Radical tendencies, irrespective of their origin, are one of the most
dangerous threats to world peace and security. Radicalism means to advocate
fundamental and sudden changes by means of uncompromising and hard-line
policies. In an environment where mutual acceptance and understanding
have ceased to exist, people begin to feel animosity toward different
ideologies or races without knowing what the other party really represents
or believes.
In our own time, radicalism has emerged among Muslims, Christians, and
Jews. This situation is abused and taken advantage of by proponents of
Samuel Huntington's proposed clash of civilizations theory. The
scale of radicalism's threat to world peace has become apparent in the
9/11 attacks on the United States and its consequences. The fact that
these attacks are widely believed to have been carried out in the name
of Islam resulted in a great deal of prejudice against Muslims and misunderstanding
of Islam. Given the fact that Islam prohibits all acts of violence and
aggression, most of the Islamic world condemned these terrorist attacks.
Muslims prayed alongside Christians for the innocent lives lost, and American
Muslims rushed to the aid of the victims. Despite this, prejudice against
Muslims in the United States and some European countries has vastly increased,
and incidences of violence have been reported. In order to eradicate radicalism
and its damaging consequences, cultural and educational campaigns designed
to reach all sections of society must be organized. We can list the topics
and the responsibilities of various sections of society to be covered
by this program, as follows:
An awareness that radicalism, an extremist tendency that is incompatible
with true religious morality, must be defeated ideologically so that its
claim to be acting in the name of religion can be exposed as false. People
of all three divinely revealed religions must be told that they have a
responsibility to be compassionate, patient, gentle, friendly, polite,
and respectful. They have to be made aware that God forbids violence,
aggression, and anything that harms innocent people. They must understand
that it is wrong to go down that path. These efforts will ensure that
all radicals will be recognized as misguided liars and thereby prevented
from finding new recruits.
A program must be designed to give full and accurate information about
all parties involved in the conflict, so that international dialogue becomes
possible. An important step toward mutually friendly relations is the
creation of an environment in which Jews, Christians, and Muslims can
begin to know each other's beliefs, traditions, and rituals better. This
can be done through cultural and educational programs. As people come
to know each other better, they will realize that they have many things
in common. This, in turn, will make reconciliation possible. Muslims,
Christians, and Jews should tell one another about their respective worldviews
in line with God's divine books of revelation, thereby preventing the
mutual misunderstanding and radicalism caused by a lack of accurate knowledge.
The media must support the cultural activities necessary to create an
environment conducive to international dialogue. They should refrain from
sensationalism, which incites violence and segregation, and focus on broadcasts
that encourage moderation and acceptance. Carefully prepared broadcasts
by the western media will play an important role in eradicating the currently
widespread anti-Muslim prejudice. Muslim media organizations, for their
part, must refrain from broadcasts and opinions that incite hatred toward
non-Muslims and concentrate instead on cultural and spiritual education
in the Islamic world.
Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders and opinion makers must
identify people who are bent on portraying myths and false beliefs as
part of the religious code. They must teach people that God commands believers
to be balanced and gentle, and that all extremism is contrary to religious
morality. Political leaders must support this awareness campaign in order
to prevent extremism in society and to prepare the ground for moderation.
These and similar joint efforts will eradicate the conditions conducive
to radicalism. In Qur'an 2:113, God reveals that the Jews claimed that
the Christians "have nothing to stand on"
and vice versa. In reality, God knows best who is right, which is why
genuine believers must seek to draw closer to God instead of accusing
one another. The following verse reveals that people who act otherwise
are wrong:
The Jews say: "The Christians have nothing to stand
on," and the Christians say: "The Jews have nothing to stand
on," yet they both recite the Book. Those who do not know say the
same as they say. God will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection
regarding the things about which they differ. (Qur'an, 2:113)
Eradicating the harm caused by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim radicals
is possible only if all moderate, peace-loving, civilized, and genuinely
religious people cooperate and form an alliance. Such an alliance will
defeat those who present war and conflict as the only option, and disprove
the assertions of those who advocate a show of force as the only way to
achieve security and prevent further bloodshed, tears, and material damage.
Qur'anic Morality Forbids Extremism
Islamic societies have been centers of mutual acceptance and goodwill
toward non-Muslims throughout history, particularly in our Prophet's (may
God bless him and grant him peace) time.
Radicalism is an ideological movement and political approach that is
foreign to Islam. When radical groups are examined, it gradually becomes
clear that they are, in reality, using a compilation of communist slogans
and methods or that they have adopted the "fanatical
rage of the Time of Ignorance" (Qur'an, 48:26). One of the
common characteristics of such ideologies is their emotional force,
an underlying cause of radicalism that is totally incompatible with
God's commands. The Qur'an describes Muslims as people who control their
anger and who are reasonable, moderate, and tolerant. Muslims must be
polite and respectful when interacting with people of different beliefs
and ideologies.
All Muslims must refrain from a harsh, angry, and challenging approach,
for these are contrary to the Qur'an's method and essence. Instead, Muslims
must adopt the accepting, moderate, calm, and rational approach described
in the Qur'an. In other words, they must be role models for humanity and
earn people's admiration for the morality of Islam and themselves. Muslims
should also make great progress and produce superb works of science, culture,
art, and aesthetics, as well as live Islam in the best way, and thus represent
it to the world.
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