haram, ISIS, AQAP and others around? A number of good points were raised, and Im summarizing them here: 1) Muslims are the most religious and devout people of faith in the world. And with devoutness (a positive) also comes extremism and fanaticism (a negative). So while we rightfully take pride in saying that in terms of actual believers and practitioners, Islam is the largest religion in the world, we also need to realize there are some negatives that come with such a large quantity of religiosity. Of course well have the most number of fanatics if we have the most number of religious people overall. 2) The concept of jihad is a legitimate concept if applied properly; and it can be a type of terrorism if misunderstood and misapplied. It is like a loaded weapon: it can be used for good and to defend, and it can also be misused for harming others. Many other faiths dont have such a concept. Because our faith does, it can and will be misapplied. 3) Religious education is sorely lacking; typically fanatical groups have extremely minimal exposure to a scholarly understanding of Islam. 4) Religious leadership as well is disunited; every loud voice can potentially become a leader merely by shouting loud enough. 5) Extreme frustration with the economic situation of many of those involved in such groups, coupled with a lack of hope in alleviating their dismal situation. For those with no hope, fanaticism and overzealousness gives them some hope. When there is no alternative, extremism becomes normal. 6) The political and economic grievances wrought by modern colonialisation and Western hegemonic policies that strip from the locals their own national resources in order to benefit Western powers. Nigeria, for example, has massive amounts of natural fuel, yet Western companies are the primary (exclusive?) beneficiaries of this resource. After decades of living in poverty while you see Western powers become richer and richer, it is easy to blame everything that emanates from them as being evil (hence Boko, or Western books and education, is haram for them) 7) Lack of political leadership from within the Muslim community. When our own rulers compete with one another to build taller and taller buildings, or spend tens of millions refinancing decrepit opera houses in Paris, people become frustrated and angry, and take matters into their own hands. What other factors can you think of that would explain the existence of such groups?
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 00:13:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015