- •1. Jihad is a personal struggle, not a war.
- •1. Jihad is not defined as a defensive measure against enemies.
- •2. Terrorism and Jihad are not identical twins but historic enemies.
- •2. What can you say to the fact that many spiritual leaders, including Osama bin Laden, used the Koran as a base for their activities.
- •3. Islam does not presuppose any more violence than other world religions.
- •3. Islam worshipers perceive themselves as martyrs who are not afraid of death.
- •4. Every religion has some extreme offshoots,
- •4. The root of many evil is an Islamic fundamentalism.
- •5. Education makes a positive contribution.
- •5. The bulging Muslim youth is a very explosive matter.
- •6. The causes of contemporary Muslim wars lie in politics, not religious doctrines.
- •6. And consequently, there is the growing tendency in the Islamic world for Muslims to turn to religion as a solution or part-solution to political problems.
- •7. The future of Islam is heading towards democracy.
- •7. Islam and democracy are incompatible.
- •8. Militant Islam rises from issues of identity rather than any other problems.
- •8. Globalization leads to insecurity in developing countries that further breeds fundamentalism, fear, and ultimately terrorism and violence.
- •9. Militant Islam’s source is in poverty, not religion.
- •9. Open markets translate into terrorism.
4. The root of many evil is an Islamic fundamentalism.
Well, Islamic fundamentalism is a totalitarian construct derived by Muslim jurists from the fundamental and defining texts of Islam. The fundamentalists have made Islam the basis of a radical Utopian ideology that aims to replace capitalism and democracy as the reigning world system. It is different from other fundamentalist ideologies as it is not confined to any particular region, it has global aspirations. Islamic fundamentalists recruit among Muslim populations, they appeal to Islamic religious symbols, and they motivate their recruits with Islamic doctrine derived from the Koran.
5. Education makes a positive contribution.
If we are talking about fundamentalism, I can’t but say that every religion has some representatives who can be considered extremely conservative and who stick to fundamental and “pure” covenants. Think of Christianity with its harsh and sometimes extreme methods and doctrines! But I believe education and access to it could be a means for the new Muslim generation that will be able to put in the right way those who are misled and led astray.
5. The bulging Muslim youth is a very explosive matter.
I’m afraid you are misled by that idea. Too many Muslims are taught from an early age that their first allegiance is to Islam. They are exhorted in sermons in mosques, and in books that say if the laws of the land conflict with any of the tenets of Islam, then they must break the laws of the infidels, and only follow the Law of God, the Sharia Islamic Law. A new generation of Muslims is far more religious than their parents that is easily proved by increasing mosque attendance, more young women wearing hejab, more mosques and Islamic schools being built.
6. The causes of contemporary Muslim wars lie in politics, not religious doctrines.
And still, the resurgence of Islamic consciousness, movements and identity is due to a different aspect. In the past decades, Islamic organizations have developed as a response to the Muslim governments’ failure to provide decent social support, healthcare, education and support, and as opposition to repressive governments. Plus, Western domination and policy in 20th century provoked a great sense of grievance, resentment, envy and hostility toward the West and its wealth, power and culture. Apart from that, tribal, religious, ethnic, political and cultural divisions within the Muslim world stimulate rivalry and violence between Muslims themselves. So the political and social factors are those that cause Muslim wars.
6. And consequently, there is the growing tendency in the Islamic world for Muslims to turn to religion as a solution or part-solution to political problems.
It can only be partly blamed on a lack of resources but mostly on the survival of absolute autocracies, the holding of bogus elections, confusion between the executive and the judiciary, constraints on the media, lack of education and a patriarchal and intolerant social environment.
Well, I’m glad we see eye to eye at least on one point.