Abdul Rahman Al-Rashi
In the same way that we combat smoking and other vices with awareness and health campaigns, so we should combat terrorism, which has harmed every Muslim on the face of the earth. We must heal souls and minds of the addictions and obsessions of extremism that have afflicted parts of our society.
| Yeah. Public service announcements on the teevee. That oughta do it... |
Islamâs enemy has always been first and foremost, extremism. The people who should fight them are the preachers themselves. It is their duty to publicize middle-of-the-road Islam and back moderate preachers with enlightened preaching programs that remind people that the first enemy of the state that emerged at the time of the Caliphate was the Khawarij â extremists who declared it permissible to kill their brethren in the name of Islam.
| ... as opposed to killing infidels in the name of Islam. |
Fourteen centuries later history is repeating itself, and what the Khawarij did in Algeria and what is taking place in a number of Islamic countries puts everyone in position for a dangerous mission â confronting the new Khawarij. Since these people tried to use Muslim funds under the pretext of a jihad that killed more Muslims than members of any other group, it is the duty of charities to turn around and back the awareness campaigns against extremism. The concern for Muslims today cannot come from outside but must come from inside. It is time to rescue Islam from the Islamists and save its reputation.
| Yup. He's concerned about Islamists killing Muslims. The stacks of dead infidels don't bother him. |
As the most famous convert to Islam of our time, Muhammad Ali, said when he visited the site of the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York: âThis is not the Islam I knowâ.
| Didn't get the memo, huh? |
We repeat the same to others. This is not the Islam that forbids cutting down a fruitful tree, which urges the protection of animals and declares that religion is about conduct. Islamâs image has been tarnished and its foundation wrecked by the acts of these people, and their reputation has been linked to preachers and Islamic charitable organizations.
| Things were better when the infidels didn't know too much about Islam, weren't they? |
In order for the preachers and the charities to save their reputation, they must confront, they must fight, that extremism from their platform, with their funds, instead of getting entangled in fruitless arguments with their accusers. If preachers donât do it, who will?
This is an important time. The intentions of these people have become clear and their crimes have arrived at our doorstep. The dangers of extremist thinking have become abundantly clear. They are indisputable. |