The event of September 11, 2001, has heightened the discussions and perspective on the Islamic religion. The World Trade Center and the Pentagon were on this day hit by a group that created its identity using the religion of Islam as its foundation. The radical group has also others with similar beliefs and orientations. The proliferation of these radical groups within Islamic faith has blurred people's understanding of the true Islam. The use of the Quran, the Islamic book that guides believers on their relationship with their God and fellow humans has caused people to think that radical groups are practitioners of the true Islam. There is no doubt that radical extremism is rising rapidly . Radical extremism in this case refers to individuals or group of people with ideas that do not concede with the society. Groups or individuals who are extremists in most cases are violent posing a threat to the mainstream society. Extremist groups can be found in any religion or country; this implies that, radical extremists constitutes any religion and not necessarily Islam. Therefore, the paper seeks to present the view that radical Islam is not the same as the true Islam. The true Islam is devoid of the violent activities of radical extremists.
The Quran is to the believer a spiritual book that is divinely inspired and written. Theologians and scholars of the Quran have in decades given it different interpretations. These different interpretations have brought divisions in the Islamic community. As a book that encourages peace, it also speaks of war Jihad in ways that have been misconstrued. The construct of interpretations has shaped beliefs and practice leading to antagonistic views and broadened schisms. In this case, the jihad concept refers to both the internal and the external efforts to be a good believer. However, the concept has been misinterpreted by religious groups and governments to justify the violent activities by radical extremists.
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True Islam is based on the fundamental pillars of Islam. The pillars include shahada which attests that, there is no deity other than Allah. The second is salat which is associated to Ramadan. Ramadan in this case refers to the act of charity. Finally, the pilgrimage / hajj associates a true Muslim to Mecca, these pillars form the foundation of Islam. Further, true Islam is based on a set of beliefs. For instance, a true Muslim should belief in Allah: belief in scriptures; belief in judgment in the last day, et cetera. Therefore, from this pillars and beliefs of a true Muslim, it is evident that, Islam is all about peace and not violence.
However, islamic extremism involves a recruitment philosophy that increases participation in the cause of a group. These recruitment processes are different from the manner in which people become members or followers of Islamic precepts. Wiktorowicz (2013) wrote that socialization is central to indoctrination and processes such as cognition, the religious pursuit has strong tendencies in altering someone participation in radical Islamic activities. The mechanisms of indoctrination vary but there are similarities in operations because of the distorted interpretation of the Quran.
Radical Islam is an attempt to revamp Islam as a religion and also its political influence that ebbed out after the caliphate of Constantinople in 1924. Hansen and Kainz (2007) argue that the upsurge of radical Islamic activity is related to SayyidQutb’s influential works that stir up radical Islamic activism. The groups involved in the resuscitation and strengthening of Islam take different morphologies and have different scope. The radical religious views of extremists mark out the enemies of their Islamic faith, and their solutions to the political, social, economic, and religious misrepresentations need the full application of physical force under the ambiance of Jihad principles. They believe that humans have rebelled or are rebelling against the Law of God as specified in the Quran.
Radical extremists of Islamic origin base their spiritual pursuits on the Prophet Muhammed. He is seen as the pure example of Islam by his life experiences and the relationship he had with God. Wiktorowicz and Kaltenthaler (2006) note that different groups claim their practice of Islam is the most correct and it is what will lead them to salvation. This attracts followership according to their convictions, interpretation and alignment in thought and belief with the theologian.
Radical activism or religious extremism is a result of different motivations. Some groups use socio-economic, political, cultural incentives while others use purely spiritual incentives. These motivations are reinforced with verses from the Quran that ensures that salvation is given to those who take radical paths to curb evil in the society. Thus, radical Islam is a reflection of self-interest based on a distorted interpretation of the Quran. True Islam follows a spiritual path that is not incentivized by undertaking violent act. According to Wiktorowicz and Kaltenthaler (2006) “radical Islamists choose to face great personal risks and costs because otherwise, they are not pursuing their self-interest (p.301). The Prophet Muhammed coexisted with other non-Islamists. Therefore, a single act is not a criterion for the perpetuation of violent religious activism as a means of winning non-believers into the Islamic faith.
