The Paradox Of A Peaceful Religion: A Critical Analysis Of The Ideological Foundation Of Islamic Extremism And Radicalization In Homogeneou...
The Paradox Of A Peaceful Religion: A Critical Analysis Of The Ideological Foundation Of Islamic Extremism And Radicalization In Homogeneous Societies
They always come with the narrative that they are just normal, peaceful and true Muslims. If you ask them if there are radical ideologies they share or hold dear, they will tell you no; that they are just common, peaceful Muslims who believe in Allah and humanity. They can even convince you on how Islam is a religion of peace according to the holy texts. But history and their lived experiences are showing different realities which kept fueling the general suspicion of violence associated with Islam.
They sell these brainwashing to you just to somehow ambush your suspicion and then play you into allowing them stay, multiply, convert more people and then become emboldened to claim certain special Islamic community rights in your village, town and or country at large.
When you conservatively reject such special religious rights which other faiths in your country are not privileged to, that's when you see their true nature become conspicuous and history repeating with same pattern.
Every Muslim man and woman on earth, totally agrees and believes everything contained in the Qur'an and other holy texts as their Truth inspired by Allah and written by His messenger. There is no doubt, or room for reform whatsoever, as the word of Allah is rigid and undisputable.
However, try ask these Muslims if they agree that the punishments described and prescribed in the Qur'an and the Sunnah; wether death, stoning for adultery and or unaliving Jews, Christians and other unbelievers, believed to have been inspired by Allah and written by His messenger, are best punishments humans both Muslims and non Muslims should be subjected to in this 21st century. Then watch them stutter in their ambivalent responses without a yes or no answer.
At this juncture, they know that these instructions cum punishments described and prescribed in the Qur'an are the foundations already laid for various Radical ideologies replete within their religion, Islam. They try to excuse and water down the severity, impact and consequences of these violent instructions to mankind.
Ironically, people who claim they are peaceful, believe in and still practically uphold these violent, inhumane and harmful teachings everyday, yet pose as though they are not potentially radicals. This is the highest form of institutionalized hypocrisy on earth.
How can one distinguish a true, peaceful and unradicalized Muslim who believes everything Allah and His messenger mandated in the Qur'an from an AK-47 carrying BOkO HARAM, ISIS, ISWAP, AL-QUEIDA, HOUTHI, ANSARULLAH, FULANI HERDER, HISHBOLAH, Islamic terrorist who also believes and practically carries out everything Allah and His messenger mandated in the same Qur'an?
There are no concrete ways to differentiate one Muslim who vows to remain peaceful all his life and another who will turn into a radical or extremist in the next minute. It is actually a thin line that separates one Muslim from being radicalized by these instructions than not. That thin line is Liberal ideology and wherever liberal ideologies are found wanting, what we see are Muslim conservatives who in turn weaponize these violent ideologies into extremist and radical teachings to achieve their various objectives.
Basically, this general ideological acceptance of these violent acts in the holy texts underscores why majority of Muslims in Nigeria and other parts of the world tend to sympathize with Islamic Terror Groups. This is because there is this feeling of inclusion, participation and fulfillment of the prescriptions of the holy text to advance Islam and other pecuniary objectives.
Therefore, if the central or most widely practiced message or ideology of a religion is focused more on using violent means to achieve a desired goal by inflicting physical harm, encouraging wars and destruction of human beings and their properties, especially those who do not share same belief with them, then such religion and ideology must be scrapped out, reformed and prevented from existing in a homogeneous, acephalous and liberal culture and nation like the Igbo nation and Biafraland at large.
The central message herein is that Islam must and should be reformed, and Muslims must do the needful if they want the world to truly see the religion as a religion of Peace. Otherwise, these ancient violent salvo of wasting human lives and destroying civilizations will persist on Earth.
This is not a mockery on Islam but a scholarly critique of a violent ideological phenomenon that have divisively shaped humanity and made many lives radicalized instead of liberated.
Family Writers Press International
No comments
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.