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Clarification of Terms
Let us first clarify our terms. Contrary to what my colleague Cassandra Lifesnadir writes below, Islamism is not a religion; Islam is the religion and Jihad is a religious concept within Islam. Islamism and Jihadism, however, are political ideologies whose goal is to bring the religious tenets of Islam into the daily functioning of a government and its laws. Jihadism is a form of Islamism that not only wishes a particularly repressive version of Islamic Law to be instituted, but believes that violence in defense of the faith is the preferred way to do this. Jihadism, like Islamism, is a political ideology rooted in Islamic religious concepts, but distorted. The distortion here is that there are many ways to advocate on behalf of Islam and the choice to exclusively use violence is a misinterpretation of the doctrine. While it is only a minority (between 10-20%) of Muslims who are Islamists and a far smaller number (<3%) who are Jihadists, almost all Islamists and Jihadists are Muslims.
Islamism and Jihadism are both modern political theories, barely more than 100 years old and while there may be some debate about whether all forms of Islamism should be opposed, there is no real disagreement outside of Islamist circles that Jihadism should be opposed. Islamism is in direct opposition to the concepts of secularism, equality before the law, and freedom of speech. Jihadism is in direct opposition of peaceful and mutual cooperation between nations.
Methods to Go About Fighting Islamism and Jihadism
Jihadist movements that actually control territory, like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), can only really be dealt with militarily and to liberate the people under their control. However, taking direct violent action against Jihadists in areas that they do not control, such using drone strikes in Pakistan, has been shown to not only be ineffective at curbing Islamism, but actually lends credence to arguments put forward by Islamists to Non-Islamist Muslims that the only way to preserve their way of life is to join the fight against the West and its values. As a result, taking direct violent action in areas not controlled by Jihadists should be avoided.
Non-Muslim Contributions
Unfortunately, the real opposition to Islamism needs to come from Non-Islamist Muslims, either those who believe in secularism and/or basic human rights and democracy. However, Non-Muslims can take some actions in this regard.
1) Awareness: Raise Awareness about Islamism and its distinct political and apartheid character. When people are informed, they can politically mobilize. Additionally, make it clear to government leaders that excising the word "Islam" and the relevant parts of Islamic theology that undergird Islamism from official counter-terrorism manuals and courses is to the detriment of the citizens.
2) Liberal Islam: Promote, within Islam, any reformers like Tawfik Hamid, Maajid Nawaz, Irshad Manji, Tarek Fatah, etc. who could create a viable non-politically oriented Islam so that there is another path for Muslims. Also support individuals like Mustafa Akyol who promote an Islamic defense of secularism. These voices need to be able to sway more people to the idea that true Islam does not promote Islamism. This also shows that only a small subset of Muslims are a problem, those who ascribe to the principles of Islamism.
3) Political Correctness: Help breach the requirements that speech be "tolerant" of different groups in society so that we can actually have discussions about the problematic entities (Islamism among others) in society, without worrying about offending people.
4) Human Rights Enforcement:Create nationwide and worldwide coalitions of people who defend the validity of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights that can actively take a political and military stand to oppose the rising tide of jihads and jihadism.
5) Local Law Enforcement: In a number of Western countries there are already laws on the books that outlaw vile practices associated with Islam, such as female genital mutilation. The non-enforcement of these laws selectively on Muslims helps enforce the Islamist narrative that Muslims should have superior privileges over Non-Muslims. As a result, enforcement is key. Locations that the police choose not to enforce the law in for fear of being seen as racist must have the laws enforced there.
6) Hate Speech Laws: Enforce hate speech laws repeatedly on Imams who actually say vile and hateful statements (such as more radical Imams and Islamist political parties like Hizb at-Tahrir and al-Muhajirun) and not against those who simply point out that such things are being said by the former.
7) Cyberwarfare: As radicalization and the push for Islamist and Jihadist agendas grows on the internet, it is critical for national governments to devote resources to surveilling or taking down these methods of communication and outreach. Police and law enforcement should know who is being brought over to the Islamist or Jihadist perspective and what are the likely targets of these new recruits. If necessary, a cyber-army should be created to monitor this open Internet expanse.
8) Ideological Profiling: In order to stop radicalization of domestic citizens and to more successfully prevent the influx of foreign agents of Islamic State, there need to be concrete forms of ideological profiling performed by police and border security. Ideological profiling means that the police and border agents do NOT look at race, religion, sex, or other immutable physical characteristics, but at things that a person has said, actions that they have performed, and ideologies that they adhere to when looking for likely suspects. Islamism and Jihadism are the most likely ideologies to lead a person to commit an act of terror and warning bells that a person that espouses clear support for these ideologies, regardless of race, religion, or sex, should be investigated, monitored, and prevented from having access to weapons.