The establishment of Islamic States according to the teaching of the Quran is not through radical activism but by persuasion. The advocacy for using military and violent forces to institute Islamic law is a counter-narrative of the true Islamic faith that preaches peaceful discussions. True Islamists are not forceful in their interactions with non-Islamists. An Islamic group strengthens itself by internalizing its jihadist’s ideologies. This indoctrination process is more secretive, making it different from the true Islam that can be preached openly. The openness of the true Islamists is in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet regarding coexistence and tolerance. However, the mainstream Islamic communities, families, are left behind in the wake of radical extremism. The sacrificial act of these relationships in pursuit of a group ideology demonstrates the difference between radical Islam and the true Islam.
The friction within families is one example of the significant impact of radical extremism. Parental resistance to Islamic activism is a sign of its difference with true Islam. This is because parents of those who join radical Islamic groups are practitioners or believers of true Islam. Parents do not refuse religious teachings of their children but involvement in groups that propagate radical ideologies and negative indoctrination. Nevertheless, the mainstream Islamic community and parental rejections of radical ideologies for their children have caused many to defy them and join secretly.
However, radical religious activisms use the precepts of Quran regarding the oneness of God, Tawhid . And almost all radical groups base their doctrines around this core belief. The true Islam also believes in the oneness of God but does not use violent behavior against those who do not have the understanding. The Quran states clearly that “Lo! Whoso ascribed partners unto Him, for him Allah has forbidden Paradise. His abode is in the Fire. For evil-doers there will be no helpers” (Qur'an 5:72). This means that Polytheism is something that has dire consequences and there are warnings found in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammed ( hadiths ).However, the general admission of the Tawhid among Islam followers has not eliminated the differences in interpretation and application. This also is where true Islam and radical extremism finds it divergence.
Furthermore, mainstream Islam does not consider Jihad as its primary pillars of faith. This is contrary to radical Islamic teachings who which present Jihad as God’s ultimate way of eradicating evil. Hansen and Kainz (2007) assert that “It is for a good reason that classical Islam does not consider jihad to be one of the five main duties (‘five pillars of Islam’) of a devout Muslim” (Sayyib Qubt and Radical Islamism Section). The promises that reinforce radical Islamic activism are based on the faulty teachings and interpretations of the principle of Jihad. And true Islamists do not prioritize Jihad the way radical Islamists do. Radical Islam is a distortion of Islam because of wrong interpretation of the Quran. The supposed fight for Islam is not genuine but an abuse of the Islamic religion and the freedom it provides (Takeyh&Gvosdev, 2004).
Radical Islam appears to reject the culture, political persuasions and governing systems of the West (which claims a separation of church and state). The ideological inclinations of radical Islam hold the view that the laws of God and Prophet Muhammed are what should govern any given society. Any variation is often disregarded. The sovereignty of the nation-state is supposed to be the sovereignty of God, not humans. This belief system is the drive of most of the radical Islamic followers. Islamic radical extremists attempt to reconstruct evolving cultures and societies. This they do without consideration of other participants in the construction of cultures and societies. Thus, resistance to changes forms part of the differences between the true Islamists and the radical extremists.
In conclusion, the evolution of radical Islamic extremism has raised concern on the body of doctrines in Islam as a religion. The distinction is a deviation from the acceptance of the oneness of God to the understanding and application of Jihad principles. The mobilization of believers towards radical Islamic activism is contrary to the peaceful, persuasive preaching or teachings of Prophet Muhammed as enshrined in the Quran. The Quran is the book that guides Islamists in relating with God and humanity. However, it has been misinterpreted leading to the creation and proliferation of different groups that are using jihad as their motivation for salvation. Different people and groups have different incentives or motives for joining these radical extremists groups. Some motives are purely spiritual while others are political, socioeconomically, and culturally instigated. Islamic radical activism is aimed at using the Law of God as the sovereign Law that guides all nation-states. This is because God’s law is what they chose to forcefully reconstruct the state. However, True Islam is a peaceful religion that emphasizes coexistence and tolerance.
References
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Hansen, H. &Kainz 1, P. (2007). Radical Islamism and Totalitarian Ideology: a Comparison of SayyidQutb's Islamism with Marxism and National Socialism. Politics, Religion & Ideology, 8(1): 55-76. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14690760601121648
Takeyh, R. &Gvosdev, N. K. (2004). Radical Islam: The Death of an Ideology? Middle East Policy, 11(4): 86-95 . DOI: 10.1111/j.1061-1924.2004.00179.x
Wiktorowicz, Q. &Kaltenthaler, k. (2006). The Rationality of Radical Islam.
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http://www.jstor.org/stable/20202689
Wiktorowicz, Q. (2013). Joining the Cause: Al-Muhajiroun and Radical Islam. Retrieved from http://insct.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Wiktorowicz.Joining-the-Cause.pdf
