Reflecting On the Causes of the Rise in Religious Extremism in the Muslim Community

The Reasons for Religious Extremism Main Points: 1. Religious extremism is influenced by a number of variables, including a lack of awareness and reliance on inaccurate information. 2. Every religious student considers himself worthy of the position of Iftaa and Qaza. As a result, he issues his fatwa without hesitation. 3. The foundation of religion is a reverence for human life, blood, and kinship. But this foundation is being broken and we are not serious about that. 4. Another reason for religious extremism is that Muslims assign one criminal a high rank. For instance, Mumtaz Qadri was hailed as an Islamic hero for killing Salman Taseer. 5. However, not everyone respects those who work nonstop to spread the message of moderation and peace as Islamic heroes. 6. Tehreek-e-Labbaik was the reason Ghaus Mohammad and Riyaz Attari were brainwashed and led to the ruthless murder of Kanhaiya Lal in our country. 7. Muslim Ulama must openly educate that India is not an Islamic state, it does not have blasphemy laws and that taking the law into the hands is seriously a criminal act. ----- By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 5 July 2022 Modern Muslims are divided into a number of sects. They constantly accuse one another of being Kafir. They criticise one another and say negative things about one another. Sometimes the conflict is so violent that it manifests as killing. Religious extremism has various causes, but a few fundamental ones are as follows: Lack of awareness of one's own core beliefs and the beliefs of other sects, as well as dependence on unreliable information, are two factors that contribute to religious extremism. The Holy Prophet, however, taught that nothing should be accepted unless it is confirmed and supported by adequate evidence. According to the Holy Qur'an, Allah, the Almighty, “O you, who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.” (49:6) One of the reasons is that every graduate and even every religious student considers himself worthy of the position of Iftaa and Qaza. As a result, he issues his fatwa without hesitation and research on many issues and he forgets that the Holy Prophet while addressing a glorious Companion, said that “Did you tear the heart of a person before killing him to see if he had faith or not?” Every scholar is aware that during the Jihad in the time of the Prophet, a person before he was killed, testified that Allah is One and that He has no partners and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The commander of the Muslim army took the man's comment as a plea to stop killing him; so he killed the man. When the Holy Prophet learned of the incident, he disapproved of this behaviour. On the other hand, we observe on a daily basis that Fatwas are issued without hesitation regarding anyone, alleging that he is a hypocrite, a follower of heresy, or misguided, and as a result, he ought to be punished or ostracised. However, a Hadith indicates that the Holy Prophet condemned this behaviour outright. “Whoever calls his Muslim brother O Kaafir (disbeliever), then if he is not Kaafir it rebounces back to the one who said it.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6103) The third scenario is that political connections have taken precedence over personal connections. Religious devotees have started exaggerating seemingly insignificant differences for political ends. Furthermore, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that most violence in Muslim countries is motivated by personal and political gains. Consider the Shia-Sunni division, for instance. Although there are sectarian differences between the two, it is still possible for them to coexist peacefully. However, when political interests become involved in the causes of Shia-Sunni relations, they often stoke the flames of hostility or support one sect over the other in order to advance their own agendas. They are not concerned that such an act will increase conflict and harm both Shia and Sunni factions, but rather a mankind as a whole. They fail to remember that they must answer to God and that it is possible that they will have to give an account for their actions at some point in this world. The foundation of religion is a reverence for human life, blood, and kinship. The killing of life without justification has thus been regarded as the murder of all mankind. Islamic law states that "whoever kills a human being for any reason other than committing acts of violence or encouraging corruption in the land, it is as if he slaughtered all humans, and whoever saves one's life, it is as if he saved the lives of all humans.” (5:32) The murder of one individual has been labelled as a grave offence. So what is the reason for the rise of violent groups that engage in behaviour that the Holy Prophet or the Companions forbade? The fourth reason is the tendency for violence in disputes over jurisprudential principles. Observing this, people of all faiths—Muslims included—as well as non-Muslims wonder if the root of sectarianism, extremism, and disputes among Muslims is the jurisprudential difference. Has Islam made Muslims so bloodthirsty that their only activity is to engage in hostility, conflict, and bloodshed? When a typical analyst contrasts the circumstances of Muslims and non-Muslims, he discovers that, despite having more than 250 distinct churches and jurisprudential and sectarian differences, there is not the same level of hostility among Christian sects as there is among Muslims in some nations and regions today. The global media plays a significant role in enhancing this perception. In its headlines, the world media almost never fails to emphasise Muslim violence, Muslim extremism, or Muslim use of force. We are not able to hold people accountable for our predicament unless we first improve it. When the stories of the clashes within the Muslim Ummah, mutual hostility and carnage, and the use of force and violence are frequently depicted in the international arena, both our own and our own people become convinced that whatever is depicted or stated about Muslims will be accurate. Major American cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Detroit, among others, have much higher rates of crime than any other emerging nation, including murder, sex offences, theft, and robbery. However, Time, Newsweek, Asia Week, CNN, or the BBC never suggest that visitors to these cities get in touch with the local police station before arriving. On the other hand, every type of extremism and separatism among Muslims is explored, and it is widely implied that Muslims worldwide are xenophobic, aggressive, and extremist in addition to being sectarian. Furthermore, it is strongly implied that religious scholars who attend religious institutions place a higher emphasis on sectarianism than on Islam. Furthermore, religious schools and Madrasas are currently being painted as training grounds for crime and violence. The religious institutions, Madrasas and schools in India, I think, are in much better condition than those in Muslim countries. But the situations of Madrasas and religious institutions in Muslim countries are worse and greatly need reformation. Other factors contribute to religious extremism. Instead of looking outside of ourselves for the solutions, we must look within. Until we change our circumstances, we cannot hold other people responsible for the issues we confront. The last reason for religious extremism is that Muslims assign one criminal a high rank. For instance, Mumtaz Qadri was hailed as an Islamic hero for killing Salman Taseer. Millions of Muslims attended his funeral prayer after the Pakistani Court gave him a death sentence, and he is still regarded as a great Islamic hero. The Fiqh book forbids taking the law into one's own hands, and this lesson is taught in Madrasas. However, the Ulema, particularly those connected to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, ignored this lesson in order to forward their political agenda. The common Muslims did not notice that shortcoming and merely did the work of showing emotions. The influence of Tehreek-e-Labbaik was the reason Ghaus Mohammad and Riyaz Attari were inspired and led to the ruthless murder of Kanhaiya Lal in our country. Although the Quran supports Hudud punishments, no one is asked to enforce the law, then where did the idea of enforcing the law in relation to blasphemy punishment come from? The idea of taking the law into one's own hands is not supported by any Hadith or Fiqh. So, from where did it originate? Our intellectuals spend their time debating numerous subjects rather than dealing with the real ailment. Some also hold Madrasas accountable in addition to Hadith and Fiqh. But the real problem is when someone decides to enforce the law on their own. Muslim scholars have propagated the idea among their people that crimes punishable by Islamic law, including theft and other offences, are prosecuted only by Islamic judges, Qazis or Hakim under Islamic courts. If this is the case, then why not openly educate that India is not an Islamic state, it does not have blasphemy laws and that taking the law into the hands is seriously a criminal act. Muslims in India are bound to uphold the national laws and not interfere with national laws. It is time for Muslim preachers and imams to publicly warn India's Muslim population that they will not break the law, no matter what. There are more causes for religious extremism, and Muslim intellectuals and thinkers must come together to carefully discuss these causes before it i too late. ----- Kaniz Fata is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. 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