Muslim Contributions
Within the Muslim Community, especially in the West, some really important concrete steps that they can take to help stem the tide of Islamism include:
1) Local Islamic Seminaries: One of the major problems for Western Muslims who are generally more liberal in their attitudes than their brothers and sisters in the Islamic World is that they end up going to mosques headed by Imams that went to Saudi Arabia for their education. This creates a mosque leadership that is more Islamist and radical relative to the Western Muslim population. Instead, develop a more liberal Western Islamic Seminary that can infuse the Islam of their students with more "liberal Western-ness" and more effectively protect the rights of all people. Tarek Fatah has discussed this problem as well, particularly in the Canadian context.
2) Protest Against Islamism: When protests arise concerning "Anti-Islamic" actions, Muslims should together for a counter-protest of "not-in-our-name" to the dominant pro-Islam protest group. While the Twitter campaigns are nice, actually marching in the street sends a more potent message. For example, somebody publishes an "Anti-Islamic" cartoon, advocate on behalf of the freedoms of the cartoonist regardless of the possible alienation of other Muslims. While doing so, the Muslims should hold signs saying "As Muslims we support the Freedom of Speech", etc. to clarify their stand. Maajid Nawaz has done similarly.
3) Debate with Other Muslims, Especially Islamists:Muslims should spend more time debating with other Muslims about how peaceful Islam should be and argue against wars and Islamism. Muslims should follow Mustafa Akyol's example and tell Muslims how Shari'a is worth more as a personal obligation than a national mandate. Muslims should discuss how they should fight for the civil rights of Non-Muslims in Muslim-majority countries. They should tell each other to stop blaming the "Imperialists", "Zionists", "Americans", etc. for their problems and actually examine the problems with their own societies.
4) Muslims should Demand Police Protection: Muslims should join individuals who wish to impose harsher criminalization of honor killings in order to safeguard women's rights. They should support allowing the police to learn about these particular customs that are particular to Islamic communities as opposed to its current taboo as "religious bias". Muslims should want the governments of the countries they live in to protect their families, not be concerned about how these horrible effects may "shame" the community.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoYou wouldn't want to "fight Islamism"--anymore than you'd want to "fight" Christianity or another other religion. You might mean how do we fight extremists who use their religion to excuse their violent actions---which has occurred in many religions throughout history. We fight extremism by refusing to buy into the fear they want to create. We fight through continually speaking up for what is right and just. But we also must fight to respect religious diversity and cultural differences. We can respect religious tenets without crucifying everyone who holds different beliefs. The only way to respect is to learn about each other's religions and seek ways to communicate. We shouldn't give in to terrorists' threats, and many people believe the only way to control the threats extremists pose is through war or heavy sanctions. But we are very much a global community now--it will take a global response from many countries to put a stop to unlawful and barbaric actions that some extremists are using.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoIslamophobia is fueled by ignorance, so the best way to combat it is to let the world see more examples of Muslims going about their everyday lives as ordinary people.
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Will isis be defeated?
That depends entirely on what Western and Islamic Powers are willing to do about it. Fundamentally, a Western or Arab ground assault would be sufficient to eliminate them militarily, but the ideology of Islamism and Jihadism is incredibly prevalent, so it is killing those ideologies, which hold that an Islamic theocracy is a worthy goal, that require a much more intense effort.
Which come first Hinduism or Islamism?
From a historical perspective Hinduism preceded both Islam and Islamism.
What was the greatest contribution of the Islamism's golden age?
Islam had a golden age. Islamism has never had a golden age.
Is Islamic State an Islamic organization?
Islamic State is a Jihadist organization and a nexus can be built between the religion of Islam and the Jihadist political movement. However, most Muslims and even most Muslim clerics do not support the actions of Islamic State. This lack of support usually concerns specific actions that Islamic State has performed, like terrorism, beheadings without trial, enslaving people after the Ottoman Caliphs made agreements to ban slavery, and other particular issues. This condemnation by leading Muslim clerics almost never arises concerning Islamic State's goal of creating a country where Islamic Law is imposed, as opposed to a secular democracy.Islam and Jihad vs. Islamism and JihadismWe should first split off Islam and Jihad from any discussion about Islamism and Jihadism. Islam is a religion and Jihad is a religious concept within Islam about how to strive both for better morals and a more Islamic world. Islamism and Jihadism, however, are political ideologies. The goal of Islamism is to bring the religious tenets of Islam into the daily functioning of a government and its laws. Islamism is a modern movement whose roots began contemporaneously with the rise of Salafism in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Egypt.Jihadism not only wishes a particularly repressive version of Islamic Law to be instituted (Islamism), but believes that violence in defense of the faith is the preferred way to do this. Jihadism was developed in the middle of the 20th century since the secular dictators of the Arab World refused to give any quarter to Islamists in the political establishment. As a result, Islamists divided between those who would protest this estrangement from government and those who believed that violence was an appropriate way to overturn the secular governments. The latter group became the Jihadists.Scriptural Support for JihadismWhile Islam does not necessarily lead to or support Islamism and Jihadism, there are certainly Qur'anic verses that can be read by those seeking to be intolerant and violent of good grounds to do so. Q: 3:19 claims that the only religion that is acceptable to God is Islam. Q: 3:110 claims that Muslims are the best people in all history. Q: 8:55 claims that those who disbelieve are the worst of animals. Q: 9:29 argues for the repression and inequality of Jews and Christians before Muslims. Q: 2:216 argues for fighting against "enemies" even if you would prefer not to. There are numerous other verses that support this connection. While it is only a minority (between 10-20%) of Muslims who are Islamists and a far smaller number (
What is the difference between Islamism and Jihadism?
There is nothing in Islam religion called Islamism or jihadism. There is Islam and jihad. The difference between them is that Islam is a religion per Qur'an revelation by God to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the angel Gabriel (or Jibril). However, jihad is the struggle ; practiced by Muslims and one Muslims; to get life requirements, raise up families, practice good morals and religion teachings as well as struggle to defend lands, homes, families, and religion against military attacks. When Islam interferes with politics it is called political Islam. When jihad is directed ti fulfill political goals it is called political jihad. Refer to related questions below.
What has the author Barak Mendelsohn written?
Barak Mendelsohn has written: 'Combating jihadism'
What are confession and forgiveness a part of?
Primarily Christianity and Islamism
What is the difference between Islam and jihadism?
There is nothing in Islam religion called Islamism or jihadism. There is Islam and jihad. The difference between them is that Islam is a religion per Qur'an revelation by God to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the angel Gabriel (or Jibril). However, jihad is the struggle ; practiced by Muslims and one Muslims; to get life requirements, raise up families, practice good morals and religion teachings as well as struggle to defend lands, homes, families, and religion against military attacks. When Islam interferes with politics it is called political Islam. When jihad is directed ti fulfill political goals it is called political jihad. Refer to related questions below.
Where and who started islamism?
Islamism is not a religion; it is a political ideology whose goal is to bring the religious tenets of Islam into the daily functioning of a government and its laws. Islamism is a modern movement whose roots began contemporaneously with the rise of Salafism in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Egypt. Most of the Islamist leadership is by nature quite religious. Some of the biggest leaders and founders of Islamism include Sayyed Qutb, Al-Maududi, and Hassan al-Banna.
Is Islamism a word?
Yes. Islam is a religion. Islamism, however, is something else. It is a political ideology whose goal is to bring the religious tenets of Islam into the daily functioning of a government and its laws. Islamism is a modern movement whose roots began contemporaneously with the rise of Salafism in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Egypt. Islamism is not by nature violent or expansive. Many Islamist movements have concrete nationalistic goals such as the Islamists in power in Turkey.
Who was the greatest prophet of Islam?
Islamism is not a religion; it is a political ideology whose goal is to bring the religious tenets of Islam into the daily functioning of a government and its laws. Islamism is a modern movement whose roots began contemporaneously with the rise of Salafism in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Egypt. Islamism is not by nature violent or expansive. Many Islamist movements have concrete nationalistic goals such as the Islamists in power in Turkey. As a result, Islamism cannot have "prophets" since no political movement has prophets. Probably one the earliest Islamists and the founders of Islamism are Sayyid Qutb and Hassan al-Banna. If by "Islamism" you meant "Islam", which is a religion, please see the Related Link.
What are the goals for Islamic terrroists?
ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), known as ad-Dawla al-Eslamiyya al-3iraaq w'ash-Shaam or the acronym Daa3esh in Arabic, is an extremist Sunni Islamist organization. It is important to clarify what Islamism is. While Islam is a religion, Islamism is a political ideology whose goal is to bring the religious tenets of Islam into the daily functioning of a government and its laws. Islamism is a modern movement whose roots began contemporaneously with the rise of Salafism in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Egypt. ISIL practices a particularly violent form of Islamism called Jihadism, which not only wishes a particularly repressive version of Islamic Law to be instituted, but believes that violence in defense of the faith is the preferred way to do this. Jihadism, like Islamism, is a political ideology rooted in Islamic religious concepts, but distorted. The distortion here is that there are many ways to advocate on behalf of the faith and the choice to exclusively use violence is a misinterpretation of the doctrine.ISIL used to have links to al-Qaeda before al-Qaeda condemned them for their barbarity. They are fighting to bring the Sunni majority into power, especially in Sunni majority regions of both Syria and Iraq, and impose a more fundamentalist view on politics and religion. They consider themselves to be fighting the injustices and violence of the current Assad regime and the inequalities of the US-supported Government of Iraq. They intend to restart a new Caliphate or Islamic State which will reconquer all territories that were under the authority of Muslim-majority states at some point in history.
